First Day at Progreso Hispano

Monday morning started the new semester for the adult English as a Second Language (ESL) course at Progresso Hispano (also known as PH). PH is a non-profit located right off of route 1 and it has the mission to help immigrants through advocacy, community development and education. I am excited to be working on the education side of things with about 12 other volunteer teachers.

This is my first time working at PH, and I've only been teaching ESL courses now for about 8 months, so I am relatively new to the arena.  This class will cover beginning level English, but the students will likely have a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.  Of the four students that attended on Monday, one lady had arrived in January while another has been in the US for 11 years.  The goals are also quite diverse from increasing job mobility within the restaurant industry  - to learning enough English in order to be utilize their background and education in accounting. For the most part, though, the main goal is to increase the listening and speaking skills. 'Americans speak so fast!' — I was told. We'll practice the listening, and I am sure it will get to the point where it doesn't sound quite so fast as they comprehend more. 

Now the challenge is to create authentic and interesting activities during which they can practice in the safety of the classroom.  And then there is homework which includes practice outside the classroom.  No, not just memorizing vocabulary words. I'm hoping for the students to find opportunitities to really communicate.  Simple conversations on the bus, in the restaurant, in the grocery store or at the doctor's office. So, if you just happen to sit next to someone who starts up a simple conversation and is wanting to practice their English, please give them a moment of your time!  You'll have made their day.