"Teacher! Hi, Teacher! Hello, Teacher!"
This is a now familiar chorus that greets me everyday as I pull up to the women's center where I teach my English classes in the village. The students surround the taxi, vying for a turn to open the car door for me. I'm sure I will never be treated more like a celebrity again in my life.
I don't have my own key to the women's center where I teach, so I wait with the early students until we are let in. The time standing outside in the street has become some of the most precious time during my experience here. During the classes, I only speak English, but before class I get to practice my Arabic and learn more about my students than their limited English would otherwise allow. Sometimes we sing songs I have taught them in class. Other times we swap words in English and Arabic, expanding my Arabic vocabulary immensely while helping them build their English word banks. At first the exuberant mob that surrounded me was overwhelming, now I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
After the last class, I get to spend a little more time with my students. I walk to the center of the village to wait for the servees (the shared taxi). A few of the students live close to the place where I wait on the street. They always come out to wait with me. Often they bring their baby brothers and sisters to introduce to me. When it was colder, some of the older boys would build a fire out of the burnable trash they could find. An amusing (if not dangerous) endeavor that had the added benefit of warmth.
Sometimes I meet students and their parents walking along the street as I wait for my ride home. The street is a prime social gathering spot in Deir Al-Hatab as most people walk everywhere in the village. I look forward to building stronger relationships with the adult members of the community, moving beyond the casual meetings on the street. I am making progress in this area as next week I have invitations to the homes of several of my students. To add to the excitement and busyness of the week ahead, I am starting up a girls' football team and a weekly women's English class in the coming days.
This is a now familiar chorus that greets me everyday as I pull up to the women's center where I teach my English classes in the village. The students surround the taxi, vying for a turn to open the car door for me. I'm sure I will never be treated more like a celebrity again in my life.
I don't have my own key to the women's center where I teach, so I wait with the early students until we are let in. The time standing outside in the street has become some of the most precious time during my experience here. During the classes, I only speak English, but before class I get to practice my Arabic and learn more about my students than their limited English would otherwise allow. Sometimes we sing songs I have taught them in class. Other times we swap words in English and Arabic, expanding my Arabic vocabulary immensely while helping them build their English word banks. At first the exuberant mob that surrounded me was overwhelming, now I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
After the last class, I get to spend a little more time with my students. I walk to the center of the village to wait for the servees (the shared taxi). A few of the students live close to the place where I wait on the street. They always come out to wait with me. Often they bring their baby brothers and sisters to introduce to me. When it was colder, some of the older boys would build a fire out of the burnable trash they could find. An amusing (if not dangerous) endeavor that had the added benefit of warmth.
Sometimes I meet students and their parents walking along the street as I wait for my ride home. The street is a prime social gathering spot in Deir Al-Hatab as most people walk everywhere in the village. I look forward to building stronger relationships with the adult members of the community, moving beyond the casual meetings on the street. I am making progress in this area as next week I have invitations to the homes of several of my students. To add to the excitement and busyness of the week ahead, I am starting up a girls' football team and a weekly women's English class in the coming days.
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| Hanging out with the boys before class. |
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| Some of the girls in front of the lemon grove that provides before-class snacks. Yes, they eat raw whole lemons. |
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| The girls on their perch where they wait for me to arrive. |
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| Two of the girls show off a poster they made for our classroom highlighting some of our newest vocabulary. |
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| Mohammed and Mohanned came to me at the bottom of the pack but are nearing the middle of the class. |
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| Rafif is the sweetest student I have. She is working hard to catch up after a stint in the hospital. |
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| Four of my best, most enthusiastic students. |
A girls football team? Like soccer?
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post!