Teaching English

One of the requirements for my class Pobreza y Desarrollo en Latinoámerica (Poverty and Development in Latin America) is to volunteer at least 6 hours a week in a low-income community. My internship is in a poor community about an hour outside of Santiago called El Monte. I teach an English class for students between the ages of 10 and 16. The internship is a lot of work mentally, physically and emotionally. Every Thursday I leave campus at 11:30 and take the metro to the main bus terminal. From there I take a bus to the small community of El Monte – I usually arrive at around 1:30. The building where I give the class is a community building run by the government for the benefit of the children in the neighborhood. During the afternoon, I set up the classroom, hunt for supplies, have lunch with the secretaries that work there, and get ready to teach the lesson.
I have found that teaching is terrifying. I remember that the first day I had to give the class I was practically shaking. It is scary for me because I have to teach the class in Spanish and I have to teach how to speak and write English. This may sound simple, but I have realized that the method of teaching a foreign language, even if it is your own, does not necessarily come naturally. For example, I have struggled with where to begin, what to cover, and how to make it fun and interesting. What is also difficult is that I am teaching adolescents who don’t hesitate to make fun of my Spanish or let me know when they can’t understand me. This is a good thing, but it is very hard to get used to.



Things are going better now after about a month of class and I am starting to love my students. I am impressed that they come to an English class voluntarily after a full day of school because they truly want to learn. Some students have started to come about forty minutes early just to hang out in the room, chat, and draw on the board with markers. The lesson is only an hour long but I usually end up staying a little later. Unfortunately I have another class on campus in Santiago at six and have been late about every time. It’s worth it though, because every time when I go to clean up the room, my students have written “Gracias tía Sarah” and have signed all of their names. It never ceases to surprise me how people who don’t have much, are grateful for such simple things. Even though it is really scary to do, it is an honor to be able to teach an English class in El Monte.