ESL: A Day in the Life

*Note: To my regular readers--
I promised my students that I would write a blog for them; so, here it is: a day in the life of our ESL (English as a Second Language) class.

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The classroom we meet in for three hours a day is pretty boring--white walls, a whiteboard, white floors, a snack machine and a few nondescript desks--but once we start, our space is full of life, laughter and (hopefully) learning.

We always start by greeting each other and giving a daily update of what happened the night before. Sometimes the students are tired because they did not sleep enough; sometimes the teacher is tired because she did not sleep enough; sometimes everyone is tired because it is Thursday and it has been a long week of cramming language structures and vocabulary into our relatively small heads. Usually the students tell me they are doing well, and usually I ask them why they are doing well. Thankfully, they are not timid and I get plenty of feedback.

Every day, we start our class with a "Buzzword of the Day." Sometimes the word is slang, sometimes it is a word they hear frequently but is not generally included in ESL curricula and sometimes it is a word that I see on Twitter when I check updates right before class.

Our books include grammar, listening, vocabulary, reading selections, comprehension questions and exercises. The books cover topics like environmentalism, education for girls, crossing cultures and scientific discoveries. And guess what? My students, well, they take those topics and they own them.

We do not shy away from controversy; one of my three class rules is "Respect each other and respect your teacher." So, our conversations can be spicy without becoming vindictive. We've talked about women driving (believe it or not, it is controversial!), whether or not fast food is what defines American food, what "strategy" is and in what contexts it can be used, religious beliefs and appreciating people we don't necessarily understand.

Usually, the hours go faster than I anticipate and our conversations must come to an end. We talk about homework, upcoming quizzes and/or tests and general life happenings.

Then, I release my students to the wild, er, lunch and afternoon classes, and prepare for meeting them the following morning. We share cheerful goodbyes and see you laters and make our way down the hallways of our beloved school.

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It is an understatement to say that I love my job.