Benjamin+Browning


 * July 22 (Tim Conrad)**
 * I enjoyed reading your reflection about Paulo, immigration issues, and the importance of respect for everyone in their varying circumstances of life. Teaching has been such a rewarding experience with so many gifts of insights about life and wonderful experiences with my students and colleagues. I've been so impressed by the collegiality among you and everyone in this 6410 cohort of teachers! I sent you a Wiki message with your grade.**

Ben, well done! There are a couple of points that I wanted to point out that I really like. The first point, you stated that “ getting to know the background of each of our students if crucial and vital to our success with them in the classroom.” This is something we’ve discussed previously a few times but I agree, if this step is skipped then it’s super tough to take the student in the direction that he/she needs to go. Secondly, you mentioned towards the end how we’ve got to love one another to have a profound effect; if the student doesn’t feel like we as the teacher really care about them and truly desire for them to succeed then it’s very likely that the student won’t give it his/her all and try his/her best. Last of all, through my brief encounters with Paolo I’ve also been able to tell that he really he really is yearning for knowledge and practice to better his English. I also respect him for that, especially being older in age, that’s tough, so props to him!
 * July 18th (Jaron Meyer)**

July 17 (Monica Widdison) What great insights Ben. I was so inspired by Paulo when he played the guitar for us and then watched his face as he explained what the piece ment. He was so happy. I agree with you that our system is broken. All we can do is work with what we have and keep trying no matter how hard the circumstances.

Monday July 16, 2012 Once again, Paolo was very motivated and happy to work. He is so smart and comprehends almost everything he reads. He was happy about the next class, but sad that I wouldn't be there with him. I feel that this class gives him a sense of belonging. That is one of the things that helps a student be motivated and want to succeed. It makes this class worthwhile.

Wednesday July 11, 2012 Today our students didn't show up. I was able to help Brandy with her two students. It was mire of a social night tonight, which I feel you need at times. I feel that teaching this adult class is a lot more casual than teaching children. I feel like we are doing all we can for them with the little time we have.It is fun to help people from other countries try to understand your own culture and language.

July 7, 2012 (Tim Conrad): I think it's inspiring that people of all ages love to learn new things. It's also true that just as Paolo has been working on his English all his life, those of us who learn other languages will find the same ongoing challenges and pleasures from increasing our abilities. There's always something more to learn for my own Spanish, things I continue to find out that I don't really yet know how to say, and ways I can improve my pronunciation, even after many years of study and living/traveling various times in Mexico.

Monday July 2, 2012 Tonight I worked with Paolo. He understands so much, but he really struggles with pronunciation most of the times. He has been very proactive which helps him to learn English better. He has done some of the exercises in the book that he took home with him. He got most most of the answers correct. I also used a listening activity from the Internet and he really enjoyed that. I am really enjoying the success and accomplishment he feels. It is great to help others.

Tuesday, June 26

Hi Ben, What a great group of teachers you all have been! You've just jumped in as "self-starters" and really reached out to this group of community ELLs to make them feel welcomed and encouraged! If you have any questions or suggestions, just place them here. If you want to send a message only for me, you can use my email: tconrad@weber.edu (Tim Conrad)

Monday June 25, 2012 I wasn't really sure if we were prepared tonight because even though we are teachers it was a new experience for us. I think not knowing exactly at which stage the students are played its toll on us. We went forward and we realized it was exactly the right thing to do. I know that Teresa was extremely happy with what she learned and she feels we are all on the same page. Uk Soo did not show up, but another man did and I was able to interview him and see which level he was at. We were even able to plan the next lesson. This type of a class is a little less formal than public school so I felt the affective filter was set way low, maybe even not there at all. I felt very satisfied with the progress made today.

Wednesday June 20, 2012 I was really impressed with how many people came out for the English tutoring as well as how many intermediate to advanced students that I saw. I really feel the students enjoyed the silent video exercise. they made it their own and had a fun time doing it. I also felt that there were some great relationships of trust built tonight. The two I interviewed were pretty proficient and the husband is looking to better his skills for the workplace. His wife wants to better her accent so she can have more success looking for work. I am really impressed with these friends and I look forward to learning with them.