Since I was a kid, being a teacher has always been my projected career path. I did not know what I wanted to teach, but I knew that education was important to me. I loved learning and I wanted to share the gift of learning with others. As a freshmen in college, I came in with an intended career path. I was going to follow my plans, and nothing was going to make me change my mind. I wanted to be a traditional teacher, work in public schools, teach middle school and so on. College changed my perspective about educators. I was fortunate enough to participate in an internship my first year as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, that has changed my life forever.
I interned at Blue Ridge Literacy, and it was by far the most life changing experience. Blue Ridge Literacy, or better known as BRL, is a non-profit organization that offers English classes to refugees and immigrants in Southwest, Virginia. This organization has a crew of AmeriCorps teachers and staff development that offers education in an entirely different form. BRL not only offers English classes, but they tutor adults the citizenship test and offer a GED program. From day one I knew that I would fall in love with my duties as an intern, and my the end of the term I did not want to leave.
Teaching adults where English is not their first language was challenging. It requires learning new communication skills and a great amount of patience. Having anywhere from 9 to 25 people in the classroom was challenging because everyone spoke English at different levels. ESL teachers are glorious. Shadowing classes and watching them teach those refugees and immigrants was amazing. It was the most basic lessons, that helped all their students learn English in a timely manner. ESL teachers have to accommodate so much within the classroom because some students have been speaking the language for years while others may have been illiterate. The way I watched teachers at BRL connect with their students made me realize how much hard work goes into their lesson plans and teaching styles.
Although my internship was only a month long, I grew an appreciation for ESL teachers. First off because I have taken my English language for granted. Looking at the students I had in the classroom I knew that their main goal was to learn English the best way possible to survive in the United States. The ESL teachers helped all those people in that room achieve that common goal. Within a month I saw improvement so much from so many different students. The ESL teachers at BRL taught me patience. I had to learn how to be patient with the learners, because they were not native speakers. I had to learn that my lesson plans might go wrong during a class and I would have to change everything I was doing or that it could have taken the whole 75 minutes to explain one of my topics. I had to accommodate my lessons to my students, and base it on their needs and capabilities to learn. Lastly I learned a whole new set of communication skills that will take me far in life. I learned that using the most complicated words can be challenging to others and intimidating. I was taught that when talking to others, I do not have to change the tone of my voice, especially if they are not native speakers.
I would have never learned these amazing things if it was not for the ESL teaches I shadowed for a month. I realized that my love for politics, education, and language increased. I began to understand that teaching is a career that can touch the lives of many. I gained a whole new respect for those who come from other countries. ESL teachers are truly a blessing to our society, and do not receive the credit that should be rewarded. ESL teachers are changing the world, with one adult learner at a time.
