All I was told about the three new adults I was tutoring was that their names were Pedro, Yolanda, and Alfonso, and that their native language was a local Mexican dialect, Otomi, with Spanish as their second language.  Not having any idea what to expect, my carpool set out for Waynesboro.

We arrived and were welcomed warmly at the door.  As we rounded the corner into the living room, more and more kids kept appearing, who were also receiving tutoring.  In a fairly typical scene for Migrant Aid volunteers, we rustled around for a bit, trying to find space for everyone to sit, and finally I settled down at the kitchen table with the three adults.

We conversed for a bit in Spanish, and I asked if they had ever received English tutoring before.  They all shook their heads, so I started off with “Good Morning,” “Good Afternoon,” etc.  and moved on to “One, two, three, four…” but it became clear that they already had at least those basics. 

In my experience, the migrant adults are generally very modest about the amount of English they already know, so it can be difficult to judge their skill level.  Happy to move on to more vocabulary, I brought out the Level 1 packets for “Clothing” prepared by Migrant Education.  We were even able to put some sentences together. 

I made motions to signal “It’s cold,” explained in Spanish, and after some prompting with “I need… significa ‘Yo necesito’…” they were able to say “I need jacket.  I need boots.  I need hat.” During this part of the evening, it became clear that they were very literate and somewhat familiar with the English pronunciation of words, since they were able to sound words out (with inevitable errors due to our senseless spelling rules) without hearing me say them first.  They were also very quick with the writing exercise in the packets.  This was a bit of a relief for me, since a common challenge in adult tutoring is limited literacy in Spanish. 

The learning fatigue started setting in, so we took a bit of break to get to know each other a bit better.  Pedro, the father, was very talkative and friendly, and discussed how difficult it was for him to learn English since he is constantly around people who speak only Spanish and when he meets an English-speaker, they often don’t have the patience to help him find directions or whatever other question he might have.

After the break we did some job vocabulary, learning how to say “I work/I worked at…” specific to their skills.  This part had some awkward moments when it became clear that they were currently looking for work, but we practiced vocabulary from their past jobs. 

We also worked on a practice job application with “Name:  Last, First, Middle” and things like that that can be very confusing for Spanish speakers who keep both their father’s and mother’s last names, and add their husband’s too.  I explained that Americans usually just keep either their father’s or husband’s last name, but that they could either make their mother’s last name their middle name or hyphenate the two.  They seemed to think this was quite silly, but they were glad to know how to introduce themselves to English speakers.

My favorite part of tutoring adults in the opportunity to discuss cultural similarities and differences, so I had a great time conversing with Pedro, Yolanda, and Alfonso.  I also greatly appreciated their patience as I broke back into my Spanish! 

Hero the Dog

It’s a pig. It’s a groundhog. No it’s Hero, the mud wrastlin’ dog.

This week I had the mixed fortune of walking a small brown and black beagle named Hero. Like any puppy, Hero was full of endless energy. So, I decided that I should take him to the gated dog park so he didn’t choke himself with the leash.

As soon as I let him into the park he literally flew into the air, hopped half the agility course in the park and then proceeded to roll around in the mud. I couldn’t help but laugh, he was probably one of the most hilarious and fun dogs I had ever walked.

But then Hero decided that he wanted me to play with him… I wasn’t exactly enthused. In fact, at first I was pretty upset. I was covered with mud from head to toe. But Hero was not going to let me get away without playing with him, and after a while, I gave in.

After playing with Hero in the mud for about 30 minutes I realized it was probably time to go inside and walk some of the other dogs. Needless to say the SPCA staff was not thrilled with the mud-covered dog I brought back. But I learned later this week that, despite his messiness, Hero was adopted. Though I am obviously thrilled for him, I will miss him when I visit the SPCA this week.

I realized as I walked up to the gate leading into the Molly Michie Preschool that I was a little nervous. This Friday was my first day to volunteer at the preschool. What if I mess up? What will the teacher think of me? Most importantly, will the kids like me? Kids have this innate sense about them—they can figure you out in a minute and decide whether you are worth their time or not. It can be a scary thing to walk into a room with fifteen four and five year old kids.

I made sure to be extra early for my first day. When I walked through the door, Ms. Avie, one of the teachers, helped me sign in and find my volunteer tag. This semester I am working with the Five Day Friends, the class of four and five-year-olds that meets five days a week. I made my way to the back of the building, where Ms. Lori, the teacher for my class, was setting up for the day. The room was filled with toys, books, games, crafts and music—a welcome respite to my life of desks, laptops and chalkboards. After giving me a quick tour, I helped Ms. Lori get ready for the day while quizzing her about the program.

Finally, kids started trickling in and my nerves completely faded away. Each kid that walked through the door was so full of energy and so excited for the day that I got swept up too. Their excitement was contagious. I helped decorate patriotic windsocks. I made airplanes and houses and cars out of Legos. I learned about Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama (who knew that five-year-olds were so up to date about their current President!). I helped get the snack ready and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of the girls with the rest of the class. I read books to them and let them show me their artwork.

In just two hours I knew all of their names and began to discover their different personalities. They made me feel completely at ease and I had so much fun just being a kid again. Everyone that I met, the teachers and parents, were so extremely nice, energetic, and helpful. Two hours flew by so quickly, and before I knew it, I was off to my first class of the day. With a chorus of “Goodbye Brooke!!” and my last attempt to explain to one kid that I went to school too, I left to go back into the real world. I can’t wait for next Friday.