GRIP, Internships Abroad Learning through Teaching

Manna Project International, Ecuador

My favorite part of my internship experience so far has been spending time with children from the Sangolquí area. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I assist in the level one kids’ English class. The class happens for one hour, twice a week. There are eight children in the class, and all are learning English for the first time. Our job during this class is to work one on one with a child, assisting them with their English work. In the two weeks we have been here, the students have covered the vocabulary of the family, colors, nature, and -ing words. Each class begins with the students declaring in English, “hello teacher.” You can tell right away how proud they feel to be able to express this phrase. In addition, the girl students have come to know me and always greet me on their way into the classroom. They wear colorful masks and always have an elaborate pencil case and various items in their backpack to show off to me. From the very first day, a particular student, named Emilia, made me feel very welcome. She is a cute, seven-year-old girl with pink glasses and lots of energy. I helped her on the first day of class and at the completion of each of her worksheets, she would write “Emilia and Esther” at the top, denoting whose work it was. During the past few classes, I have begun to help another student named Brenda. This student is less outgoing than the other girls in the class. She sits in the back corner and only speaks to me through whispers. Brenda is very good at English but doubts her ability. During the last class, the students worked on a quiz during class. I sat with Brenda, and she asked for my approval for each answer that she wrote down. I was very impressed with how much she knew and constantly encouraged her.

The main challenge I face during these bi-weekly classes is my elementary Spanish level. I studied Spanish for four years during high school, but have not utilized this skill since then. These English classes have become the main space for me to refresh my language skills. Since the students are so young, they do not understand that I am not fluent in Spanish. Therefore, I have to try my hardest to keep up with their questions. During the time that I am not in class, I ask the fluent Spanish speakers in our program to help me with certain phrases that will help me communicate with the students during classes. Some of the phrases I have learned include “buen hecho” meaning “well done.” Also, I learned the verb “intentar,” meaning “to try,” in order to encourage the students to try out the questions on their own. Overall, I have grown so much in my Spanish skills because of this class. Additionally, working with these children brightens my days and reminds me how much I enjoy working with younger kids. I am excited to continue to improve my Spanish and build stronger connections with the students as the summer progresses.