Chris - CP # 7

I finally made it back to the ESL class at TCC this morning (after a cold bike ride over there!). Last time I went, I blogged it as a tutoring hour. However, today was their last class of the semester and all we did was munch on some delicious food some students brought in and talked. This was great because last time I went, the students were focused on their work and I didn't really get to know them. I now know, at the very least, everyone's name and their respective home countries.

I spent a lot of time talking to Jeff, the only guy in the class. He is from Haiti and speaks Creole, French, English, and Spanish. He sits in the back of the class with headphones on, but he's always smiling and happy. I asked him what he was listening to and he played some "Compa" (Haitian music) for me. He also listens to a lot of Dominican music. He explained that Creole is the language of "our parents." French is the language used in schools, so if a kid doesn't go to school, he/she may understand French, but can't speak it. Jeff says that Haitians like to learn numerous languages. Jeff's going to try to get his GED next semester at TCC and hopes to study Engineering after that.

I also talked to Juana, from Ecuador, for a while. She's fun to talk to because she ends up speaking in Spanglish when she gets excited. We talked about her plans, my plans, Ecuador, among other topics. The Spanish-speakers tend to cluster together in this class, but Juana usually keeps her distance. In fact, I haven't heard her speak in Spanish once, even though the teacher often speaks to half the class in Spanish. She's a very dedicated learner.

This class is great, but it's no CIES. It makes me realize how lucky the CIES students are to be in that program. Students at CIES get an intensive head-start on higher learning in English. On the other hand, the students at TCC are slowly working their way up, most starting with this class then getting their GED. The thing is, without a GED, it's hard to get a job and without a job, it's hard to do just about anything.

At the end of class, I was talking to Ms. Pereira (the instructor) about private tutoring because I still need a good amount of hours. She announced it to the class and, to my surprise, almost the whole class was interested. So, I'm no longer worried about fulfilling my tutoring requirement. This weekend, I'm going back to Jacksonville, but I'll come back next week for a tutoring marathon. If anyone still needs tutoring hours, get in touch with me because I think I'll have more than my share with this ESL class and I'm sure they would appreciate meeting some more of us!