I have been working on my final module of the course. I reflected on the years of "Getting to Know You" exercises. I thought about my years of French courses (FSL) and TESL training. I mulled and mused. "All About Mes", "Likes and Dislikes", "My Family" - as teachers we have done them all but do we really learn anything about our students from these cursory exercises? Had I ever revealed anything of significance about myself when given these tasks?
Over the years I have been fortunate to have had the privilege to take a glimpse into my students' lives through their stories and photos. Often, I have been witness to their pain.
I remember one of my TESL professors, or perhaps another teacher tell me that the best way to start off a session is with photos of the students' families. I never ever begin with the Family anymore. How many times have I had to teach the word "homesick" to label the tears?
This was the impetus behind my course assignment. Let me explain....when we leave our families, our lives, our jobs, our homelands and our languages, we leave a part of our identity. It takes time to reconnect to that part of ourselves again and realise we are the same people.
I hope to be able to use my "Getting to Know You" exercise in the coming months. I look forward to getting to know my students and learn what inspires them.
No comments:
Post a Comment