As I wrote earlier, my new position included a new class. My currently class should come equipped with a revolving door. It is open enrollment (accepting students at any point in the year) and multilevel (from non-literate students to students who already have an intermediate level of English). To complicate it further, my students are newly arrived. When I began the class at the beginning of December, my students had all been in the country less than a month.
Since my students are so recently arrived and do not have licenses or vehicles, our program provides transportation to the class. I got to be the lucky person to do so. So, each morning, I climb (literally) up into Moby, our older-than-me massive van, and drive to meet my students.
I don't mind driving Moby anymore, although I was nervous the first time I tried to maneuver around the parking lot. I've gotten used to the beast that he is, and we've even ventured onto 83 today and reached speeds of up to 65 miles an hour without falling apart. We can even listen to NPR together, although I have to turn it off when my students climb in. The speakers only seem to work at the back, and I wouldn't want to deafen anyone! There seems to be an unspoken competition between my students to see who can sit in the passenger seat. I can't blame them...it reminds me of sitting on the upper deck of London buses!
My new position unfortunately meant that I needed to surrender my old class, the one I have been teaching since July 2013. I stopped back to visit my class when I returned from the Middle East. It really brought so much joy to my heart to sneak into class and hear eruptions of excitement from my students. I got hugs and handshakes, compliments and a whispered "Teacher...do you have a boyfriend yet? No? Ok, I'll keep praying."
I'm thankful that we've been able to keep in touch, even though I'm not their teacher anymore. I was showered with Christmas cards and Christmas presents. We're trying to find time for a "class reunion"! And last Friday, I met with one of my dear friends for coffee. Her English has improved so much. It really reflects her diligence and perseverance. She's now taking classes at a local community college, but she still comes to our English class a few days a week. She tells me that the other class is good, but our class is full of friends. Those words make me feel as though I've done my part. Life as an immigrant or a refugee can be very lonely and isolated. Everyone should have a place where they will be missed if they don't show up, someone to call if they need help, and someone to laugh with about mistakes and funny moments. I had a very unique combination of students in that class. While I don't think every class will have the same strongly developed sense of community, I hope they come close.
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