Teach English in DajiAng Linchang - Yongzhou Shi

There is currently a need for more people willing to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) across America. There are a number of small communities that have accepted immigrants from other countries. Although children of school age will learn English in school, the parents and grandparents struggle to learn English as they continue their daily live and try to earn a living. This is a challenge as most Americans do not know any other languages as they do in Europe so the immigrant needs to communicate in English to accomplish anything. This leaves the older generation feeling isolated and also causes problems in everyday life such as going to the bank. In most large cities, finding an ESL class is easy. In rural America this is not necessarily the case. Immigrants have a harder time assimilating into the culture without this assistance. ESL classes in the local community can provide a safe learning environment for mastering English. Although English grammar is fairly simple to learn, English spelling, pronunciation and idioms can be challenging. Different languages even those with the same alphabet as English pronounce letters very differently. For example, even though Spanish and English are both Latin-based they pronounce the letters J, H, V and Y very differently. Spanish speakers, especially older learners, who have spent a large part of their life speaking only Spanish, have difficulty learning these new pronunciations. They also have learned behaviors that make understanding their spoken English sentences difficult such as adding an E sound to the beginning of any word that starts with S. For learners such as these being in a classroom with others struggling with the same challenges and a teacher with the patience to help them learn new sounds can be invaluable. Another helpful aspect of ESL classes is that it can provide a safe environment to ask questions. When in a store, most people would feel uncomfortable asking “What does that expression mean?” In a classroom setting, this question would seem perfectly in place. The teacher can explain idioms and expressions as well as provide more details on local customs helping the immigrants understand the new world they live in. There are additional challenges that a local class could help immigrants that an online class or a class in a nearby city couldn’t provide. First would be learning local sayings. For example, in Minnesota they use the words “You betcha”. Another advantage of a local class would be connections. Having other learners in the classroom with you can provide support and also a non-threating way to practice the new skills learned in the classroom. There are several challenges of small town ESL classes. The initial challenge is finding a teacher willing to commit the time and energy needed to teach the class. Often this is just someone who is willing to teach but may not have any formal teaching license. Another challenge is that these classes are often small and have a wide range of English skill levels represented in the class. This requires a lesson plan that can engage students that speak hardly any English while not boring those who have basic fluency. With small class size of 3 to 4, you can’t split the class into a beginner class and an intermediate class. Using the engage, study, activate methodology these challenges can be overcome with planning and creativity.