ESL, Week 2

Above: Sean teaching English Wednesday night. Sorry for the bad picture ,and please ignore the bad spelling on the whiteboard.

Wednesday night we had our second week of English classes. We taught vocab that included household items and rooms of the house. We also taught prepositions and then had the students divide up into groups and practice describing their home using prepositions and complete sentences. We’ve really enjoyed having Andy and Josh here to help us in the classes, because now we can divide up into small groups and the students have more opportunity to practice.

We have enjoyed our students so far, and even though English is very tough at the beginning levels, they are working hard and doing great.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Above: Sean teaching a group of beginner English students.

Tonight we started our second “semester” of teaching English classes with a local ministry here in our neighborhood. Lindsey and I are teaching a class of 20 or so Costa Ricans in the basics of conversational English. The classes run for 2 hours every Wednesday night for 10 weeks. Usually Lindsey teaches the first hour, and then Sean teaches the second hour. This semester we have our interns here to help us, and with the additional manpower we are able to split up into small groups to facilitate more conversation and interaction.

Above: Lindsey teaching basic introductions during the first hour of class.

One of the great things about English classes is that they are quite a draw in the local community. The ministry doesn’t do much advertising, and yet upwards of 75 people showed up the first night. It is a great opportunity to not only help people to learn English, which in some cases can improve their way of life, but also to build relationships in the local community. We have made friends through these classes, some of whom have ministered to us in return.

The English classes are also a time for the local missionaries to present the gospel and share the love of God with the students. We cherish these moments as it is our desire to share this same love with Costa Ricans, and eventually with Hondurans as well.

English as a Second Language

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Above: A view of San Jose from the hills north of Alajuela. (The picture has nothing to do with the classes, its just pretty!)

Over the past two months here in San Jose, we have been volunteering at a local community center teaching English to Costa Ricans with a desire to learn. The students have been great and they all speak much more English than we speak Spanish.

The classes meet every Wednesday night for two hours, with a 20 minute break for coffee, singing, and a bible message. We have been alternating teaching the same class, intermediate English. Usually Lindsey goes for the first hour, Sean brings Lucy for the break, and then the girls go home and Sean teaches the second hour. Though we have taught certain themes and subjects, by far the favorite thing for the students is to talk, talk, and talk. Unlike us, who interact with Spanish speakers constantly throughout the week, most of our students only speak English on Wednesday nights.

We have really enjoyed our time teaching, it has been great to make some friends in the neighborhood, practice our Spanish, and learn more about a ministry we hope to implement in Honduras.