One of our partners shared this picture of students in his church practicing the greeting conversations from the Light of the World lessons. Standing up to shake hands and practice scripted conversations helps students get comfortable with real-life speaking. As another teacher, Kathy. shared, “I’m excited to tell you that our first student to use the Light of the World material just told us last week that she was able to go to the pharmacy and speak with the pharmacist and other staff completely in English for the first time.” It’s something we may take for granted, but communicating with others is life-changing for immigrants.
It’s always wonderful when our English learners have progressed so much that they are now able to teach others. This “Each One Teach One” method empowers students to become tutors and mentors by sharing what they have learned. Refide, a young woman in Eastern Europe has been learning English online with Tanya. Her proficiency has improved so much that she completed our tutor training this month so that she can teach English to her friends and family.
Another one of our teachers in Asia just sent me this message: “Wanted to share with you exciting news. One of my ESL students started his own ESL class with 2 students and now he’s starting a second batch with 20 students. He has also invited me for a Teacher Training Workshop for 20 teachers.” Our work grows exponentially when English learners become enthusiastic English teachers.