23 Sep “We get to be teachers to teachers?!”
So last night, I and a group of 3 elementary students and 1 middle schooler went to Grace College to teach future teachers about ESL students. What fun! As I went around to their houses to pick them up, these students came out of their homes looking like I’d never seen them before. Sunday best, freshly braided hair, little touches of Mom’s makeup or Dad’s gel. :) One girl even had a sending off party of at least 10 neighborhood kids. Once we got to Grace, they tried to back out on me. “We’re too scared, Mrs. Steele!” “Do you believe in God?” I asked. Everyone said yes (probably not all referring to my God, but…I’ll leave that conversation for another time). “God can calm our fears when we pray to Him. Would you like me to pray?” “Oh yes, please!” from one, and a nervous glance from another. So…we prayed. Maybe for their first time ever.
Anyways, they did wonderfully. Shared experiences, stories, even advice for these future teachers. “They looked just like students!” said Shri. “They sat in desks just like we do. I just imagined that they were 4th graders instead of really big.” Of course, the projection system only hooks up to PCs and Mr. Polston only had a Mac, so my beautifully designed transitions between slides had to be forgotten. But we had so much to share, it didn’t matter in the least. What a wonderful experience! Cruz even pulled a joke on one of the students, by creating this huge story about a “light gun” he found in Mexico. Turns out the “light gun” was actually a shocker. Boy, was that girl in for a surprise!
Well, they all did such a wonderful job, I just had to delay dropping them in order to swing by Ritters–they earned it! What a great experience all around–for myself, for my students, and for our audience (believe me, they listened better to the kiddos than to me!).
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