ESL Meeting #2 – 09/30/11

ESL Meeting #2 – 09/30/11

            Greeting me with a kiss on the cheek, Jeanelie was anxious to tell me about her weekend. On Saturday, Jeanelie went to Six Flags in Arlington with her husband. Explaining how she loved the rollercoaster’s and all of the amusements the park offered, Jeanelie seemed happier than a child in a candy shop. Jeanelie explained that she had never been to an amusement park before and that this past weekend was her first time riding a roller coaster. I was shocked to hear this and asked her if there were amusement parks in Caracas. She didn’t know of any that were close by and didn’t know if there were any parks at all in Venezuela. It was hard for me to imagine not attending an amusement park at some point as a child and even harder to imagine the idea of the US not having amusement parks at all. In the US, it is almost impossible to go more than two or three days without seeing some sort of commercial or advertisement for Disney Land or a major amusement park.

            After discussing our weekends with one another, I asked Jeanelie how school was going for her and how she felt about her classes. Jeanelie shared with me that she was enjoying class and found herself doing very well with her English. While she admitted that she wished that she could advance a level and be in the same classes as her husband, Jeanelie said that she was learning quickly and enjoyed her classes. Jeanelie explained that she had a test coming up later in the week and asked me if we could review some concepts and some phrases that she was having trouble with. In hopes of boosting her confidence and working to help her better prepare for her exam, I told Jeanelie that we could have a little test review.

            Jeanelie pulled out some worksheets from class that she was reviewing for the test. Pointing out the parts of the worksheet she struggled with, the two of us began to work through the assignment. The assignment reviewed common English phrases that are used in every day speech. Some of the phrases included were, “it’s no big deal”, “don’t worry about it”, and “over there”. It was fascinating for me to see these phrases and ponder the idea that Jeanelie had no idea what they met or the context in which they were used; yet I myself used many of these phrases every day. Jeanelie consistently struggled with the word “over” and any phrases that included the word.

            At first I found myself troubled when trying to define the word “over” for her and couldn’t seem to pull out a definition that was clear enough for her understanding. Attempt after attempt, I threw out different definitions and various examples in hopes of clarifying the word. Eventually, Jeanelie picked up on the basic meaning of the word, however I was not confident that she had a complete understanding of it. Luckily, because I know quite a bit of Spanish, I was able to cheat, and worked to explain the meaning in Spanish. Tossing back different examples between one another, Jeanelie finally reached an understanding of the word. She was thrilled by her accomplishment and I felt a sense of accomplishment as well. It was exciting and rewarding for me to help Jeanelie through her struggle and help her learn what appeared to me to be such a simple word to me, but was such an obstacle for her.

            The two of us had a great meeting and ended with a high five encouraging Jeanelie to do well on her exam. Jeanelie told me that she would text me when she completed her exam letting me know how she felt about it. She said that my review helped her and that she did in fact feel more confident. 

David Belpedio