Charles.
John.
Daniel.
These are the names of the students I would never forget. I see them every week for less than five hours. They are Koreans, yet they speak in English. They have different culture, yet they understand my culture-- the Filipino culture. They are full-time university students in the Philippines who attend classes from morning till late afternoon, yet they have time to meet with me from 7:30 till 9 in the evening, three times a week.
Yes, they are my ESL (English as SEcond Language) students who came to the Philippines a few years ago to study English. I started teaching them in January 15 of this year -- I have just given birth then; my baby was only 19-day-old. I honestly thought things would be complicated with them. On our first day, they didn't really show any enthusiasm to have me as their tutor. My boss was watching us while I was teaching them then. However, on the next days, I felt so rewarded with the kind of response I got from all my three wonderful students.
My first lesson with Charles, Daniel and John was Speech and Oral Communication. Although they are foreign students, I actually used the syllabus I have been using for my Filipino Speech students -- although I had to make revisions on the activities and materials. I added more activities and practice exercises. As far as I remember, I decided to change some activities -- making them more challenging -- because of the enthusiasm and eagerness that the three guys had shown.
Aside from Speech and Oral Communication, we also had a sort of TOEFL review, sample exercises from IELTS exam, vocabulary enhancement, listening exercises, authentic learning activities (we went to Nepo Mall to interview strangers), and writing and editing sessions/lessons.
In all the activities, Charles, Daniel and John did actually reveal a portion of "who they really are," especially in our writing sessions.
Our writing and editing sessions helped me discover what these foreign students cherish in their hearts and keep hidden in their minds.
Let me talk about Charles first. He is very quiet. He doesn't speak, unless you ask him to. He's very reserved -- really. Through our writing sessions, I knew that Charles values trust, friendship and respect. He values family over career but he could never imagine himself not becoming a professional in the near future. His silence doesn't mean he has nothing to say. He is, actually, just waiting for the right time to say what he has in mind.
Also, through his active participation in our activities in class, I discovered that Charles is very creative. He writes stories that can make the reader's imagination wander. I think he owes this creativity to his interest in reading. Charles loves reading. He doesn't get bored studying and reading, although his quest for perfect English makes him feel stressed out. The result: He thinks he's no good in terms of English use.
For Charles, the most important thing to learn, at present, is nothing but English. He is very much determined to make English his second language.
In terms of writing, Charles never forgets to begin with an effective introduction and a memorable ending. He can weave his ideas together and make them consistent with the theme. There is, however, one problem with his essays. I can easily detect if the essay was carefully written or hastily done. His handwriting gives me a clue!
If we're going to talk about handwriting, I think Daniel's is superior. He always submits well-written and very neat essays -- he hates erasure.
Daniel's essays and his active participation in our discussions show how liberated he is. He is not afraid to speak what he has in mind even if it means contradicting the traditional point of view. This doesn't mean though that he lost faith in the traditional Korean beliefs and values. In fact, Daniel remains to be conservative by deeds, but critical of issues around.
Daniel's great dream is to have a family that could inspire him to be more than who he is now. However, he believes that as a man, he must have a stable job if he wants his future wife and kids to be proud of him.
Daniel's essays revealed how he values family, freedom, discipline and friendship. His experiences in life had taught him to become who he is right now. He might sound so soft-spoken but he has strong personality.
In terms of writing, Daniel, at first, was overwhelmed with English words that he didn't know which word was appropriate in relaying his real message. His essay then was very pretentious. I bet he used his dictionary often. At the end of the session, I noticed how he had changed this style. Now, he already knows the right word in expressing the exact ideas that he wants to convey. Indeed, writing is a craft that can be learned and improved in time.
If there's one student who can craft the words to give them more sense, John is my bet. He can actually convey his ideas very quickly and effectively without much effort on his part. But he does this intelligently mostly in speaking. John is spontaneous in the use of English in any sort of conversation he is in. John knows what he wants. Sadly, he doesn't always know how to get what he wants.
John's essays revealed his passion for communication -- be it in a relationship or a simple friendship. He's worried when a friend stops talking to him. He's afraid to know that any of his friends, can, at any time, choose not to listen to him.
John values relationships, independence and freedom. His heart longs for freedom for he knows he can be responsible enough to face the consequences of his actions. This is the reason he thinks his future kids should experience independence. He thinks a person learns a lot from independence and freedom. However, he doesn't underestimate the advantages of having set rules to guide his life, and his future kids' lives.
In terms of writing, John goes for the conversational style. He hates to be formal, as what his personality shows. However, his being "conversational" makes him, at times, lose his focus -- he suddenly forgets the transitions necessary to avoid confusion in the essay. His mind goes everywhere and he sometimes loses control of it.
Well, John is still John despite those minimal flaws he has in writing. Interestingly, John is excellent in expressing his thoughts spontaneously.
Although Charles, John and Daniel come from the same cultural background, I can't deny the fact that their priorities and values are not similar. The way they exhibit excellence in the use of English is never at the same level. But hey, a mixture of the three makes a lively, enjoyable and fruitful English sessions!
If they were not the students given to me, I probably would not last long in teaching ESL.
I actually look forward to our English sessions because I learned to love these guys. They, are indeed the most respectable students I've ever had. They know how to value my effort, they never, not even for a single moment, question my credibility and on top of all these, they never forget to say "THANK YOU!" and "GOOD NIGHT MA'AM!" everytime the clock strikes 9 p.m.
With CHARLES, DANIEL and JOHN as my students, what else can I ask for?
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