L&LL

 

Six

the countdown continues... 6

 

Fourth Anniversary

Today marks the fourth anniversary of my life in the woods...

Here's a piece from my upcoming book, reflections: a journey of transformation:

"About two hours after I was pulled over, on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at 12:21pm, I arrived at the cabin, following the realtor, whom I had agreed to meet at noon in front of the only big store in town — because she thought I might not be able to find my way to my new home in the middle of the woods."

The Trio

 

Mia Hamm

"If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion."
Mia Hamm

Countdown

The countdown begins... 10

 

The Library - Part Two

I attended my local library regularly to borrow materials and, every time I passed by their announcement board, I saw a new flyer about the class. By January 2016, three years after I had started the class, South Coast Literacy Council had taken over and the ESL class had grown into multiple classes. This meant the number of students attending this class had increased considerably. The librarian told me it had also spread to other libraries in Orange County.

When I was getting ready to leave California and move to the Natural State in 2018, I found out my baby had grown significantly. The class I had started in January 2013 as a volunteer had become one of the largest ESL classes across Orange County and had already made a difference in so many people's lives. Knowing this felt extremely rewarding.

The Library - Part One

This post (The Library - Part One) is an entire chapter (titled The Library) from Languages & Life Lessons.

The Library 

One of the final courses in the TESOL program required finding a class to teach for a specific number of hours. The professor would then drop by to observe the teacher in action a few times to provide feedback on their performance — and give them a grade. Most students found an existing class and asked the instructor if they could teach it for a few sessions. I got creative with this assignment and went a different way, as usual. 

In December 2012, I asked my local library if I could borrow the community room a couple of times a week to offer free ESL classes. The librarian said the room would be available, starting January 2013, for an hour when the library opened in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I booked it and went to work. I made a flyer in English and one in Spanish, made several copies of each, and started posting them on the bulletin boards of the library and the neighborhood Mexican markets and restaurants. I prepared lesson plans and created entire lessons with exercises, which I printed and collated, making sure the entire experience would be completely free of charge so that everyone could benefit from it. 

That first day I went to the library community room a half hour before class to set up the chairs and tables. By nine o’clock I was ready to receive students but wasn’t really expecting any. Then the door opened and student after student came in. They seemed a little anxious about registration, but I assured them that the class was free and they only had to write their name — or even a nickname — on the attendance roster I had created. Twelve people showed up that first day, and the number just went up over the weeks. I kept bringing new handouts and going in early to set everything up. The library staff was amazed at the turnout. 

The librarians were so impressed by the class that they offered to help with copying the handouts and about three months in, they even rewarded me for my efforts with an unexpected cash bonus. The students were learning. They attended regularly and told their friends about it. The class grew bigger and bigger. My professor visited a few times and had nothing but positive remarks. I got an A in this class and graduated with honors in May — and still kept showing up at the library community room week after week, and so did my students. 

At the time, I didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes. I just kept going, for months, until I finally got a job offer for my mornings starting the fall semester. I needed the job, but I couldn’t just let go of this class. It was working — really well — and attracting more and more students, all eager to learn. I thought perhaps I could find another student from the program to take over the  class, now  established, for the same course in the program. I went to the librarians and shared my dilemma as well as my idea for a replacement. I was thrilled to find out that they had been busy jumping through hoops on their end to keep this program alive. 

To make a long story short, the class I started at my local library turned into two classes at that branch and spread to several other branches. Only a few years later, the ESL program was already active in twenty-seven branches and was getting started in the twenty-eighth... and I had created this program. 

Productive accidents can happen when I focus on the process and not the outcome.

Cristina Imre

"Monday is for people with a mission." 
Cristina Imre

L&LL

 

Reflections... Coming Soon

 

USA

USA - circa 1976

 

Review

 

Saint Augustine

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Saint Augustine

Duolingo

Do you Duolingo? 
Give it a try...
It's free... and fun!

www.duolingo.com

For Word Lovers

Here are two links word lovers might enjoy:

Dictionary of American Regional English

https://www.daredictionary.com/

Compleat Lexical Tutor

https://lextutor.ca/

L&LL

 

Shannon Miller

"Just because your life changes doesn't mean that your deepest passions have to."
Shannon Miller

 

triskaidekaphobia

 

France

France - circa 1999

 

Reflections... Coming Soon

 

L&LL

 

Write It Down!

Write it down, even if you don't want to publish it. 
At the very least, it's therapeutic.

"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in a human situation."
Graham Greene

That first draft is just for you.
"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."
Terry Pratchett

If you decide to publish, you have something to edit. And please do edit.
"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere."
Anne Lamott

Universal Language

A universal language is a language spoken and understood by everyone, or almost everyone, in the world.

Music, dance, a painting, emotions and feelings, some sports, kindness, and/or a smile can all be considered universal languages.

Languages & Life Lessons

 

L&LL

 

Language Learning

If you are interested in the studies done in language learning, you will find this useful:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679922/2022/72/2

Abigail Thomas

“Here’s what I love about dogs. They aren’t careful not to disturb you. They don’t overthink. They jump on the bed or the sofa or the chair and plop down. They come and they go. I’m not sure they love me exactly, but they count on me because I am a source of heat and food and pleasure and affection.”
Abigail Thomas

Coming Soon...

 

USA

USA - circa 2011

 

L&LL