Jana's turn...
Hey everyone, Jana here!
Today was pretty insane in all honesty. Drained of nearly all energy, my team and I struggled in the morning to push through the teachings, but after Sheila had pulled us aside for a team talk, it got much easier. Trying to put in energy that isn't there to begin with was just impossible. We all needed to realize that even though the behavior of the children made it difficult to teach, they all needed love. This really made me think of the home lives these children could be coming from, given that the school was not in the best location of the city. Even the simplest act of love, a smile and a wave could change the entire course of a child's day.
In teaching, Sam, Madison and I went to each student asking them to pronounce the word "nervous", because emotions was one of our topics. I can't say it wasn't challenging for us trying to explain the specific pronunciations of the words, but it was so incredibly worth it to see the look of joy on their faces once they had grasped the "v" sound in the word "nervous", instead of pronouncing a "b" as they would in Spanish. Being one on one with them in this way felt so rewarding for me personally, to tell them they are doing an amazing job, or that they almost have the sound. Even the previously disengaged students only needed that short amount of one on one time with one of us to really get the idea. This was so encouraging to me to see these students grasp English words and find our teaching methods so helpful. Not only today, but for the past three days I have been seriously considering if I would like to teach in the future. Seeing the kids light up as soon as they had learned something new made me realize why teachers love their jobs. It is that look on their face that honestly gets me every time. Every time a student was struggling, the build up of countless attempts to say the word correctly only made the end result that much more rewarding and meaningful. It makes me think of how my teachers today must have the most patience in the world, to be teaching something they are so passionate about, they devoted their life for others to learn of that same passion. For all my teachers back home, I am honestly so grateful for your desire to fuel a passion in us. I would not be where I am today without you.
This entire trip has taught me how important it is to have patience with others and what it means to serve others through the universal language of love.
Thank you, to everyone who has been praying for us!
Blessings,
Jana
Today was pretty insane in all honesty. Drained of nearly all energy, my team and I struggled in the morning to push through the teachings, but after Sheila had pulled us aside for a team talk, it got much easier. Trying to put in energy that isn't there to begin with was just impossible. We all needed to realize that even though the behavior of the children made it difficult to teach, they all needed love. This really made me think of the home lives these children could be coming from, given that the school was not in the best location of the city. Even the simplest act of love, a smile and a wave could change the entire course of a child's day.
In teaching, Sam, Madison and I went to each student asking them to pronounce the word "nervous", because emotions was one of our topics. I can't say it wasn't challenging for us trying to explain the specific pronunciations of the words, but it was so incredibly worth it to see the look of joy on their faces once they had grasped the "v" sound in the word "nervous", instead of pronouncing a "b" as they would in Spanish. Being one on one with them in this way felt so rewarding for me personally, to tell them they are doing an amazing job, or that they almost have the sound. Even the previously disengaged students only needed that short amount of one on one time with one of us to really get the idea. This was so encouraging to me to see these students grasp English words and find our teaching methods so helpful. Not only today, but for the past three days I have been seriously considering if I would like to teach in the future. Seeing the kids light up as soon as they had learned something new made me realize why teachers love their jobs. It is that look on their face that honestly gets me every time. Every time a student was struggling, the build up of countless attempts to say the word correctly only made the end result that much more rewarding and meaningful. It makes me think of how my teachers today must have the most patience in the world, to be teaching something they are so passionate about, they devoted their life for others to learn of that same passion. For all my teachers back home, I am honestly so grateful for your desire to fuel a passion in us. I would not be where I am today without you.
This entire trip has taught me how important it is to have patience with others and what it means to serve others through the universal language of love.
Thank you, to everyone who has been praying for us!
Jana
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