November is the month I will begin teaching a lot. Starting next week, I will begin a 7-week course on Business in English. I will have 3 separate classes that will meet once a week for 90 minutes each time. I’m a bit nervous but looking forward to it. I never would have imagined that ~35 students and even a few adults who I didn’t invite but asked to participate would be so interested in this subject. My colleague, Nadea, who proposed this class to me correctly observed the need and desire.
This week, I have been busy securing a spot for the classes, which was a little more difficult than imagined. Schools, you would think, would be the obvious choice where to hold these classes. I have opened the course to three different schools in my town and was hoping to mix up the students, partly due to their level of English as well as due to their availability. The high school students here also participate in extracurricular activities, such as music or dance lessons, language lessons, and sports. I talked to two directors of two schools, asking if I could use their space after school to teach the course. Both directors were absolutely welcoming to the idea, BUT with only their pupils. No students from outside their school. This was frustrating to me, as I thought about the worst possible alternative which would be that no school would allow mixed classes and thus some students would be forfeited the opportunity to learn. It also sparks curiosity in me, if that same pride/protection of one’s school rising over the overall benefit of youth in the community exists also in the United States, particularly amongst public schools such as the ones with whom I’m working. Unfortunately, I think it maybe does.
After a few days of a bit of anxiety about securing a place to have the course, I got some help from my tutor and met with a woman, Doamna Lidia, at the Primaria, the Mayor’s Hall. What I found was that she was very welcome to the idea of the Business English course at the Primaria. In fact, she sees it as just a launching point for what activities could occur. It could lead to more advanced classes perhaps, or maybe to training students to teach such a course (that was Doamna Lidia’s very nice idea!), or to teaching students from the villages around our town center even.
In other news:
It’s gotten colder this week, and the soba (fireplace) is in use.
I had my first haircut in Moldova-nothing out of the ordinary.
My host mother refused to let me leave the house today with only ⅔ blow-dried hair. She herself took out the blow dryer and made sure I finished the job.
I’m getting over some type of cold that’s left me exhausted all week.
I’ve been happy to chat with a few friends back home recently. How refreshing! I’m thankful for your support and for the chance to catch up. Technology rocks in Moldova!!!
This weekend, I’m headed to Balti, the largest city in the North, to help teach a Business English seminar with another PC volunteer to some eager college students who are in an organization called AISEC. Should be fun!
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