This week I had my last adult English class in Obleshevo until September. Since I will be busy soon with Peace Corps training, camp, and my own planned vacation, it was best to take a break for two months until I am back to a more normal schedule. We had been going strong since the end of January, starting in both my village of Obleshevo and neighboring Cheshinovo. Unfortunately, once the planting season started in April, it became more and more difficult to make the class feasible in Cheshinovo, and it was complicated by the fact that I struggled to get a ride most days to the school where I was supposed to teach. In Obleshevo though, the attendance numbers were very consistent and it really helped me get to know some people and their abilities in English. Being the nerd that I am, I created a graph of attendance:
Since I'm not a teacher and had no experience teaching prior to this class, I think the main accomplishment here is that I still had people coming to the class in good numbers all the way to June. It took me some time to get comfortable and adjusted to the idea of teaching, but once I got past that it really became a fun experience for me. I looked forward to my Obleshevo class each week, and after a few months I knew that the adults wouldn't keep showing up if they thought they were wasting their time. I tried to make it entertaining with games and activities every now and then, and I learned a lot that I'll be able to use when I start up classes again in September. As of now, I'm planning to have two groups in Obleshevo separated by beginners and intermediate/higher. It will give me a chance to focus mainly on my immediate community and I won't have to worry about how I'll get there in the evenings because the school is across the street from my house. For any of my students reading, thank you for making things fun for me and I hope you all have a great summer.
 |
| My last class for the summer. There were a few other regular students who weren't pictured but attended most every class. |
