Camille-TP10

I met with Hassan last week and he told me all about his classes. His level of English is the best out of anyone I have comin the in contact with at CIES. We met in the CIES lounge and all he wanted to do was work on listening to English because that is what he is struggling with the most. He is also still working on his statement of purpose but I told him he must work on it in the upcoming week. So we sat back to back in a classroom and I told him various stories and facts. I would then tell him to repeat the story back to me at an equally fast pace and initially he struggled with this exercise but then he eventually got the hang of it. Sometimes after each time we ran the exercise, instead of him repeating it back to me, I asked him specific questions about my narrative. Other times, I would face him and tell him a story (for example: Goldilocks and the Three Bears according to Camille Trzcinski). He always found it much easier to recognize and understand English when he can watch the person speak, which is understandable. We ran this exercise for quite some time and then we switched, I had him tell random stories while we were back to back and I would repeat it back to him. He enjoyed the fact that I was playing the role of a student instead of constantly being the tutor. I like this method of switching roles and I will probably utilize this method later in my teaching.

Camille-CP10

I met with Abdullah at a later point last week again by the fountains after my classes. He invited me to Ramin's performance at Milano Pizzeria that Friday, but I was not able to go due to rehearsal for Jesus Christ Superstar. He then asked me to explain the entire synopsis of the show to him in detail and explain various concepts that he did not know the English words to (Such as: spotlight, costume fitting, curtain, music director, script, etc). I wrote down the words and translations for him so that he could refer back to them if he ever needed them. I also shared a story with him about my fiasco at the Oklahoma game regarding my ticket. I told the story at a quick pace because I was very flustered as I was telling the story, then I realized I had completely lost him within the first 3 minutes of the story. He was embarrassed to say anything but then I went back and re-told the story at a much slower pace and with a lot of expression in my body, hoping to help communicate the story to him. He then completely understood every word and once he saw that we were both on equal levels of communication he did not hesitate to stop me in the middle of a story and ask for a definition of an unfamiliar word. I plan on continuing my conversation meetings with Abdullah despite the fact that this is my last blog post concerning him. I am so surprised with the improvement displayed by him since our first meeting four months ago. It really is rewarding to know that you have made an impact and assisted in someone's language development. I am so grateful that I have done this TEFL course!

Camille-CP9

I met with Abdullah last week and we sat outside of CIES near the fountain. I brought Abdullah a copy of the International Programs magazine where there are many pictures from my experience in Florence inside (including the cover!). We went through all of the various countries that are offered through the Florida State program and he would ask various questions about the country and I will tell him whatever information I knew. He also told me about which countries he would like to go to if he had the choice. Then we discussed how school was and what he was working on in each class. For one of his classes, he had to do a presentation on a classmate that introduced him to the class. I asked him what sort of questions he asked his partner and vice versa. Then we did a "mock" trial of what he did for class for me and him. I asked him various questions as if we were just meeting for the first time and he did the same. He found this game humorous and got more excited about it the longer we discussed each answer. I now have found that Abdullah can enjoy conversation at a more steady level and we have made SO much progress since our first couple of meetings.

Camille-TP9

I met with Hassan last week at CIES and we conversed for a while about each other's lives before jumping into tutoring. During the conversation I would correct his English and pronunciation (because he asked me to) and then would make him repeat the correct phrasing back to me. Hassan and I worked on a practice TOEFL exam even though he now plans on taking the IELTS exam since apparently it is much easier and in result the grades are much higher. We did not go through the entire exam but rather worked on specific areas that he was unsure of or struggling with. I think he feels that I should not have to tutor him and that he should be doing everything on his own. But I have to constantly remind him that I am here for him and that English is not an easy language. He also brought me a rough draft of his "Statement of Purpose" in which I edited and talked him through. He now has to re-write it and we will see how his progress moves forward from there. The area that Hassan wants to work on the most in preparation for his tests is speaking. He is very self conscious of his accent although I told him he needs to embrace it. He has about the best English out of any other CIES student I have come in contact with.

Camille-CP8

I met with Abdullah at Westcott fountain because the weather was beautiful. I had not seen him for about a week due to my busy schedule so we had many things to catch up on. I told him all about the musicals I had been cast in and also all about my new job. He seemed very interested and asked many questions along the way. I felt very good about this particular meeting with Abdullah because we had not shared such great moments together in a very long time. The conversation went at a quicker pace than the week before and he was much more willing to speak. Even though he would hesitate on words he didn't know, I would help him push through it. I also shared my experience with trying to learn Italian and my difficulty with learning a new language. He felt much better after I said this and continued to push through the conversation, despite some grammatical mistakes. Also, he informed me that him and some of the Arabic students are looking into buying a house for all of them to live in. I wrote down a list of streets to start looking into and also told him the easiest way to go to a football game. He appeared very excited about the Florida State game and I am sure it was a spectacle he had never seen before! I am satisfied with this meetings progress and am looking forward to the next encounter we have with each other.

Suzanne-OB 3

During the second to last week of class, I had the pleasure of observing Michele Downie's advanced level reading class. I knew Michele's name from some of the CIES students I was interacting with,and I was excited to observe her class because she seemed to be a favorite. I was also excited to see what the most advanced students had to offer. I wasn't let down in the slightest. I think it's easier for us, as up and coming teachers, to positively judge upper level classes because the teaching process runs so much more smoothly, so this is no way meant to overshadow the other classes I observed, but Michele earned her positive judgment from me.

She opened the class by asking the students if they had any questions relating to the vocabulary from last class, and none did. She then put a worksheet on the projector to help the students better understand the concept of free will and how it relates to democracy, a topic they were exploring in this and previous classes - very advanced subjects, but ones that didn't seem out of reach to the students. Then she pulled out an article that the students had read in the class beforehand, an article debating different sides of free will, which was very advanced - a read even for me. But the students could handle it. They felt comfortable with Michele and each other and spoke without needing to be asked, with the exception of a few, and naturally, some students spoke out more often than other students. If a student asked a question, Michele would ask them to repeat it louder for the rest of the class - always a good tactic. She also had them try to define different vocabulary words instead of explaining them herself, which encouraged participation from within the class. In general, she had control over the room and commanded attention and the classroom environment was comfortable and engaged, but sometimes it felt more like a lecture and less like a discussion.

The "housekeeping duties" were done at the end of the class, which didn't seem to be as effective as doing them in the beginning, because the students' minds already seemed out the door - especially since it was the class before lunch AND the students had been drained from taking their TOEFL tests all week. But I liked that she talked about what the plan was for the next class - that way, students would know what to expect.

Carolina CO3

For my last class observation I went to the library. However, when I got there I was told that the teacher I had set up the observation with had canceled at the last minute. The woman running the program looked at me for a while and then asked if I wanted to actually TEACH the class myself. Under pressure I said yes. Ahhh! Here I was intending on sitting and observing the class and now I was in front of it with no materials, no lesson plan, no idea of how the classes were generally run. The woman gave me a sign up sheet and left. I was officially on my own. I racked my brain and jotted down a few notes and sketched out a quick lesson plan in my notebook and then sat down and took a deep breath. Imagine how intimidated we were teaching our culture class--when we had time to create a lesson plan and knew the students. Now imagine having no preparation and not knowing anyone. Yeah. So I started off by going around the room and introducing ourselves and talking about where were from, how long we had been speaking English, and why we were here in Tallahassee. I ended up having a class of about 9. After that I broke everyone up into pairs and had them talk about where they wanted to be in ten years/what was their life goal. Since there was an uneven number I had to be paired off and wasn't able to go around the room and check on everyone. I gave them all a heads up on how much time they had left to talk and made sure both partners had a chance to talk. After that we went in a circle and told the class what our respective partners' goals were for the next 10 years. Later we discussed problems they had been having in their English studies and went over idioms--a common subject that seems to confuse a lot of English learners. The whole class took about 70 minutes which was as much activities as I could come up with in such a short time (the students said normal classes took about 90 minutes). Though this was one of the most nerve wracking experiences, I am SO glad I got to experience it. I now know what it will be like to teach without notice or supplies!

Carolina CP10

After the international dinner, Soe Soe, Eunsung, Are, Jordan and I all decided to go hang out at Aladdin’s Shisha Café. We went and sat down for a while and drank tea and had hookah. It was such an amazing time filled with good friends and even better conversation. We had to opportunity to talk to Soe Soe more about her culture and how she was just waiting to hear about the next step in school she was about to take. She is so unbelievably knowledgeable and so young it’s amazing. After Aladdin’s we went to Steak and Shake and we got Soe Soe, Eunsung, and Are their first milkshakes! I was so excited for them. They all got hamburgers and fries too and were so excited! It was really late (or early in the morning…) at this time and they wondered why there were so many people in the restaurant. I explained the phenomenon of how drunk people will often go to a fast-food place late at night after the finish partying. This was so funny to all three of them. We finished our milkshakes and continued talking about all the differences in our cultures and if they liked America. While they were all three homesick, they all seemed to truly be enjoying their time here.

Carolina CP9

Jordan and I decided to take Eunsung to Korean BBQ and they were finally open! The restaurant, to those who haven’t been before, is so tiny it has about three tables and you go up and order off of a menu of about 5 items. However, it is soooooo good. I got the classic Korean BBQ with beef and it was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in a long time. Eunsung said that this place was really authentic and this is how the food was actually made and served in Korea. Jordan got a dish with egg in the middle of it surrounded by lots and lots of veggies. Eunsung got Korean BBQ with pork. It was so much fun to finally be showed something from Eunsung’s culture instead of introducing her to American traditions. I love how we can constantly share new things with one another.

Carolina CP8

Eunsung invited me over to her house to just hang out. Her, Are, and I have really become good friends. We got some snacks at Publix then went over to Eunsung’s apartment in Alumni village. We sat on the floor in her living room and talked for a while and then I asked them in they had ever used Hulu, the internet site where you can watch free tv and they said they hadn’t. I told them how I had seen a commercial for a completely Korean station on Hulu and used Eunsung’s computer to show them. They both squealed with excitement when I showed them because it turned out it had all of their favorite Korean shows on it. We ended up watching about 3 hours of Korean television with English subtitles. I encouraged them to read the subtitles to help them with their English even when they weren’t studying. We ate a classic dried seaweed snack from Korea and had ice cream and just hung out. It was so amazing and chill and there was absolutely no language barrier. It was so much fun—just like having a girls night in with my American friends!

Carolina CP7

After tutoring Eunsung and Are we decided to get dinner together. They had really wanted Italian food but nowhere was open so we went to Bamboo House. I made it clear to them that just because they were Asian didn’t mean I thought all Asians ate Chinese food. They laughed and said they knew—they just loved Chinese food too! So we sat and talked for a long time about what restaurants they had in Korea. They said Outback Steakhouse is a popular “American” restaurant and this made me laugh because in American Outback Steakhouse is meant as an Australian themed restaurant. Nevertheless Eunsung said it was a good place to go in Korea if you wanted “American” food. They said they also have Chinese restaurants in Korea, and Japanese. Basically the food is pretty similar to America in that you can get almost any kind in the bigger cities such as Seoul.

Carolina CP 6

The day after we went to Sister Sinks we decided to take more conversation partners to St. George Island. We ended up with the same group the went to Sister Sinks plus Eunsung, Are, and Katie. It was so much fun! We got snacks again and lathered up on the sunscreen. In fact, the only people that got burnt were me and Jordan—our pale Korean friends stayed nice and white! It was so funny. We went in the ocean and played in the sand and had a classic American day at the beach with watermelon and sand castles. I loved sharing this experience with Eunsung and Are. After the beach I went to get dinner with Eunsung, Are, and Metab at Boss Oyster. They had never had oysters before and LOVED them so much. It was so much fun watching them hesitantly eat these raw specimens.

Carolina CP5

A few weeks ago Hammad, Metab, Nic, Hammad's tutor, Jordan and I all went to sister sinks in Wakulla county. We figured it would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce native Florida to our new friends. We stopped at Publix before we went and got watermelon, fried chicken, sodas, and snacks. While in the grocery store we explained to Metab all the different foods we were getting and asked what he usually ate as snacks. After Publix we went to the sinks and had to take the 30 minute walk from the parking lot to the sinks in sweltering heat. Soon it began to pour rain right after we arrived at the sinks and Metab and Hammad didn't seem to mind at all, they still went on with swimming and eating. It was interesting to me, someone who experiences rain fairly often and I still let it bother my activities, and them who hardly ever get rain in the Middle East and it's nothing now when it happens. They really seemed to love the natural sinks and nature of Florida. Looking at it through their eyes really gave me a greater appreciation for the Florida nature I take for granted.

Camille-TP8

On Friday night I met up with Hassan at Mr. Robotos, which was one of his first sushi experiences. I explained the entire menu and science of sushi. He ordered an extremely plain roll but he tried a lot of mine and enjoyed it! He was confused by the large masses of people that would gravitate to this sort of food but he enjoyed it nonetheless. He then explained to me how he is starting to apply for grad schools and asked me for help with his application process. First he must either get a 100% on the TOEFL or a 7.5 on another standardized test (I forgot the name of it). Also with that, I am helping him write his Statement of Purpose for grad schools. Hassan also shared with me that I need to help him pass his driver's license test since his temporary license is overdue :[ For the rest of dinner I then asked him random questions about the rules of driving and safety reminders that will most likely be on the drivers' license test. By the end of our dinner he had many facts about the rules of the road mastered. We plan to meet again in the upcoming week for another tutoring lesson. When I had met him this past meeting, he did not have any homework for us to work on, but for the next meeting he said he will bring some practice books and school work.

Camille TP7

Last night I also hung out with Hassan for a large amount of time and I talked more in depth about my vacation to New York and then over to Reno, Nevada/California. When retelling my stories, I had to explain many things to Hassan that he had never heard of.. some examples include; houseboat, a resort, rock-climbing wall, etc. Then he told me all about his trips to Miami and Tampa. While he would tell his stories, I would correct him and then ask him to go back and repeat the sentence. This made the story-telling process last much longer but I could tell that Hassan was eager to learn and perfect his English. Later into the conversation, Hassan explained to me the importance of the holiday that marked the end of Ramadan and other customary traditions that Muslims partake in when doing this celebration. I always love to learn about their culture because it is SO different from what I was raised to believe. I find it so interesting that these people are the same age as me, and attend the same university, yet they hold such strong, traditional beliefs. Throughout the conversation I also quizzed Hassan on the new vocabulary he had learned earlier from my stories.

Camille CP7

Last night I met up with Abdullah and I attended birthday party for one of the Arabic students as well as a celebration to mark the end of Ramadan. We both had not seen each other in quite some time so we caught up on all of our adventures from the past three weeks. Abdullah and a few of the Arabic students all traveled to Miami and Tampa which they thoroughly enjoyed. Abdullah seemed very interested in my trip to New York City and told me how he wished to go there someday. We also talked about his guitar lessons he has been taking and I told him I would love to hear him play someday but he told me I must wait until he practiced alot more. I feel the more times I meet with Abdullah the more easy it becomes to actually get a conversation going. But I still find myself asking all of the questions and carrying the conversation. I have some ideas for the next conversation session Abdullah and I will share in order to get him to start up conversation and keep interest.