Home Field Advantage

Every week the school that I tutor at receives a current events newsletter entitled, "News For You". These are a godsend, because the articles are written in different English reading levels (yay!) and they come with a teaching guide so I know which ones are more difficult than others, without reading them first. Discussion is the most engaging form of teaching, so this newsletter gives us current issues and topics to talk about.

Today was especially interesting for me, because we discussed a new advertising campaign for cigarettes in Australia. As a graphic designer, I am constantly analyzing advertisements, packaging, graphics, and basically anything in print. I was really passionate about this topic, and my enthusiasm always carries throughout the classroom. If one thing is for certain, it takes a very secure and outgoing individual to teach ESL. You need to be able to laugh at yourself, you need to be able to let things go and have patience. I can thank my four years of sitting for underpriviledged children after school for that - but seriously, that experience came in handy. I'm not calling these motivated adult learners middle school children, I'm just saying there is a barrier between us and it is up to me to break it.

So thank my lucky stars for pictures. The reason why I love art so much? Because first and foremost I love people, and art is a universal language. Anyone can have an opinion about it, and everyone can be right. This particular article had photographs with it detailing the new graphic cigarette packaging. It showed a pair of cancerous lungs where the brand name would normally appear, and the phrase, "smoking causes lung cancer" in large print font. The brand and company information was printed very small on the bottom of the package.

My students are a sharp bunch; they unanimously agreed that this new packaging would be effective in reducing the tobacco industry. Along with teaching English, we discuss many important things in class that are helpful for adjusting to American culture, and just for maintaining a healthy life in general. I'm so proud that they all take care of themselves so well!

On days that we read and discuss the newsletter, there are reading comprehension worksheets that go along with the articles. After they work on these, I tell them to circle any vocabulary words that they do not know and I write them on the board. I circle ones that I believe to be difficult as well, and then add them to the list. This way we can keep a running vocabulary until the end of class. I make an effort to use these words when speaking, and I encourage the students to do the same. One of my French professors in college did this everyday in class, and just by using a few new words in my speech each day, I drastically improved my vocabulary. Considering that most of the documents that these students are having trouble understanding and responding to are legal, medical, or federal, gaining a more technical vocabulary is key. For that sake, the words in the newsletter are perfect.

I especially enjoyed teaching today because I got to talk about what I do at my job, and why I love it so much. It was probably the first day I felt totally at ease and comfortable while teaching. A little boost from my field of graphic design sparked a confidence that I hope is here to stay.