Who said a classroom had to have four walls? As a single working mother, Habbie rarely has a break, so I thought it’d be fun to move our study session to the riverside on her day off. She’s studying to take the high school exams, so she can meet the prerequisites for nursing school.
In The Gambia, it is culturally inappropriate to talk about menstruation. Even mothers rarely discuss it with their daughters, bolstering myths and stigmas that have lasted for generations. Islamic tradition dictates menses as “dirty” and bans women from touching the Koran or praying when they are menstruating.
I have documented my own embarassing guffaws plenty of times on this blog, so I think it’s only fair that I also share my students’ comical blunders. After teaching English as a Foreign Language for two years, I’ve heard it all. Here are the top 5 funniest language mistakes I’ve heard in my classroom.
I have always had a passion for education and empowering others to reach their goals. Throughout the last two years of teaching English as a Foreign Language in Santiago, Chile, I’ve seen the terribly unequal access to quality education, and was further inspired to make a bigger impact in people’s lives through Peace Corps service.
Police tanks spraying tear gas barreled down the street; the water cannons followed quickly in tow. I ran for cover, ducking into a McDonald’s just as employees pulled the metal doors shut. The June scene, a once common occurrence in Santiago, is long-gone now as students buckle down to finish a school year extended so they could meet graduation requirements despite monthslong protests and sit-ins. At my school, however, the strikes have just begun.
The students worked on presentations for weeks, which culminated in two days of festivities before school let out for the holiday. The kids dressed up, performed the national dance, cooked traditional cuisine, sang and played instruments to historical music and presented information about how each region of their country celebrates Chilenidad and Fiestas Patrias.
I tried to hold back my laughter as Ingrid leaped into my arms for a hug, amazed that she could actually hug someone who could have hugged Justin Bieber. En serio.
