Teaching ESOL

It's been three weeks now and I am loving it! I have a teaching job at a friendly training centre in north London where the learners need to learn English to improve their work prospects. I am teaching a three-hour pre-entry level afternoon class and a two-hour entry level 3 class on Mondays to Fridays. The learners are all local and mainly either Somali or Turkish in origin. I am learning as much as they are! This is my first time teaching ESOL and I am busy with schemes of work, lesson planning and teaching. Soon I will be doing  ILPs and tutorials and before you know it, it will be half-term!

The only problem I have at the moment is that I don't earn enough so I am looking for extra work either in teaching or admin or publishing. In fact any part-time work is considered! I have mornings available so if you are reading this and have any ideas do let me know. I am particularly interested in doing support work for people with sight loss as this would make use of my skills and experience.

Volunteering makes a difference

Doing something for love is a true gift. I am volunteering as an assistant teacher at a charity in Lewisham that supports refugees, asylum seekers and minority ethnic communities. Action for Refugees and Asylum seekers in Lewisham www.afril.org.uk

I teach three days a week and, being me, have also taken on the task of writing their summer newsletter and helping out at fundraising events. Who knew I would be adding face painting to my skills portfolio! I have fun and work hard. I enjoy playing with the children of Chinese, African and Sri Lankan parents who all need the extra attention they get at the project. Now I often meet people I know when I am out and about on my local buses. I particularly enjoy the Talk Shop sessions. These are opportunities for people to practise using the English they already know and building on it. The learners are all keen to be heard! Some of them have come from early morning shifts as cleaners and will go back to work later. They smile and are keen to learn as much as they can so that they can improve their work prospects.

If you are thinking of changing career, volunteering is a great way to try something different. You may get opportunities to do training and invites to events where you represent your organisation. I have been to a report launch for another charity and  also gained a unique insight into teaching ESOL the REFLECT way - a learner centred  method drawn from International Development work. http://www.reflect-action.org/reflectesol

So it is Refugee Week 20-26 June and I have two invitations to look forward to. I now know more about the issues that refugees face and I am doing something to help make a difference.

Blocked?

Have you ever done any life coaching? Had the conversation that goes something like, "well, I don't know what to do. I feel stuck. Blocked really. I can't move on for some reason. Help!" This is a very familiar conversation I have on a regular basis either with myself or with some of the amazing people who have tried, and often succeeded, to help me. This summer it has been particularly hard to get out of the block or the holding point as Becky Walsh, my intuitive guide, reminds me. "What is a block after all but a holding point as we wait for information to come in to take us forward."

I know I am not in the right place and I also know I have to be here for a while longer. Intuition is a powerful tool that we often ignore at our peril. I am trusting mine a lot more and it tells me to hang in there. So what does this have to do with my blog? Well it has also been blocked and needed a refocus so here it is in its new format. As I shape my life as a teacher and writer, I will be using my blog to keep the conversations going - and try and get them out of my head! I will also use it to explore my EFL and ESOL career and as a place to publish some of my creative writing. It feels good to be back.