::Thanksgiving Fast Track::ESL thankfulness

November 11 - November 24

Thanksgiving Fast Track

Monday nights I teach an English class to a half-dozen or more people (16-56 years old) from various South and Central American countries. When I first began a little over a year ago I didn't quite understand the extent of my involvement in this. One of the guys from church requested I start working with some of them on practical conversational English. Little did I know, one thing lead to the next and 14 months later I have 3 different levels on comprehension, literacy, and drive.

Most Monday evenings spent around my dining room table are spent in stitches with various English slip ups, or blunders! They keep me on my toes with their spelling, questions, and misuse of wording!

This week I decided to break away from the norm and do some focusing on Thanksgiving. After breaking Beginner - Advanced levels I spent some heavy time focusing on the story of the first thanksgiving and having the advanced students write out what they were thankful for. In the next room the beginners were going over the things they were thankful for only on a lighter scale. After having them read over their papers there was a little something inside me that got excited.

I have been a part of this church for a little more than 2 years and in that time I have seen them increase in their English by a lot! My class has grown from 2 - 3 guys to the 9 we had last night! As my students were reading, in English, their thanks for meat (yes, this is big one), health, family, and their lives, I was so excited just listening to how far they have come!

So as they are thankful for their meat, I am thankful to witness their knowledge in the language and how they are now able to use it! I am thankful in retrospect that God chose to bless me simply with the location of my birth. Not to mention parents, family, and economical standing. Being in this group of my "extended family" the last 24 months has shown me so many things but something big is how blessed I am. I haven't had to fight for life, I've just lived it. I am thankful that I am working to understand a language that will help me communicate with this group of people and others around me but not one that is required for living.

What are you thankful for?