When I applied to Instituto Chileno Norteamericano, I was specifically recruited to be part of a program sponsored by Corfo. A government agency in Chile, Corfo works to improve the economic development of the nation. They think the tourism industry is one of the top areas to stimulate growth here and recognize the need for people who work in these areas to be able to communicate in English, as many foreign visitors to this country are native English speakers. So, they offered a scholarship for those who work in this industry to take English classes at the Institute.
The program itself was an intense, six and a half week program in which students attended class three hours a day, Monday through Saturday. That was in conjunction with their pre-existing jobs and the fact that it is busy season for travel in Chile right now. To say they were a hard-working, dedicated bunch would be a complete understatement and I have only the utmost admiration for each and every one of them.
The class centered around a book that catered only to the hotel industry, which for some, proved to be very useful, but for others, not so much. My classes were composed of those that not only worked in hotels, but that worked for airlines, travel agencies, tour groups or who worked as tour guides, hiking guides, and the like. Not only was the book limited in its content, but it was also at a much lower level than my very high-level English learning students. All of them had studied English before stepping into my classroom. They knew basic vocabulary and grammatical structures, so the real necessity for them was getting a better handle on colloquial expressions and practice in conversation and natural discourse. Of course, you will always have students at different levels with different strengths, some that are better at writing, others that are better at speaking. However, as a whole, both of my classes were very proficient in the English language. This can be a blessing and a curse, because while it makes communication with them very easy, it also means that they bore quickly. Luckily, the Institute recognized that the book was not enough and thus provided weekly electives in which students spent part of the time with the book and then rest of the time learning about specific lessons centered on tourism in Chile. This helped alleviate some of the monotony of the book activities and weariness on part of the students.
I taught one semester before coming down here when I was still in Madison, but that was for one hour, two days a week and with a co-teacher. Teaching for three hours every single day and keeping students engaged the entire time, while still adhering to the provided curriculum is a lot more challenging than I originally anticipated. Teachers always have to be on the ball, and function more as an entertainer than anything else, which can be downright exhausting at times. As a teacher, you always have to be on your game, it’s hard to have a bad day when you are at the forefront of the classroom, all attention focused on you. It also requires a great deal of patience and energy to appropriately address all the needs and questions your students may have. At that, you are always being scrutinized for what you do or do not do. I spent a great deal of time outside the classroom organizing activities apart from the book to keep interest, stimulate conversation and most of all, provide them a template for practice. Lastly, as a teacher you want to have all the answers, and sometimes there is that underlying expectation on part of your students that you do, in fact, have all the answers. There are moments, though, when someone throws you a curveball question in which you are standing there dumbfounded, with no answer. As a perfectionist, I hated these moments.
My class ended this past week, and it was a wonderful experience. It was as much of a learning experience for me as it was for my students. If there’s one thing that I’ve taken away from my first class here, though, it’s that I did not nearly appreciate my teachers as much as I should have in all my years of schooling. I have nothing but respect for those that make an entire, lifelong career of it and can only hope to have given to my students what my teachers gave to me.
My classes:
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