Judy in Israel, Blog Post #6
7/15 Song lyrics are powerful teaching tools. I've known this for as long as I've been a student of the Torah. And American song lyrics even have their place in education, as evidence by the great interest my students here have had in We Are The World. They have asked for other lyrics as well.
Today I was intrigued to see some new faces sitting down at the table. It seems that the English teacher (or the chance to learn English) is interesting, and the regulars bring someone new to meet me, check me out, see what the fuss is about. So I met Trngo, and Bobeh. Trngo seemed to feel that there was not much I could teach her, quickly taking a pen and writing words down faster than her friend could. Though hesitant to read out loud, she finally joined in. She seemed impatient with me, finding the story illogical. It was challenging. However, Dagitu hung in there, and was able to address the results and solutions to problems in the narrative.
The boys: Again, they were not to be found. I was so discouraged by this. But on my way out, one asked if we were to have our lesson today, and so we did! With him came Bobeh, an older fried, who is a security guard. Bobeh seemed genuinely interested in our lesson, which moved from song lyrics to belief and faith. Even Shulamit, one of the day camp staff members and non-Ethiopian, joined us. We also talked about the dangers of smoking, which they do daily.
I was so glad the day ended well (despite the cigarette smoke).
7/16 Today, Trngo did not return. Perhaps there was nothing she felt she could learn from me. But the other two girls were excited to study and write down many new words. We also discussed the importance of recycling and the dangers of littering and use of styrofoam (very topical given our study environment--they also feel bad when i wipe down a neglected table, explaining that in their culture, and adult should not have to do this. I explained that at my school in California, the teachers clean up after themselves.) They truly want to continue!
I get a kick out of their use of Amharic as their secret language.
Today I was intrigued to see some new faces sitting down at the table. It seems that the English teacher (or the chance to learn English) is interesting, and the regulars bring someone new to meet me, check me out, see what the fuss is about. So I met Trngo, and Bobeh. Trngo seemed to feel that there was not much I could teach her, quickly taking a pen and writing words down faster than her friend could. Though hesitant to read out loud, she finally joined in. She seemed impatient with me, finding the story illogical. It was challenging. However, Dagitu hung in there, and was able to address the results and solutions to problems in the narrative.
The boys: Again, they were not to be found. I was so discouraged by this. But on my way out, one asked if we were to have our lesson today, and so we did! With him came Bobeh, an older fried, who is a security guard. Bobeh seemed genuinely interested in our lesson, which moved from song lyrics to belief and faith. Even Shulamit, one of the day camp staff members and non-Ethiopian, joined us. We also talked about the dangers of smoking, which they do daily.
I was so glad the day ended well (despite the cigarette smoke).
7/16 Today, Trngo did not return. Perhaps there was nothing she felt she could learn from me. But the other two girls were excited to study and write down many new words. We also discussed the importance of recycling and the dangers of littering and use of styrofoam (very topical given our study environment--they also feel bad when i wipe down a neglected table, explaining that in their culture, and adult should not have to do this. I explained that at my school in California, the teachers clean up after themselves.) They truly want to continue!
I get a kick out of their use of Amharic as their secret language.
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