Teaching and Beaching

Last winter, I was privileged to represent American teachers and travel to Costa Rica, teaching English to children in a high needs area. Through living and learning in Costa Rica, my kindergarten students taught me how it must feel to be an English Language Learner (ELL) in America. The patience, visual cues, and gratefulness of these children, instilled a newfound sense of purpose into what I hope to achieve in an American classroom. I read to students in Spanish and English, and taught my students songs in English while they taught me songs in Spanish. I volunteered to paint a mural with other volunteers as well. After school, volunteers got a change to go to the beach and explore the beautiful country. Teaching in Costa Rica prepared me for my student teaching experience in several English as a New Language (ENL) classrooms. These experiences collectively, gave me the aspiration to want to further my education, and become a TESOL teacher.

 My kindergarten class in Costa Rica

Vocabulary

privileged (adj)- having a rare opportunity to have or do something that is expensive

patience (n)- to tolerate something bad without getting mad

instilled (v)- to give or make an idea or desire in someone's mind

newfound (adj)- discovered recently

mural (n)- a large painting, usually on a wall

explore (v)- to discover something new

Vocabulary Exercise

1. People are _____________ to have a cellphone.

2. You need to ____________ a map before going somewhere new.

3. The parents ______________ values in their children.

4. The girl painted a ___________ for everyone to see.

5.  I have a __________ love for frosting.

6. It is important to remain calm and have ___________ before getting mad.

Grammar Point

Verb: It's what you do. An action, state of being, or occurrence word.

Grammar Exercise 

Chart your verb activity for the week. At the end of the week write a paragraph using all the action verbs you used this past week.