There are always exceptions, but this wasn't one: a heart should be warmed in a place surrounded by pine forest, in the shade of a rockface and lit by Londunimaginable numbers of stars. Johnny, who is Janko, let me out of the car with a flourish and a bow, in his cloud of tinny hip-hop, and the smokers gathered round. This one is Pavol, this one Jakub, and these two are different variants on Michael. Matus gets out on the driver's side. One of the first questions is Why are your fingernails blue? I hadn't noticed, and tell them that perhaps they are far from my heart.
It is cold in rural Považšky Kraj, but children in two layers chat and boister as I shiver in my coat and hat. I am told it is the excitement of my arrival, though they seem like normal teenagers enjoying being up past their bedtime. Walking up the hill, my boots chew the ice in the tyre-furrows, and teenage boys hurl one another to the ground. Others ask 'Where from you?', 'Lives with dein mutter?' and so on. Matuš does a lot of translating.
From up the hill we look down on a small complex of buildings which house youth programmes in the summer holidays. For the last month, one of these has hosted an experimental school for nine boys who would otherwise be in the Slovak equivalent of English young offenders' institutes; this will carry on as a pilot until June, and hopefully become permanent (and involve a larger number of pupils) thereafter.
Some background: way, way back, between the Tescoes, I came across a man in a striped suit in a cage, and another handing out fliers. The flierer told me they are an organisation set up by a psychologist working to change the prison regime and for the rehabilitation of prisoners. I bought a little book about their work and philosophy, 'The Emperor is Naked', which basically says that if you treat prisoners badly, you create more problems and solve none. And interestingly, that the repressive and rehabilitative functions of prison should be separated, specifically with regard to the personnel involved in each. Their work in Slovakia is cut out. Anyway, this was all very inspiring, and when I came this time, I sent them a little email asking if they could use a volunteer. Turns out they have a new project for excluded school pupils, and were desperate to have an inspiring English teacher.
So at eight o'clock on Thursday, me and the older group sat down and did questions. It turned out they already knew the six honest serving men, so we did 'do', and went through the basics of life, likes and the like, but I still think they were bored. We moved on to hip-hop, taking the vocabulary and grammar from the chorus of The Message by Grandmaster Flash, which I think was too hard. Next week, Avril Lavigne, by the choice of the nicest kid in the group. I haven't yet decided what to do with the younger ones. Games are a good starting point, I expect.
It seems that music, short films, cartoons and so on are the way to go. They are interested in getting English, but not very open to or used to learning. Not teacher-at-board style, anyway. I know several teacher-type friends of mine may be reading this blog – if you have any advice, I will be grateful. The kids aren't misbehaved at all, but I'm not sure where their attention is.
Based on the biographies I have heard, these kids have nothing much to trust, hateful fathers and a woeful experience in schools (several have had their expulsion demanded by other kids' parents through petitions!). As I'm sure is the case in many places, the remedial system here has not dealt with them at all well, and several have already been in kid-prison. But on Friday, after teaching and before leaving, I sat on a big tree with my cup of horrible coffee and a lot of sunshine and thought: this place is a pure positive feeling. The only questionable aspect is the severe optimism at its foundation, and the only sad thoughts are that it might not work and that it will only reach a small number of those who need something similar.
It also felt good to hear second-hand their happiness to have me there. And it offers a contrast to the more abstract development work I am invovled in the rest of the time, as well as a nice adjunct to the overflowing conversations about language with flatmates and others. As far as you can tell things from eyes, we have there a lot of what the UN might call human capital. Perhaps because the alternative to being here is being in prison, they are not bad, and they are mostly pretty smart. The approach of the whole thing is to be on as equal a basis as possible with them, and I am not legally responsible for anyone (as, for example, their science teacher is). I have been warned not to get too emotionally attached, but I think there is not much chance of that: without a shared language (as good as my Slovak is, the emotional side is abysmal), I cannot offer them closeness, which is fine, as this is not my role. I am there to show them that English is spoken nicely, and to give them an idea of a world outside theirs.
4 comments:
How old are the younger ones?
I'd say games and TV are probably the way forward. I'm racking my brains for something helpful you could do with them but I can only think of two things that might work that you haven't suggested already.
One of these I've seen done in social groups to get the kids to ask and answer questions, but I reckon it'll work just as well for teaching a foreign language. You get a Jenga set (or a cheap alternative) and write a question on each block. Every time someone removes a block, they have to answer the question (or you could do it so that they have to read the question to someone else and that person has to answer it).
The other thing is a game called 'Celebrity Heads'. You have one child at the front and you write the name of a celebrity/character/person the kids all know (or an object might be good for practicing language skills) on a board behind them. The person at the front has to ask questions to find out who they are. Everyone else can only answer yes or no (until you decide its time for a few clues).
Don't know if this is any use to you; I'll let you know if I think of anything else. Sounds like an interesting job.
Be wary about emotional attachment anyway. Lack of a shared lingo is initially a barriar but a lot of communcation comes through body langauge and still more through the eyes and tone of voice... over time you get more of an idea of who they are. You can develope emosional attachemnt to pre-langauage children for example.
That said I am never that convinced by the lack of emosional attachment argument, it may not be your job to attach, but as a human being to another it isn't really about it being a job. Being objective about your subjectivity helps (as much in interaction between you and the chidren you provide a service to as in relation to art where that phrase is perloined from). But ultimately it is only really yourself you put in danger and I am a big believer that life is worth the risk.
The best social workers, teachers, outreach workers, foster parents, theatre in education practicioners and even assistant librarians that I have known have got emosionally involved with those they are providing a service for. Not in the extreme sense of having sex with them or anything, but in the important sense of caring for and treating their charges with respect.
Your lot sound very easy for a bunch of excluded kids (though its early days) and I have always found the parts of my week where I work with children (be they under 5's or teenagers with special needs) to be the most interesting and rewarding.
As for techniques etc... when you let us know their ages I might be able to think of some. I can alwqys ask my friend Matt as well who has years and years experience of doing workshops with children and is a regular encylopedia of warm up games, many of which can easily be used to engage with language.
As for jens celebrity head, you can do it with post it notes stuck on peoples foreheads rather than the blackboard if you are wary of creating the teacher dynamic, its fun that way because everyone can see who everyone else is but the person who's head its written on.
They are aged 13 to 18, but have very limited English. I am making a list of games that might help, thanks for your suggestions. I think the celebrities one would be difficult due to limited overlap between our pop cultures (I have the strong impression that celebrity interest here is not very interested in all things American). But the Jenga idea I like, and anythin getting them to use English between themselves is good. I like the idea of a short About Me exercise, but their vocab is very limited. Get them each a dictionary, perhaps, or give them basic vocab on a worksheet. Yes, worksheets, these are good.
My role was suppsoed to be the inspiring one, so the worksheets need to be balanced. With games! this is all a bit recursive so far, but it will get clearer i'm sure. we're working on having a structure to the lessons.
Unfortunately, I have, at least initially, to use Avril Lavigne. Listening to this CD, it's like feminism was a big plot by Heat magazine or whoever. And much of it is completely meaningless, therefore difficult to make good teaching material from. They'd probably be happy to have a mix of slow, easy pop songs. I should put one together.
I'm not worried about the emotional attachment issue, especially since the initial euphoria has given way to "Co konkretny budem robit'?" And anyway, I also think life is worth the risk. I'm immortal.
I want to use Gogol Bordello, but their English isn't the best... maybe the Simpsons.
But yes, it should be interesting, at least.
Yes, I thought of The Simpsons too. On the worksheet front you could do word searches with vocab you'd like them to know (we use this websire a lot at work). If you had internet access for them they could also make them for each other.
Good luck!
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