A World Beyond English

Saturday, July 01, 2006

I was given the task to teach Social Sciences and Science to Korean Sixth Graders with very little and no English at all. I groped for days how I could teach the Intermediate and the beginners at the same time in the same room. Today, is an emotional moment for me to see PEER TEACHING come alive so passionately and powerfully. The Intermediate students were so convincing, energized and exhaustive in their effort to let the Beginners understand in Korean the importance of History and Science in their lives. Little do they know that they are paraphrasing, expanding and relating their knowledge by teaching their peers. They would act it out, come up with examples, grab anything in their hands in order to make their peers understand. They have offered more of what was asked of them. They turned from shy students and apprehensive in speaking English into becoming leaders and authoritative yet informative peer teachers. I was listening to a loud korean group discussion for 40 minutes with awe and gratitude and reverence to the word — CHILDREN and BRILLIANCE! They had to leave their country, culture and above all families to learn English and prepare for their future and careers at a very tender age. They are barely 12 years old. They are forced to grow up fast. But watching them today and listening to them waving hands in expanding concepts and ideas and synthesizing lessons was just one of the most charging moments of my life.