Helping the children have dreams is one of my prime motivations in preparing some fun and active English learning activities for them. One of the children’s unspoken dreams is to help uplift the economic status of their families. Getting an education is just one of many steps towards getting a better job and realizing their dreams. So, we encourage them to communicate well in English, and let them feel that learning is fun.
Since May 2022, we have been offering an English program every Saturday in one community. Many children came from different grade levels. We group them together at the start of the class, sing songs and play games related to the lesson, then separate them into three groups according to their age. I handle the younger kids around kindergarten. Another SEEDS volunteer works with the older kids in grades five and six. Another volunteer helps the middle-aged kids. They enjoy it so much-especially the singing part-that they keep coming back,. One time, when we arrived at the house where we taught them, they started greeting us with a song. They sing the goodbye song as they leave while waiting for us outside the house so they can say goodbye more. After a few months, religious classes began in the community. Some of the kids were not able to come to the English program anymore due to a conflicting time schedule. However, a sizable number of them were able to attend.
Among the kids that have kept coming, two are able to read and write, so we prepare a conversation lesson for them. Sometimes, we let these two kids act as teachers and help other kids. In this way, they might be encouraged to become teachers in the future. Seeing them learning and enjoying motivates me to do more for them.