Sharing Some Good News

In Honors College at Hampton University, Dr. Davy would usually put students and alumni on the spot during an event, workshop or ceremony and ask, “What’s the Good News?” and you better be prepared to answer. In that spirit I wanted to share some good news you.

Last week I taught my first English as a Second Language (ESL) class at a local community college. The opportunity presented itself the day before I was to teach the class when I received a phone call from the Coordinator of the Corporate and Business Training Department asking if I was available to teach the very next day. I quickly thought about how I could rearrange my schedule and accepted the class. At that point I was only obligated to teach the one ESL class with a possibility of it being extended to last the entire semester based on enrollment. Due to the high enrollment and student attendance for the first day of class I was extended the offer to teach for the entire semester.  I am officially teaching my first ESL class. What a blessing! And to think I called the Coordinator of the department because of a question that I had regarding another one day training class that I will be teaching in a different subject area in a week yet another opportunity availed. God is good!

I have always loved teaching and helping others to learn and accomplish the goals set before them so when I was contacted 2 weeks ago to interview to become an instructor of the Corporate and Business Training Department at a local community college I jumped at the opportunity. I knew this would be a great way for me to get my foot in the door to Higher Education and earn valuable experience while doing something that I love, which is sharing my knowledge with others. Although I have taken many language classes and have tutored students in both the English and Spanish Language, I have never taught an ESL class before but I was up to the challenge. 

Teaching my first ESL class with less than a day to prepare was a thrill. I had no time to be nervous so that worked in my favor. I prayed, prepared my lesson, and went into the class with confidence. My students warmed up to me quickly and were receptive and actively participated in the class. It was an honor to teach so many different ages. Some of my students are a few years younger than me while some are old enough to be my grandparents. It was a great first class. One of my students came up to me after class and thanked me for teaching such a good class. During the interview to become an instructor I was asked how I measure success as a teacher, and that is one way I measure success, when my students feel that they have learned something, enjoyed the class, and look forward to returning to learn more. I look forward to helping my students improve their English through out the semester. 

Thanks for reading my good news! I look forward to sharing more good news in the near future.

Hasta el proximo vez,

KoMiSa