Last week I surprised everyone by coming back a month early. While those closest to me hate to ask, those that casually know me always interject a "So when do you go back?" For those that hate that question, it's more of an undesired event: my departure. However, for me personally, I view it as something beautiful. Not necessarily excited. Not necessarily exciting, though it can be. Mostly just pure beauty.
I also joined the Unforgotten Faces team as a volunteer. I started more as a general "walk-around" tutor, helping the kids with English and Mathematics. Once I got the language a little more under my belt, I began to take whole classes and tutor on English the topics they were studying in school. Just as I was getting ready to leave I began to teach my own curriculum using the materials I had on hand. I would take a small group at a time and teach either reading, early phonics, or basic grammar and conversational English.
So when I go back at the end of the summer, I will pour my heart out all the more teaching those children English. I will create a teaching atmosphere in which they can learn. I will officially begin my life as an English Teacher to students of a different language. I will begin to mold the future of a handful of students as they learn English. And that is beautiful. Not that I am the tapestry, but rather I am a thread being woven into the tapestry of life. More precisely, I am a thread being woven into the tapestry of the life of each of my students. I am not the weaver, I am not the tapestry. But I can change the way the tapestry looks from here on out. Not drastically. But slightly. A change in hues. A shift in rotation. A break in color.
If you want to help out, take a look at the "How You Can Help" tab. In there you can find a list of different things for which I am raising money. Concisely: plane ticket, healthcare, living. Check out, also, the "About" tab for more information not covered in this post. Additionally, I will continue to keep my "Child Highlight" tab open. I intended to use it more often. This time, I will highlight one of my students, showing how he/she has grown as a student or even as a person. It might not be frequent, but I will make a blog entry notifying when I update it, so keep an eye out!
Thank you for your help, support, and thoughts!
Kevin Barrick
kevinmbarrick@gmail.com
PayPal: https://paypal.me/KevinBarrick
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