Resources in village school are few and far between. Even chalk can often be a challenge to get. With the TLG program the Ministry is slowly making headway in improving conditions, beginning with the major cities and expanding out. Many of the remote villages will not be gotten to for awhile, so your role as an English teacher can be challenging, but rewarding. You must learn to make lemonade from the lemons you find is your school!
For many of them, even basic utilities are absent; you might find one bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, no running water, or heat. And very few books. The student’s parents are supposed to buy the required class books each year, but many of them cannot afford them, or they are not available. So you will learn to share them, along with pens, paper, and whatever you need for instruction.
You will work along side a Georgian, usually a woman, since they are the primary teachers, especially in the villages. Their English abilities will range from not bad to doesn’t know any at all. And their willingness to have you in the classroom will also vary; some don’t understand the program and are wary, others welcome your participation and do all they can to help you. Your challenge will be to find a way to best be of service to the language program, not try to make sweeping reforms to the curriculum, and do it with humor, charm and professionalism.
The current Georgian curriculum is out-dated and poorly designed; until the Ministry improves it, you will have to find ways to work within it. Teachers must cover specific amounts of material within a semester, with specific numbers of tests. Much time and effort is spent on written grammar; conjugating verbs, knowing tenses, and copying sentences. But they have little opportunity to hear or speak English, and this is where you can best serve their needs. Focus on oral comprehension, listening and understanding, and speaking skills. Often it can be as simple as taking an exercise from the textbook that normally would be written out and do it orally. If you have access to the internet- very rare in the villages, but can be obtained through a modem for a laptop, there are many activities and exercises you can use in the class. The goal is to get them speaking and understanding.
Georgian students love to sing, dance and play. This attitude also extends to their schoolwork; class starts when they finally arrive. Many won’t do their homework. They give each other answers, talk to each other throughout class, and make every assignment a group activity. If you fight this, and expect to bring western classroom discipline to your school, you will be butting heads with everyone. The trick is to make it work for you; leave the classroom management to the Georgian teacher, and use their playfulness and love of group activity to your advantage. Use the first couple of weeks to learn who they are, how proficient each one is, and the social order of the class. Village children have been attending school together since they were in the first grade. They know each other, and reflect the social order of their families and the village. Once you learn this it can help you immensely; get the alpha male to want to speak English, and many of the younger ones will join right in.
Since the TLG program is new, many of the village directors do not know what you are to do, how much you are to work, or what to expect of you. Some will want you to teach every class, every grade, all the time. Others won’t want anything from you; you must shape your involvement at your school. Do not over-commit to teaching, but do not let them put you in a corner with nothing to do. Our best asset is that we are native English speakers, something they have not had in their lives, and by focusing on speaking and understanding English you can have a tremendous impact on their education. Above all, though, is to conduct yourself with sincerity, good-humor, and grace; when you watch the face of a young person who realizes she understands the lesson of the day, you will know why you’re there!
Philip Kunz
Footprints’ Alumni, planning to return to Georgia for a 2nd term
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