For the past several months, I have been teaching
English once a week to a girl named Haydee (Heidi) who goes to the high school down the road from our house.
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| English class with Haydee |
After 9th grade, the students have to choose a career path, and Haydee is studying to be a bilingual secretary (Spanish and English). There are only two students in this program at the high school, and the other girl also comes to my class from time to time. Their English teacher recommended that they find another class apart from school to improve their English. It seems like the teachers hardly know English themselves, and their pronunciation is terrible.
The educational system here is very lacking. For example, I asked Haydee what classes she was taking for her upcoming senior year. This was her list: typing (in Spanish), typewriting (in English), editing, short-hand, dictation, English, and a community project. I kept waiting to hear about science, math, literature, or something????
Haydee is a very bright student and learns quickly. Her pronunciation has improved drastically, and she is a joy to work with.
