My first class… In 2004, I taught my first ESL class in a neighborhood police station/community center. It was a morning class filled with immigrants from mainly Mexico, parents whose children were at school, or individuals who worked the afternoon shift. We practiced English conversation to use at the grocery store, medical appointments, the bank, post office, work, etc. The class was small – 8-10 students and in this setting we were able to get to know each other and work on specific language focused on problem solving and helping people feel successful in their daily lives. Since that first class, I have taught in a variety of settings – community college classes, evening family literacy classes for parents, workplace English, computer focused ESL and 1 to 1 tutoring face to face and online, and I will always feel nostalgic for the first class of students.
