Libby's First Three Days of Teaching

I have just finished my 3rd day of teaching and I love it!

I have five students; three of which are college-age and desire to start at the Bible College in the fall but do not have high enough English scores for acceptance. The other two are in their mid-40's and are new on Guam and speak very little English - they desire to improve their English so they can get a job on the island. Two of my students are from China, two are from Chuuk (a neighboring Micronesian island), and the other is from Taiwan. Hence, three speak Mandarin and two speak Chuukese (I never knew the island had their own language) as their native language.

The program I am teaching in has four sections and many outside activities. The students are busy from 8:30a - 9p, with some breaks. On Fridays, the teachers take the students on field trips around the island to practice their English and sight see. The four class sections include: grammar and writing, academic and workplace expectations, basic Bible knowledge and western culture, and my class which is "reading." My class focus is on improving reading comprehension and listening skills, developing reading strategies, improving pronunciation (reading aloud skills), and building vocabulary.

Going into my first day of teaching I was intimidated, but once I started teaching I was put at ease by my students' great questions and eagerness to learn. I found it a bit of a challenge working with the two vastly different groups; one group needing very basic skills and the other needing college prep skills. After the first day, however, I am learning to adjust. The students are so much fun. XuaYung, who speaks very little English, has such a funny personality. So far I have taught lessons on pronunciation, including sentence stress and the basic rhythm of English. You should hear them now - they sound beautiful :)

Thank you so much for your prayers! It is a great blessing to be involved with such a wonderful ministry this summer. Please continue to pray for my teaching as well as my students.

Love and miss you. Libby

*Photo: Lynn Lin, student from Taiwan