This week Kala and I started teaching ESL (that is, English as a second language) to 5th graders. Shannon (who is a proficient Italian speaker) has come with us for the first class with each group. That is VERY helpful! Next week Kala and I will be on our own, which is both exciting and a tad bit frightening.
We started out not sure how the parents would respond to the idea of ESL, wandering if we would get enough kids to form 2 groups…. Now we have 4!!! Each group consists of 4-6 kids. So far we have made it very successfully through two of the four.

It’s really fun. I enjoy being around the kids and seeing how they act, and think. It is fun to see their reactions to you asking them a question in English, or having them say something… “mamma mia!” is a common response! It’s great because you can see what they think and you relate, because we are on the same level as them with our Italian knowledge!
The mom’s are fantastic! They are so fun-loving and sweet. They really want to use their English words and want us to improve in Italian.

I am looking forward to building relationships and having more fun with these kids in the next few months!