Colton Conley
3/3/16 - 3/17/16
International Institute
Sam Bianco
On my first day volunteering at the International Institute, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The website said I would be teaching a class on government and civics, and mentioned that basic English was a requirement for the job. I obviously met that requirement, but the implied requirement - fluent Spanish - had me a little more concerned.
On day one I had a meeting with the director of the organization and jumped straight into teaching. I started out in the beginner class, and luckily there were a couple of other volunteers to help me pick things up. I quickly learned what a typical class consisted of, how things were done, and what the citizenship test consisted of. There was a steep learning curve at the beginning, but once I got into the swing of things, volunteering became one of the most relaxing and enjoyable experiences I had each week.
Classes usually consist of the following segments: Dictation, reading, grammar lessons, civics lessons, fluency lines, mock interviews, and other activities such as worksheets or flashcards. The goal of the class is to prepare immigrants to pass their citizenship tests, so each part of the class is geared towards preparing them for a certain segment of the test. Some sections we practice outright - like dictations, where the immigration official reads a sentence in English and the interviewee has to transcribe it. There is also a civics portion, where the interviewer asks ten questions about US civics and history. To prep for this portion, we teach English (so they can understand the question and give an answer) and we also teach civics so that they have the information necessary to answer the questions. Finally, we even prep our students for the chit chat they will have with the officer and the section where they are asked about their backgrounds and application. Usually, we prep this portion by using fluency lines and mock interviews.
After a few weeks, I began to get accustomed to the kind of lesson plans we used, and I became a much more proficient teacher. I also got to know my student’s names more, and began forming real connections learning about their backgrounds and why they wanted to get their citizenships.
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