Evaluation

As a young girl growing up I have fond memories of visiting my aunt and uncle in Williamsburg, Virginia almost every spring and summer. We would spend days walking around the Colonial area of Williamsburg, a preserved small area replicating what would have been the city centuries prior. All of the workers act in character and with a pass guides would give tours of the homes supported by stories galore. These stories included conversations about what things used to be like, and language filled my head about how colonials built this town and changed what it was.

We also would go to Jamestown, where it is historically known Captain John Smith met Indians and there, the relationship between people who spoke different languages begun through interaction. However controversial those interactions may be perceived today, it is important to note that it seems this was the first time in the ‘new land’ that English was integrated and associated with a certain lifestyle that would ‘benefit’ these Indians to learn the language. I realize this may be embellished by the story of Pocahontas and however influenced I was by the Disney movie as that same little girl, I still find it fascinating how we are entertained by these ideas still hundreds of years later that motivate interest in other cultures and language. The idea that we want to share with one another, and perhaps benefit from one another, is our inherent tendency that is still driving our societies today.

In my experience while teaching English for All, I found myself near tears when I observed class from laughter and happiness for these women. This was the very first time I had ever had any interaction with women from the middle east, let alone women from Saudi Arabia who come from a place with such strict restrictions on their women, and who wear cloth to cover their entire bodies besides the slits of their eyes.
It was magnificent to gain such profound and beautiful perspective while sharing with them, especially among all of the political issues we are faced with currently. I specifically had an opportunity to ask the women what they thought about the woman Manal Al-Sharif who has recently drawn plenty of attention to the women’s rights issue in Saudi Arabia. The women in my class let me know that women in Saudi Arabia are treated like princesses and that King Abdullah gives them allowances for staying at home with their children. Can you imagine if any time there were articles written in American newspapers and magazines that afforded you the opportunity to directly ask another woman from that country instead of only formulating an opinion based on one non-native account?

Without learning language and allowing it to assist us toward a greater understanding of one another we would always be living in the dark. I do not know another language myself, but I have full intentions on learning in the future. I can’t only find meaning in the words that have raised me, and isolate me from people around the world. If there are people out there who are learning English to share, I can learn myself.

Language is a living being itself, and it is so interesting to study it and see its ever-changing forms. Teaching grammar was a struggle for me and I have thought a lot about how important it is to teach its formalities since technology and language are much less formal and its form is taking over and is what has brought us to this post modern stage. Technology has helped foster what we know about each other and the rapid pace to which we are able to figure out what one another means. I do feel that one day, maybe not in my lifetime, there will be one language. But for now, I am going to try my best to teach grammar so that contextually students will be able to understand native speakers and the meaning behind their words.

Overall, I am so grateful for having been afforded this opportunity. This experience will always stay with me and I look forward to seeing how I will use it in the future.