Settling In

Today was our second day of teaching, and the campers are getting settled in. It seems that many stayed up late last night, talking and forming friendships that are becoming more apparent during the day. Most of the kids are eager to improve their English, and they work hard throughout the day – concentrating, reaching for that word they can’t quite find, and wanting to show their teachers that they are improving. As several people have pointed out, the English classes in school here center around textbooks rather than conversational English, so some kids are more comfortable than others with the spoken word. We started our day as we always do, the Volunteers together as a team over breakfast; and then we went into our classes. Since I am new to teaching English as a Second Language, I am still trying out different sorts of exercises to see what is most effective. Some “games”,  some lessons from workbooks, some things I have overheard Mom using or Dorota suggesting. Mom and Jim have more of a routine, it seems, but everyone has been open about the challenge of engaging all of the students and helping them to progress. Building their confidence, and letting them know that we don’t expect perfection, goes a long way. Tomorrow we will continue to do just that.

Our day included more than just class, however. We had the chance to meet with the Governor of Siedlce’s county, and had a very interesting discussion. I’m sure Alex & Charlotte were not surprised that we quickly went to politics, and that I enjoyed hearing the Governor’s perspective. He is a thoughtful man, and his views were far-ranging. From the shift in Polish values as the country modernizes, to the uncertainty of natural gas discoveries, to the stultifying effect of socialism on generations of workers during the Communist era, and even to his own decisions to focus on family rather than reaching for the highest professional rungs – we all listened intently, just as he did to us.

We also went into Siedlce for the first time, and got a sense of the town. It’s beautiful churches, some of its shops, its narrow roads and the pleasantness of its residents. And then we came back to Reymontowka in time to judge the campers fashion show. (Jakub and Magda won – largely due to how much fun they had as they marched, sauntered, and pranced down the “runway”.) We had a good time, as we have since the moment we arrived….

- Matthew