Programming Part III: Street Side School English Class

The Program

Four days a week, Gasto teaches English at a school to help students catch up to their peers. It allows them to condense four years into two. Gasto teaches with very little resources, often just a chalkboard and chalk. The students range in age from about 10 to 16 or 17. Many are poor and often miss class because their parents need them to work to make money. Of about 45 students enrolled in the class, only 15-20 show up on a regular basis.

My Job

Since this is a long term project, my job (along with Nicole) is to assist Gasto in any way we can. We observe him in class twice a week and offer suggestions as to how to be a more effective teacher. We also spend some time talking to Gasto about his plans for teaching as well as help him make tests to give to the students. We are also going to be helping Gasto write a report for this project, which is essentially his and not ours.

Challenges and Successes

There have been many challenges facing Gasto and the class, besides the ones mentioned above. Gasto, though a very willing and enthusiastic volunteer has never been given the chance to learn from any teachers, thus he has a lot he can improve upon. He has, however, taken many of my suggestions and has even said that he feels like he is improving. Gasto has the right attitude and the patience to be a very good teacher. I hope that I am able to give

him a little push in the right direction.

A wide range of abilities of the students is also a big issue. Some students are able to read well, while others cannot read at all. Gasto has been working very hard with the whole class to improve these abilities.

We have noticed a large change in the classroom from day one, though there are still many ways in which things can go smoother. I hope that I am able to share with Gasto some of the things I have learned in my few short years of teaching. I also hope to learn from him, since I am a firm believer that everyone has something to offer (at least in the field of teaching) and that even the students often teach the teachers.