Happy June, everyone!
Summer
is on the way along with the solstice and (I hope) a little less rain.
May brought us a spectacular lunar eclipse--I hope you got to see it. I
also hope you all continue to be healthy and safe, as the pandemic is
still very much with us.
If you had tutoring time for May, please go to the survey to report your hours:
If
you did not have any contact with your student, you don't need to
complete the survey. If you normally report hours but don't this month,
I'll be in touch to ask you about that.
Did you fill out my life after COVID survey?
This
was for anyone who has tutored in the last few years. We're trying to
get an idea of what kind of work we'll have to do on the administrative
end to rebuild the in-home tutoring program later this year. So, even if
you aren't tutoring right now (especially if that's because of
the pandemic), please take the five minutes or so needed to share your
thoughts with us. More data is better! Survey link: https://forms.gle/
New refugee arrivals
The
Biden administration has stated its intention to resume refugee
arrivals and resettlement...soon. They've been somewhat opaque with the
details. So far, we don't have any details about who might be coming or
exactly when. The pandemic is certainly a complication, but the bigger
issue is that between 2017 and late 2020, most of the refugee
resettlement infrastructure, both at home and abroad, was dismantled and
simply no longer exists. This makes it nearly impossible to do the
overseas processing and domestic resettlement work that is required for
the program to function.
Update on Afghans
The
Biden administration has set a date in September to cease a U.S.
military presence in Afghanistan. Some sources indicate the withdrawal
of troops could begin in earnest next month. The fate of thousands of
Afghan support personnel has not been determined. There are a lot of
rumors, including one that the Pentagon and State Department are
considering a mass evacuation similar to what happened in Saigon at the
end of the Vietnam war. The truth is, nobody knows what will happen to
the Afghans who supported the U.S. military once American troops pull
out, but if the Taliban increases its presence in the country, it is
almost certain that these men and their families will not be treated
well. More here:
School lunch in the summer months
Most
local school districts will continue to have school lunches available
to students throughout the summer. Denver Public Schools will continue
to provide fun and educational online programming for students, as well. If
you think the family you support needs this help, you can find more
information on each school district's website.
A game!
One of my favorite cartoonists, Matt Inman of the Oatmeal,
spent his quarantine developing a word game with his wife. Unlike most
games, it's perfect for two players! As a person who loves Bananagrams
and Scrabble, I was all over this. The game is not difficult, does not
require a vast vocabulary, takes about 15 minutes to play a round, and
fosters using language interactively. If I were tutoring an intermediate
or higher level student, I would incorporate this game into my visits.
You can learn more about A Little Wordy by clicking here.
The grant
A
couple of weeks ago, we submitted our proposal to continue receiving
funding for the refugee English programs at Emily Griffith Technical
College. This includes the funding for the in-home tutoring program (and
thus, my job). We won't know the outcome until August, but in the
meantime, please send all the good vibes into the universe that you can
so our work can continue. This process and the waiting are always a
nail-biter, but we're optimistic that funding will continue.
We need some digital literacy support volunteers
My colleague, Hannah Wilkinson, would like to host some intensive
digital literacy support this summer to assist our students who plan
to continue with online classes in the fall. Here are the basics:
- Date: August 2 - 5 (Monday - Thursday)
- Time:
TBD - maybe something like 9 - 12, 1 - 4. Folks can work specific
"shifts" and students can drop in. This would be advertised in class
the week prior.
- Locations: Project Worthmore offices (16th and Elmira in Aurora)
and Hidden Brook apartments (13th Ave. and Yosemite St.)
- Who?: Volunteers interested in working directly with
students, Emily Griffith ELA staff who aren't on vacation, as well as
students who would like assistance using their devices.
- What: Individualized
tech help for students using their own devices and/or a borrowed
Chromebook. Rather than having a codified "training," we would help
students individually as devices and needs are varied. Topics
appropriate to support:
* Turning device on/off
* Setting up an email address
* Accessing the internet
* Downloading Google Meet
* Accessing Google Meet - including camera, microphone, chat box, etc.
-Why?:
We have all seen lack of digital literacy skills hinder student success
in our English classes. We want to do what we can to build student capacity
before classes start again!
- Bigger goals:
* Volunteers potentially follow up with particular students
after this type of session to see if they were able to access classes on
the first day, require additional support, etc.
*
These sessions continue in some capacity once a week at multiple locations,
utilizing volunteers where appropriate.
Due
to the individualized nature of this type of training, it will be
important for volunteers involved to have a good grasp of these tasks on
their own. Hannah will be able to provide support where needed, but doesn't
plan to do a large training for volunteers as each task
is so specific to the student. She will, however, communicate what skills
are most important to teach during this session and provide helpful
handouts, etc.
Please let me know if you are
interested/available in assisting with something like this so I can let
Hannah know. Letting me know by email is fine.
How we speak
Recently, I watched Mare of Easttown
on HBO Max. Much of the press coverage about the show, along with the
trivia on the IMDB page, focused on the excellent accuracy of the
southeastern Pennsylvania regional accent and what training had to
happen so the actors could master it to convincingly portray their
characters. A fun fact here is that I spoke with that accent until I was
a sophomore in college. After two years of voice and diction classes
that were part of my major, my regional accent was all but gone. Now
when I hear it, it hits my ear with a bit of a jolt. I mention this
because two things about accents are true for language teachers.
Students who are just beginning to learn English do not discern regional
accents between native speakers. It is when these learners become more proficient
that they may experience some confusion when hearing differences in the
way English is pronounced. I was reminded of this last week when I read
the Sunday comics and came across this edition of "One Big Happy." Food
for thought!
You should be able to enlarge the picture by clicking on it.
That's all for this month. Take care, be safe, and enjoy the start of summer!
--SM
--
