Jarreh and I met during his lunch hour today. Being Ramadan, I am certain he enjoys
the distraction from not being able to eat or drink. So, English study, here we come! Today I brought note cards for Jarreh to take note of words
or phrases he found helpful, while we were conversing. I structured the tutoring session
around the speaking portion of the IELTS exam. Basically, the “examiner” asks the student questions about
themselves and the student must answer.
So, that’s what I did. I
challenged Jarreh philosophically, and he laughed because he was unable to
express his deeper thoughts in English.
For example, when I asked him, “Why
did you want to be the best soccer player in the world?” He looked pensive for a few moments,
then laughed and said, “I don’t know why.
I just did.”
Also,
I briefly told stories or gave short narratives about my life and past
experiences while he took notes, and then summarized what I had said. Jarreh is careful about his grammar,
and often corrects himself with verb/subject agreement before I do. However, he misses a lot of information
when I speak like a native during narratives. I rationalize that this is good practice for him because the
more chances he gets to listen to a story or narrative and then summarize what
he heard; the more he gets to practice English. It is that simple.
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