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Featured Volunteer

Heartfelt thanks for all your dedicated work goes out to Darlene, our featured volunteer.

What do you do at Hopelink Literacy?

• I have the most fun of my week by teaching ESL! In October, I started with level 2 ESL (advanced beginners) and in January, I added a level 3 ESL (intermediate students), so I now have a split class. I thought my level 2 students were great but my level 3 students make the class even more fun and interesting, and with more students, there is more interaction.
• We have so much fun in our class while learning English. The first quarter all the students were of Spanish descent and my rule was, NO SPANISH in class, ONLY ENGLISH. Every time I heard them talking behind my back I would repeat, “I hear Spanish.” They would giggle and we would move on.
• This quarter I have not only Spanish speakers but also Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Farsi and the ENGLISH ONLY rule still applies. What a group, and I have learned so much from them! We all learn from each other: our different cultures, heritage, religions and governments.

Why do you volunteer at Hopelink Literacy?

• After student teaching at university I decided I no longer wanted to be a teacher in the public school system. I had ECE, elementary, junior high (middle school) and high school teaching experience and I could not imagine working full-time in any of those settings. I was looking for a new direction in life so I earned a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language.
• When I answered an ad for an ESL instructor, I discovered it was for a volunteer position at Hopelink. I had heard several “war” stories about teaching ESL classes and was not sure about this step but I am so glad I took it and so glad Hopelink “hired” me. I am looking ahead to summertime and am already wondering what I am going to do without my “kids” every Monday. Yes, I refer to them as “my kids” even though their ages range from about 35-55 and I will miss them during break.

Thank you Darlene!