After graduating with a university degree in history, Sashwat Koirala wasn't
sure what he wanted to do for work.
"I wanted to travel and make money, and build a career that I could always
fall back on," says Koirala.
He chose to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), and he got a diploma
at a local college before flying off to Istanbul, Turkey. "It was extremely
fun and I was making good money there. The people were friendly and there
was so much culture and things to see -- historical sites, beaches -- something
for everyone!"
But, after two years in Turkey, it was time for Koirala to return home.
He began working as an ESL teacher at a private school with students from
over 100 countries.
"The good thing about working [here] is that my classrooms are so mixed,"
says Koirala. "In one day I could see students from Russia, Algeria, Iceland,
Brazil, Japan and Korea."
Most of his students are young adults and often it is the first time that
they have been away from home. "I have some Saudi students, boys, and they
have never been in a co-ed class before," laughs Koirala. "It's hard to keep
the class focused because they are more interested in the girls than their
studies!"
Branka Jankovic agrees that the best thing about teaching ESL is being
in contact with people from all over the world and learning about these cultures.
She teaches at a college.
"Sometimes it feels as if I can sit in my classroom and still travel across
the world," she says.
Jankovic recommends this career to creative and open-minded people who
are looking for a fast-paced and dynamic working environment with people from
different cultures. Teaching ESL has allowed Jankovic to meet people from
30 to 40 countries all over the world and to forge friendships with many of
them.
"Many of these people are younger than myself, so in a way, I have learned
a lot about their generation's ways of living," says Jankovic.
However, it's not all socializing and making new friends. There is a lot
of work to be done, and teachers are always on the go.
"It requires constant planning and lesson designing," says Jankovic. "As
soon as one daily lesson is finished, one starts planning the next."
The social importance of her work gets her going every morning.
"I can make a difference in somebody's life by helping a person become
a part of the community he or she lives or works in," says Jankovic.
"The lack of language knowledge is usually what prevents my students from
getting into university programs they want to take or from getting a job they
aspire to."
Kate Goodspeed couldn't agree with Jankovic more. She has been teaching
refugees and immigrants at the Colorado Refugee ESL Program at the Emily Griffith
Opportunity School.
Her students don't always fit in when they arrive in America because they
don't speak English. Through her work teaching English, she helps her students
learn English without to losing their connection to their culture.
"We empower them to get work," says Goodspeed.
"Working with beginning-level refugees fills me with awe. They have been
uprooted from their homes, their languages, their cultures, their extended
families and have had to come here, often after a very harsh life and a long
wait. They didn't have a choice and most of them can never go home again.
"They have fled war, famine, oppression, killings and disease. They have
seen things that are R-rated. They have lived through it and now they have
to be like babies and learn a very difficult language -- English."
Goodspeed finds that her students meet the challenge of learning English
with good humor, spirit and hard work.
"Some of my students come into my class never having been in a classroom
of any kind. Some have never held a pencil in their hand. They don't know
how to write a straight line or [draw] a circle. They can't use scissors.
A box of crayons is a cause for celebration -- and they're adults who are
raising families!
"Some are women who've given birth to over 10 children. One woman had
19 children. In my class, she learned to read and write. She was a businesswoman
in Africa, running a gas station in Ethiopia. How proud she is of her ability
to read and write [in English], and she has a wonderful smile."
Although Goodspeed is quick to point out all the rewarding parts of her
job, she also finds the work to be physically draining.
"Sometimes I can't solve the students' problems with food stamps, medical
problems, needing glasses, needing hearing aids, needing work, needing money
for their families. All I can do is teach them well and refer them to others
to help with these problems.
"It takes all of my energy," she says. And it's not only the students'
problems that are exhausting. ESL classes often require an animated teacher,
and that takes even more energy.
"Teaching high intermediate and advanced students might be okay for a person
with disabilities, but teaching low beginning[-level courses] requires a lot
of drama and demonstration and activity," says Goodspeed.
She has an orthopedic disability and she once spent six months teaching
classes six hours per day, including up to 65 beginner students at a time.
She recalls, "It was more than an overweight, slightly disabled, 62-year-old
teacher could handle!"
Despite the demands of her job as a teacher, Goodspeed is happy. "I love
this work. It uses all my gifts," she says.
"It is not for the faint of heart. It is not for shy people.
It is not for folks who want to get rich or expect high salaries.
"It is challenging and extremely rewarding work. I came to this work after
working for many years for a huge corporation. I would never go back to the
corporate life with all of its financial benefits, not for the world. ESL
teaching is the best job I've ever had, bar none!"