A different kind of adventure…TEFL!

After the excitement of several trips to Spain and Mexico and numerous New Mexico hiking outings subsided, I felt a strong need to focus on an evolution of sorts in this post-retirement period. In late January 2023, I unexpectedly decided that teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) might be an interesting and rewarding endeavor. It’s hard to believe that within a short, six-week period:

· I completed a surprisingly rigorous 120-hour TEFL course and earned my TEFL certification;

· I began volunteering to teach English online to refugees in other parts of the world through an organization called RefuNet; and

· I began teaching English in-person here in Albuquerque through a local organization called the ABQ Adult Learning Center.

Steep mountains I’m used to—but a steep learning curve requires different endurance!

It’s been quite a whirlwind that has involved a steep learning curve in understanding the intricacies of teaching English, never mind the fundamentals of teaching itself. Being a native speaker and fully proficient in a language doesn’t even begin to prepare you to actually teach said language. I have a newfound respect for my teacher friends, my grammarian friends, and anyone who learns a foreign language as an adult. I’m also reminded how grateful I am that I learned Spanish as a young child from my family, which was also reinforced and strengthened in Spanish classes through college.

Imposter Syndrome—A little bit of fake it til you make it

After working as an epidemiologist in public health for about half my life, it’s been interesting and humbling to experience a shift my identity to a teacher of English. Although I completed a rigorous training and am gradually building experience teaching, I can’t help feeling overwhelmed by all that I don’t know. I’m having many moments of befuddlement with questions from students where I am stumped in explaining some of the bizarre aspects of the English language. As much as we try to teach rules and patterns, there are just so many exceptions! I’m beginning to accept and embrace the idea that I’m also on a great learning journey, alongside my students. Although it’s so heartwarming to be referred to as ‘teacher James’ by an Afghan couple in my class, I know that I still have a lot of work to do in earning that honor.

A different kind of international travel and a close-up view of human experience

One of the most rewarding aspects of my experience so far is the personal connections to my students, who so far, hail from Mexico, Argentina, Afghanistan, and Turkey. I am constantly amazed by their life experiences, stories, resilience, and tenacity in the face of many struggles. I am impressed by their incredibly high levels of motivation to learn English despite everything else they face in their daily life.

Some of my students are recent refugees thousands of miles from the only life they’ve ever known, while others have lived in the US from two to ten years. Some folks are trying to find work or volunteer opportunities in their previous fields, while others continue years of incredibly tasking, manual labor jobs. They constantly shuffle their schedules to accommodate work, children, school, commuting, all while still managing to attend a two-hour morning or evening class four days per week.

I can’t help but feel incredibly honored to be a small part of these amazing folks’ journeys to assimilate, learn a new language, and succeed in a culture and world we often take for granted.