Teaching English as a People Pleaser (TEPP)

Teaching English as a People Pleaser (TEPP) is not as widely known a field as Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).  TEFL is a field that focuses mainly on preparing non-English speakers to effectively communicate with English speakers in contexts of business, tourism, etc.  ESL, by contrast, is for non-English speakers living within an English speaking culture and encompasses all sectors of a learner's life.  But by far the most important of these and the focus of today's blog is TEPP.

Teaching English as a People Pleaser is a Rural Community Development Volunteer's way into the hearts and minds of community members.  An RCD Volunteer can arrive in a pueblo to work in strengthening community organizations, environmental education, and improving the resources available for education within the community.  But the first thing that people want nowadays is to learn the new universal language (basic public services like trash collection relegated to the back burner).  And anybody from the US can also teach English, right?  I mean, it's our native tongue so it naturally follows that every US citizen who goes abroad has been trained to effectively teach English.

Not so, I say!  I have never received any sort of training to teach English, nor have I sought it out.  Teaching, classroom management, lesson plans, recording grades, charting students' progress, quizzes and tests, etc.  Not something I ever wanted to do.  In fact, the English language itself has never been my strong suit.  I cannot tell you how to diagram a sentence or what the parts of speech are.  I mix tenses like Saladworks mixes greens.  Anyway, if I did have an interest in teaching English, I could have used that money my parents gave me to get my bachelor's in Politics to instead become a fine, certified educator.

Ok, so now you're saying, “Wait, I've heard you say you want to teach in a college or university in your future.”  Very far future, in fact.  My life plan was to turn my Peace Corps street cred into a catapult for grad school which would then lead to a pretty sweet service-oriented career of some sort.  Mid-career, after I've gotten married and had babies (who are now 11 and 15 years-old), is a great time to get my doctorate.  I work my way to the top of whatever circle it is that I'm writing in, becoming renown for my original and logical approach (it really is watertight, I assure you) to all subjects.  Towards the end of my career I decide it's a good time to gift my knowledge to agile young minds that will transform the information into their own generation-changing ideas.

Twilight of my career, when things are calming down and I can apply all the lessons that a lifetime of learning can offer...that's my teaching situation.  Thus, I find myself on the brink of throwing myself into this English teaching experiment feeling woefully under-prepared and inexperienced.  Now, is English an excellent educational resource for my community?  Yes.  So technically, by teaching English I am fulfilling one of my goals as an RCD Volunteer.  But is this going to be my least favorite part of my service?  Probably.

Wouldn't you know I can hear my mom's voice in my head right at this moment?  Imagining what she would say as we sit at the kitchen table after lunch...

...and this is what I came up with: I have that perfect life plan, but you know what?  My plan for today didn't even work out.  Me and my plans, hah.  Time to put “me” aside and be a Volunteer, I guess.

The only attraction that this has for me is that the people want it.  Since I've gotten to my community I've had to say, “Well, I'm supposed to do this diagnostic the first three months, not start any projects...” or “No, I can't be a part of your committee because I'm a foreigner...” or “Hmm, the thing is I can't apply for grant funds until I've been in site for six months...”  There's so much of saying “no” that when they asked if I could teach English...I got just a little excited because I could finally say “yes”.  We've been given a boatload of teaching material even if it wasn't part of our training.  The point of that was so volunteers can offer English classes as a secondary project to their central assignment – in my case, developing rural communities.  The information is more than a little haphazard, but at least it's a start.  And as much as I don't want to teach English...well, that's how much my neighbors want to learn it.  So.  To work.