Heart to Heart English 2013

One project Kevin initiated this year was Heart to Heart English, a weekly series of classes for children and adults affected by disabilities. We worked in conjunction with our city's Handicapped & Rehab Association, which is housed in a 20-story building not too far from where we live.

The adult class was held in a theater-style auditorium. That made it a little tricky for one-on-one interaction, but it accommodated the number of students. We began with more than 50 in June and ended in November with a consistent group of about 30 adults.

The children's class was held in a typical classroom down the hall. Between 10 and 20 kids came each week, and one challenge was creating a lesson for the wide range of ages and English speaking abilities.

Molly & Hudson looked forward to English class every week because they had full use of this wonderful indoor play area while we were teaching. A number of fantastic volunteers helped out by rotating between translating for us in each class and playing with our kids.

The video above is a 30-second clip of Molly & Hudson bouncing on the trampoline.

In the children's classes, Kevin and Cathy used many of Molly & Hudson's story books to practice reading and vocabulary and lots of songs to make it fun.

In the adult classes, Kevin and I practiced pronunciation, interacted through dialogues and generated discussion through a variety of topics. My favorite part was introducing some American culture and customs each week and answering the many questions they would have on each topic.

Often at the end of class, Molly & Hudson would watch a video on our iPad while they waited for us to finish talking or answering questions.

We really enjoyed meeting our students and getting to know them during the past six months. We look forward to many more weeks together in the year ahead. The next session begins March 1, 2014.
~Dayna

The End of a Beginning

The English classes in the primary school included 20 children. Roughly, half were disabled, and half were "typical" orphans. 

In this photo, a Chinese teacher is leading a drama activity relating to "What time is it?" The six-year-old boy was eager to participate, although his English is poor. I partnered with him so that he could join in. We both had a lot of fun.

Some of the children and teachers did not come on this day, but the photo gives a good representation of our class. The primary school is behind us.

These two guys to the right (to my left) were my favorites. The six-year-old boy (the one I was having to hold to prevent escape), was a lot of fun. He was eager and joyful. This was his first chance to attend any schooling. The eight-year-old boy next to him has a welcoming, sensitive heart. We hope to see them both soon as the English classes move to a new location for the summer.

The principal took Dayna and me and the kids out for lunch to celebrate the completion of our English class project. Molly and Hudson were more interested in watching Toy Story 2 than drumming their chopsticks on the table. That, of course, was our reason to offer the iPad entertainment. It was a great time -- a wonderful way to end a new beginning!
~Kevin

Heart to Heart English

The Saturday morning classes began today. The students consisted of several "typical" children from a local orphanage school as well as some children with minor physical disabilities. For instance, one boy had a leg that was 8 inches shorter than the other leg. Another boy struggled to walk, and another child had difficulty speaking, but they were all clearly educated.

Their English was much better than I had expected. I quickly had to adjust my lesson plans. Here, a few of the teachers are helping me demonstrate an activity.

The children enjoyed some of Molly and Hudson's Sandra Boynton books.

We hope that this current project is only the beginning of our Heart to Heart English classes. In the coming months, we want to make further inroads, blessing children with moderate and severe disabilities -- those disabilities which have prevented them from receiving a formal education. We're excited that at least one child with Cerebral palsy will join us next time, as well as a child who has not been allowed to attend any kind of school. All in all, this day was an exciting start.
~ Kevin

Training Day

After a year of planning and anticipation, today was the first day of our Heart to Heart English classes for children with special needs (though the students themselves won't arrive until next week).

Today was training day. I taught more than a dozen primary school English teachers from three different schools. Even for those teachers who teach children affected by disability, this was their first time to receive any such disability training.

It is quite amazing to see the technical resources available to this primary school. I could draw on the screen with a special pen.

I'm standing with the principal in front of the primary school. Thankfully, she was very pleased with the morning training.

I'm also working on a textbook for the Heart to Heart English classes. The two characters above will likely be on the cover of the booklet. Molly has enjoyed watching to see what new characters I will draw.
~ Kevin