| s/y Nine of Cups English Lessons Ecuador 2003 |
Paying it forward or paying it back...whatever you wish to call it, we firmly believe that giving back to the community in which we're
living...whether it be the USA, Ecuador or a remote island...is part of the way we wish to live our cruising lives. We hope that whatever we
contribute makes the places we visit in some small way, better for us having visited. We would like to think that when we leave, the local people
think "Wow...aren't Americans nice people. Aren't cruisers kind and giving." We tutored in Trinidad, did a beach clean up with "Rusty Bucket" in
the Aves and worked at a national park in the Bahamas.
In another life, many decades ago, I was an English teacher. So when the marineros and workers at Puerto Lucia Yacht Club in La Libertad,
Ecuador told me that the local English teacher had moved and no one would replace him, I thought I'd try to help out. First, I asked them if they'd
be interested in English classes if I taught them...the answer was a resounding "SI". Next I approached the PLYC manager, Galo Ortiz, to solicit
his help. Not only did he agree to the classes, he provided the meeting room, white board, all supplies and copies required for the class and
weekly refreshments. This was quite encouraging. In all, 25 students registered for the class. There was no charge to my "students" for the twice
weekly, 6-week course. Classes were 2 hours each.
Since I didn't have any materials available, I developed a curriculum myself which was modified as I learned more about my students. Below find
my lesson plans as well as all the individual lessons with student exercises. Also included are a list of useful phrases, a verb list with synonyms/
antonyms, a certificate of achievement form I passed out to all successful students and finally a self-critique.
living...whether it be the USA, Ecuador or a remote island...is part of the way we wish to live our cruising lives. We hope that whatever we
contribute makes the places we visit in some small way, better for us having visited. We would like to think that when we leave, the local people
think "Wow...aren't Americans nice people. Aren't cruisers kind and giving." We tutored in Trinidad, did a beach clean up with "Rusty Bucket" in
the Aves and worked at a national park in the Bahamas.
In another life, many decades ago, I was an English teacher. So when the marineros and workers at Puerto Lucia Yacht Club in La Libertad,
Ecuador told me that the local English teacher had moved and no one would replace him, I thought I'd try to help out. First, I asked them if they'd
be interested in English classes if I taught them...the answer was a resounding "SI". Next I approached the PLYC manager, Galo Ortiz, to solicit
his help. Not only did he agree to the classes, he provided the meeting room, white board, all supplies and copies required for the class and
weekly refreshments. This was quite encouraging. In all, 25 students registered for the class. There was no charge to my "students" for the twice
weekly, 6-week course. Classes were 2 hours each.
Since I didn't have any materials available, I developed a curriculum myself which was modified as I learned more about my students. Below find
my lesson plans as well as all the individual lessons with student exercises. Also included are a list of useful phrases, a verb list with synonyms/
antonyms, a certificate of achievement form I passed out to all successful students and finally a self-critique.
| Paying It Forward...Paying It Back from SSCA Commodores' Bulletin |
Marcie hands a Certificate of Achievement to
Ben for successful completion of his English
class.
Ben for successful completion of his English
class.