Blog Post 8

When I started my internship, i set some goals to attain by the end of my internship. I did not attain completly my goals, I did not had the chance to work and learn about one of my professional fields of interest but I attain the rest of my goals. I learned how education works and the different activities they organization may have. I did attein to learn a lot about kids education because there is tutoring every day at the community center. Everyday that I passed at the center, I improved my english to the fullest, improving my english, have been my first goal to attain. What helped me to achieve my goals were the differents options of volunteering I had inside, I had the chance to choose what interests me more and the best choice I did is to try everything is possible, it made me develop new skills. I did cooking, tutoring, office work and drawing. The people from Tyndale were those who helped me the most to be succesfull because they were there for me when I needed.

Some barriers I had were understanding some new words, accents and english programs in the computer. The strategies I used during my internship were: guessing (triying to pay attention to the meaning of the sentence or context), communicate in wichever way possible ( ask for help, ask questions and meanings) and low inhibition ( I was never scared to make mistakes while talking or writing even if sometimes I sounded funny ). I think that those strategies work the best for me not only for learning a new language but also to be more organized and specific while I speak to someone, I will definetly use these strategies in my behaviour, in class, at home, even at work with my collegues. It was not one of the hardest experiences to improve my english, I think I did very well. I noticed I still have dificulties onf the vocabulary level and the strucutre of my ideas. It is hard to express my ideas when I want to plan something and the lack of vocabulary on my head is not always enough to express what I want to say.

The most challenging for me were to understeand the way the kids speak and to response to them, they are faster and they know more words than I do. I found that it was easy for me writing on the computer when my host asked me to do some office work. I learned about myself that I definetly do skills for drawing and cooking when I did some art and cooking at the community center kitchen. My perception of anglophone culture changed a lot, I had the chance to get to know better some interesting people and that the anglophone culture is very kind to everyone that needs help, they will do everything for you to put a smile on your face. Before the internship, I didn't know about all this. I will take away with me their most polite words and funniest sayings.

From this experience, I gained new friends, new english words and expressions, I discovered what was volunteering and made people smile. If I had to do it over again, yes I will definetly do it. I am concidering about doing volunteering at Tyndale after the internship. I will recomend this emplacement to everyone that has interest on helping others and learning about new cultures and people.

To thank my host, I wrote her a quote inside the card. One quote that I learned when I was younger and I think it goes perfectly with what they do and the way the recived me.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love
- Mother Theresa






 





 

Blog Post 7

• This is and example of dialogue I had at the kitchen with one of the volunteers with who I was working.

This dialogue has some mistakes that I should avoid in the future.

Interaction:

Me: Maria, can you give me the tomate ?
Maria: excuse me, give you what?
Me: The tomate, anyways I don't remember how we spell the word.
Maria: You should of ask me how do we spell it!
Me: yes next time I will (keep doing my things)
Maria: allright
Me: Thanks for the tomate
Maria: Again! it' TOMATO
Me: Ah ok

What I would say in the future:

Me: Maria, can you please give me the tomato?
Maria: excuse me, give you what?
Me: The tomate? I'm not sure if I spell it in the right way. Can you tell me the right spelling please?
Maria: yes of coarse! you say TOMATO
Me: Thanks, next time I am not sure about a word, I will ask you helo
Maria: Allright!
Me: thanks for the Tomato
Maria: You are welcome


The thing that went bad on this little dialogue was that I used a french word that was similar to english, that made me insecure about the spelling. I should of start asking for help to not make a spelling mistake and show interest on not redoing the same mistake twice. I forgot to say some pleasant words such as: please, thanks and can you. In english not taking care of these words makes sound the conversation very rude, something I noticed it happens in contrast with french wich is very different,

• A formal dialogue that I heard from my host speaking at the phone at the office while I was doing my office work with her. She was triying to make an appointment with someone who was interested on volunteering.

-   Thank you for calling the Tyndale St-Georges community center. Sarah Lusthaus, volunteer department director speaking. How can I help you? 

-- Yes, My name is.... I am interested on volunteering for the center

-  If you are interested on volunteering, it is important to make and appointment to meet you first and than discuss the details. That sounds great for you?

-- Yes, it sounds great, when are you available?

-  can I meet you on monday the 2nd december at 14:00. Is that convenient for you?

-- it sounds great

- May I have Your complete name and phone number to schedule please?

--yes of coarse my name is.....

- Thanks! have a very good evening, see you monday.


I think this a perfect example of formal conversation I heard at the center, Sarah is the director. She needs to make sure to be formal all the time at the phone and while speaking with people. It makes a good impression of the center. What makes the conversation sound formal is the politeness and the presentation of the place and the person they are triying to reach when picking up the phone. You need to give a good firtst impression. Take care of the needs of the person is calling you, use polite words and always clarify before hanging up the phone. Words such as : May I, Thanks, Can I Have a very good evening,is that convenient for you? and how can I help You. They show that you put their needs first.

Blog post 6

On my new emplacement for my internship at Georges Tyndale Community center, I had a lot of interactions in English. The community center is located in an english neighborhood. I observed that there's a lot of volunteers from different nationalities, there's principally students from english universities that come there to do their internships. The place is very anglophone. The only thing I noticed is that they say some words in french like bonjour, madame, sava, etc. I think that they use those words to sound more friendly. Theres is people of different âges and there is plenty of things to do. I volunteer more in office work. I do The rganization of the papers and post the news in the center. I learned some new words while I was helping in the kitchen to prepare the snacks for the kids:

Melted
Diced
Silly
Heat
Roast

It was very interacting while working at the kitchen, we were 7 different people of âges and cultures at the kitchen, like Maria, she is from Bangladesh and she has a big accent and doesn't express clearly all the time but she keeps on triying, I felt great with this team beacause I observed that everyone was very helpful when it came to me to not understeand something or while I asked what the name of this or that was. They always respond in a respectful way.
I noticed that sometimes my English was influenced by my spanish, in some moments I said spanish words. I guess this happened because I don't really know all the things from the kitchen in english but I know their exact name in spanish.

Entry 5

I worked with an English teacher from the high school. During my day I interacted with students from grade one and two. Her class was about making a final project that involves alternative book reports for novels that the kids choose to read at the beginning of the year. Now that they finished their novel, they must do a book report. They had to choose one of the four options that the teacher gave them. After choosing and completing their plan, they need to be prepared to present the alternative book report to the class.

It was a very interesting activity that I did with the children’s. I was in class helping them brainstorm their ideas and make their plans, I observed that they a had a little difficulty on writing in English and expressing their ideas, something that I already observed on the others students that had the similar age. I was glad to see their works and interact with them. I discovered different tastes on books because every kid chooses a very different book from others. That showed me that they all had different personalities.

I did not had any difficulties on speaking English with them and helping with the tasks they needed to do. I had to do a similar work when I was in high school.


Thanks to the students I learned new words!

• script
• puppets
• tangible

Entry 4

In my fourth day of internship. I prepared a power point presentation with Christi Milsom, she is the guidance councelor of the high school. She does a class tour for the students of the last year to show them all the posibilities of studies they can choose and continue after high school. How they apply to college and what are the credits they need to obtain their diploma. I passed my morning with her, we did a tour in two classes. I had a big linguistic interaction with the students, I presented myself to the class, I told them how I started college and the changes I had to do during my studies. During the presentation they asked me alot of questions. It was a little bit challenging for me to response fast and clearly but I think it wen very well, they were patient and comprehensive with me. My french affects in some ways my way to speak english, it's hard to find words in english because I don't think in english whayt I want to say. The translation in my mind confuses me.

Entry 3

During the third day of my internship, I passed my morning with miss Nathalie. She is one of the oldest employés from this high school. She has been working as a teacher on special education for more than 20 years. she has her own class where she helps students that have academic issues. I spoke to her about her profession and about the difficulties she may had to face during her career. I noticed that she is a very patient person and has a big passion for her work because she have been working at LCSH for so many years.
When I was in Nathalie's class, I observed that she created a calm ambience in her classroom, alot of books, magazines, computers and warm colours in the room. There was alot of kids on the classrom, she asked me to help her with the kids homework. I helped a young student, it was a very special boy, he made me make some reflections, I did his homework with him because it's been longtime he did not put efforts at school and I felt good by the fact I helped someone.
I think that the most of the kids that were in the room were about 13 or 14 years old. Nathalie explained me that it is the most difficult âge. The kids had a lot of difficulties on writing gramaticly in English.

New words I learned when I was helping the student with his english homework:

• Lobby
• companion
• household
• homestead
• labour

Entry #2 (First Impressions)

My first impression of my first day of internship was amazing. One thing that interested me is that even if this is an English high school, there is so many kids of different cultures and during the brake time I heard some of them speak French and English at the same time. The school provides so many services to help the students to give the best academic results and get their diploma. My coworkers were nice and made me feel included. During the first day I helped out to set up the tables and papers for the open house night of the school, the night of open house is a very important day for the students and teachers. The open house is made once a year to present to the people who desires to inscribe their kids into the school what kind of teaching they have and what they offer to their future students of LCCHS. I also helped the social worker of the school to draw on the walls of the school some educational words as: Support, understanding, patience, learning, help, listening, care and home. 

During my first day I did not had any misunderstandings but I had some difficulties on finding some words to name things or places, but the teacher helped in a very respectful way and corrected me when I needed. I learned some new words that I didn't  know before such as: 

spread = tablier

guidance counselor = conseiller d'orientation

senior = étudiant de licence

regardless = indifférent