Last Lesson Before the Summer Break
Every Friday afternoon, as we are about to kick-off the weekend, we usually invite representatives of different organisations, companies, public authorities to meet our students and share knowledge about their work. The past examples of our Friday guests include: Swedish Police, the local cinema, an alternative credit union (no interest on deposits and loans), Swedish Red Cross, our regional recycling company, Consumer Protection Agency, a non-profit second-hand shop and many more.
As today was my last day of teaching for the spring term (I’ll be working at another school during the summer months), I volunteered to make a presentation for my student as a symbolic good-bye gesture, inviting them to get a glimpse into one of my personal passions. Namely, the international language Esperanto. I learnt it online when I was a high-school student myself, and I have been teaching it occasionally ever since: in private evening classes, to my university classmates, to beginners at Esperanto conventions around the world, and online.
Esperanto: we’ve got cookies!
Esperanto: Easier Than You Think!
This afternoon I held a sample lesson for my students, who until that moment had been used to me only teaching Swedish to them. I briefly told my student about the origins of Esperanto, its creator L.L. Zamenhof, and the idea behind the language. Then I demonstrated the ease of learning Esperanto by highlighting its similarities to – and differences from – Swedish. By the end of the lesson my students were enamoured with the international language (or maybe they just realised how unnecessary difficult the Swedish grammar was, haha!) and a few of them seemed determined to give it a try. I recommended a few online resources where they could learn it. Who knows, maybe when I’m back at school after the summer break, I will find a couple of fluent Esperanto speakers? :)
Me teaching Esperanto earlier today
An Emotional Moment
I enjoyed this last lesson a lot and my students were very sweet when it was time for us to say our good-byes. They told me how much they liked me, wished me a nice summer, shook my hand and a few even hugged me. I was truly touched at that moment.
Do you remember your teachers from school? Do you feel grateful sometimes for the effort they put into helping you to learn and develop? Or do you have a ‘horror story’ about some bad teacher that happened to be your teacher? Please share in the comments!