My love for teaching English, that is. My career, even.
Like many college students, I found myself in the middle of sophomore year completely unsure of my major, career, and life plan. I was studying French, which I loved, so I chose it as my major. However, I didn’t know how I would turn my degree into a job, let alone a career. I just knew I loved languages and cultures.
In early junior year, I learned about the William & Mary American Bosnian Collaboration (ABC) Project and applied immediately. I had been wanting to participate in a service trip, and I was excited to find one that involved working with kids! At that time, the project sent six W&M undergrads to Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina, for a month to teach children English language and nonviolent communication. (Since 2006, when I participated, the project has evolved to include media skills and has moved to Sarajevo. The ethos of collaboration and cross-cultural understanding has remained the same!)
Only one member of our group was an education major, but we were all enthusiastic! We taught in pairs, leading classes of students of different ages throughout the day. We also had amazing co-teachers: Bosnian high school and college students who helped us overcome the language barrier and became our friends.
Because a major goal of the program was nonviolent communication, we focused on activities that let the children express themselves and/or work in teams. We brought art supplies with us and did a lot of drawing, collages, and other creative work.
We played plenty of games, but avoided those that would pit individual students against each other. Teams could compete, but the focus was on learning and fun, not on winning.
Students would occasionally share personal and difficult stories through their art, speech, or writing. Though we never pushed students to discuss traumatic topics, they sometimes did. I remember feeling unprepared but resolving to be a supportive listener for any student who needed it.
Looking back, I reflect on how little I knew about pedagogy and language acquisition at the time. But man, did we teach with enthusiasm! Working as a team, we put together a great summer program and learned a lot ourselves. The experience was invaluable. After the month-long program, I knew that I wanted to continue teaching students from different countries, learning about different cultures, and helping people reach their goals in a supportive environment. And I still do!
Christine Bobal 