As a part of the completion of my TESL Methods and Materials course, each student was to participate in some sort of conversation with a ESL speaker. Some students with experience in this field could choose to meet one on one for tutoring of an ESL learner, others could just maintain casual conversation with someone interested in learning better conversational skills in English. However, due to my minimal encounters with people speaking English as a second language, I decided it was best for me to join the Conversation Partner Program held by Old Dominion University. This is a fairly informal course, meeting in 4-week sessions held through zoom instructed by Jubal-Metzger Smith. The class is held twice a week; the first session of the week was more instruction based and directed towards teaching English to the non-native speakers enrolled, and the second session included me and a few other students who were there to hold conversation with the students as immersion can be a very effective language learning technique. Normally, we would watch a short video, read a short passage, or do a short activity before splitting up into pairs or groups of three to discuss the topic or questions provided, but we are encouraged to let the conversation take us where it leads, and let it flow even if we get off task as long as we are speaking in English. These few weeks unsurprisingly flew by, but the knowledge I have gained has become indispensable for my future.

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           In my first experience I expected to be paying close attention to the English learners and their abilities, but quickly became aware of my own abilities and habits as a speaker. I noticed the sarcasm I use, or the idioms and sayings I rely on that would need further explanation or studying to understand. My first instinct was to simplify my language and use “foreigner talk” to make myself better understood. After the class had settled in, the instructor said a word and then asked if everyone knew what it meant. He said the word aloud, and then typed it into the chat on Zoom so we could see it written as well. This made me realize that although foreigner talk can be useful in basic conversation for better comprehension, taking the time to actually teach the words and phrases we use may be some of the only authentic interactions ESL learners may have with this type of language. One of my memorable moments from the first meeting was a Spanish-speaking woman talking about how conversation outside of the classroom with English speakers can be frustrating because if she doesn’t understand a word, she doesn’t want to cut the speaker off to ask what it means, so she pretends she understands and doesn’t have the chance to learn. Overall, the first meeting taught me the importance of this type of conversation, where we can take any moment to stop and learn and no one has to fall behind. This is especially true for a smaller class or group like us, so we have the time to focus on each student’s needs.

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          The following meetings were just as eye-opening for me. One student in the class is from Haiti and has very novice English speaking abilities. As the class is often structured, we were given the opportunity to talk with a partner about anything that interested us—the instructor recommended the weather, where we are from, and other simple talking points. This was very challenging, as I had to speak very slowly and use very simple vocabulary. Even then, his conversation skills are low, so I had to bring in gestures to try and help define words. After the conversation, we returned to the class and did matching activities and other vocabulary-focused activities. Throughout these tasks, I observed that Kedler was often answering these questions as quickly as the intermediate or advanced English speakers. This made me realize that while his conversation skills are still low, this does not fully reflect his abilities as an English learner. He understood complex vocabulary and was able to isolate ideas when not used in conversation. As a teacher, this is something to keep in mind. I may have students that are great at speaking and not writing, and some students who are the opposite. I cannot judge a student’s total abilities by their performance in one field, I can only judge their abilities for that field.

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          I had another experience with a Spanish-speaking student who lives here with her husband while the rest of her family is still in Puerto Rico. In our previous discussions, we had talked about our shared love of plants and nature, so I found a way to use this to form a relationship. I knew she was upset because she is used to a larger celebration of Christmas and the other holidays around this time of the year, but her family lives far away making it difficult to celebrate as extravagantly. In relation to our class focus on terms like “exhibition, tour, admissions” that might be used in the discussion of events, I recommended that she and her husband go see the Norfolk Botanical Gardens when they put their Christmas lights up and that she could walk through the gardens and see the plants while also celebrating. We were able to discuss the admission fees, the dates it was being held, and use other vocabulary pertinent to the class while making personal for her. She seemingly appreciated having a genuine conversation with someone about the things she loves especially in the language she is trying to become better in.

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           While I wish I could’ve had more time with these learners and could watch them grow as English speakers, I cherish what little time we did have because it gave me experience that I don’t know where else I could access. I met many people from many different cultural and lingual backgrounds and was able to form relationships with a few of these learners. In the future, I would like to mirror some of the instructor’s techniques and apply them to an in-person class setting if necessary/possible. I was exposed to the many challenges of teaching English as a second language. In my experiences as a Spanish learner in a high school setting, it was not the end of the world if I did not understand something in Spanish, because I could speak in my own language to the peers or the teacher to clarify, but these students came from many different backgrounds and couldn’t necessarily break into their own languages with their peers or teacher. I commend them for being able to do something so challenging, and I want to be like the instructor who made them comfortable enough to do just that. I believe I might have learned just as much as the other students in this experience, and I will remember what I have learned and reflect on these experiences when building my own classroom environment.