uk go teacher ecuador sept/oct newsletter

Upload: uk-cesl

Post on 14-Apr-2018

222 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    1/15

    NEWSLETTERCENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    In this issue:

    Introduction Go Teacher Birthdays! Events Recap October Events Sweater Weather Go Teacher

    Experiences

    oMy Summer VacationPaola Maldonado

    oEducation is the Keyto Success

    Javier Andrande

    oMy Stay in Lexington,Kentucky

    Luisa Angelica Martinez

    oLearning is Not Onlyinside the Classroom

    Yoconda Franco

    CESLThe mission of the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL)

    at the University of Kentucky is to provide comprehensive English

    language instruction for non-native English speakers in a university

    setting. At the Center for ESL, we assist students in achieving

    language proficiency goals for academic, professional, and social

    purposes through multi-level language instruction. The Center forESL is dedicated to promoting diversity and to providing reciprocal

    cultural enrichment opportunities to the University, the

    community, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

    Go Teacher Birthdays!

    SeptemberVeronica Padilla September 15

    Anita Daniela Lopez September 25Patty Salazar September 25

    Lourdes Llerena September 27

    Tania Rocio September 29

    OctoberSusy Gomez October 1

    READ ABOUT THE LEXINGTON

    THRILLER PARADE ON PAGE 3!

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    2/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    EVENTS RECAP

    Fall Festival at Larchmont Farm September 14, 2013

    Thanks to Karen Papp for her gracious hospitality!

    Festival Latino de Lexington 2013 September 21, 2013

    Great performance, Go Teacher! Check out the recording on the CESL website.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    3/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Halloween Costume ContestFRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

    UK STUDENT CENTER

    Lexington Thriller Parade

    FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 20137:00PM | DOWNTOWN LEXINGTON

    Ecuadorian National Coat of Arms Day

    OCTOBER 31, 2013

    + MORE EVENTS POSTED ON THE GO TEACHER FACEBOOK GROUP!

    EVENTS

    Zombies return to haunt downtown

    Lexington once again! Get down

    downtown as we celebrate Halloween

    by recreating Michael Jacksonsgroundbreaking video for Thriller.

    Presented by Lexington Parks &

    Recreation, Mecca Live Studio and

    WRFL, the parade will start at the

    Kentucky Theater and proceed along

    Main Street ending at Mill Street. The

    dance will occur repeatedly along the

    route followed by a Halloween parade.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    4/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Sweater Weather

    Monthly Average Temperature

    September October

    High: 79F High: 68F

    Low: 58F Low: 47F

    Its always a good idea to keep a small umbrella with you!

    Christy Ganchero (CESL Office Assistant)

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    5/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    MY SUMMER VACATIONBY PAOLA MALDONADO

    I had never been more excited and anxious in my life. I had

    been waiting for a long time to finish my summer classes at

    the University of Kentucky. The reason was that my friends

    and I had planned to visit some cities in the United States.

    We had been planning to go to those wonderful places sincewe had arrived in Lexington on May twenty-ninth.

    Personally, I had a big dream when I was a little girl; it was to

    visit New York City and the Statue of Liberty. I would never

    have imagined that my dream would come true. Now, I can

    tell you about my amazing summer vacation. I had the great

    opportunity to be in many places such as Washington DC,

    New Jersey, and New York.

    My first destination was Washington DC; however, to get to this city, I traveled by bus for many long

    hours. While I was traveling on the Greyhound bus, it went from Lexington to Cincinnati, Cincinnati to

    Columbus, Columbus to Pittsburg, and finally from Pittsburg

    to Fredericksburg. I had a friend who was waiting for me in

    Fredericksburg and he drove me to Washington in his car.

    When we arrived in Washington, the first image that my eyes

    saw was the US Capitol. I was shocked; I could not believe

    that I was here in

    front of one of the

    principal attractions

    in Washington. Next,

    we decided to walk

    around the mainstreets. While we

    were walking, we saw the Washington Monument which looks

    like a needle. At the same time, we realized that the Lincoln

    Memorial was in front of us. We walked over there, and inside it

    was the Abraham Lincoln monument. It was so big that all the

    people seemed like ants near him. After that, we kept walking

    without a

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    6/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    My Summer Vacation, Paola Maldonado (continued)

    destination and suddenly we saw a lot of people who were taking many pictures near a wide black wall.

    This wall was the Vietnam War Memorial where all the names of those who died in the Vietnam War are

    inscribed. Finally, we went to our main objective which was the White House; however, before going to

    this place, we reached the World War II Memorial. Even though our trip was so fast, we enjoyed

    learning about these places. We took a hundreds of pictures in each place.

    We had a lot of fun in Washington, but our next target was New Jersey. Despite its beautiful landscape,

    we did not spend a long time here. Nevertheless, we could not go to another place without trying a

    delicious Ecuadorian meal. My friend knew an Ecuadorian restaurant called Cejitas, so he invited me to

    eat there. My first reaction was of pure happiness because I had not eaten anything from my country

    since I moved to Lexington. In fact, I ate a delicious arroz con estofado de pollo, rice with chicken stew,

    and my friend ate an encebollado, a traditional coastal dish. After we ate these two delicious meals, we

    felt full and pleased because of the food. I loved eating my food again.

    Last but not least, my final trip that was not only

    thrilling but also tiring. It was in New York City; the

    worlds capital and the city that never sleeps. I felt

    that this last destination was thrilling because Ivisited a lot of places in New York City such as the

    Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero (9/11 Memorial),

    Times Square, Fifth Avenue, the Empire State

    Building, and Madison Square Garden. Also, it was

    tiring because we did not stop walking for ten hours

    from morning to midnight.

    In conclusion, all of these places that I had the great

    opportunity to visit like Washington, New Jersey and

    New York were, are, and will be the most important

    and remarkable experiences in my whole life. I will always keep them in my heart. I love living in the

    United States, but I would also like to go back to Ecuador.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    7/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSBY JAVIER ANDRADE

    A few years ago, education in Ecuador was not working as it should

    have been. Teachers used to go late to class, some of them did not

    even go to class, they were not motivated, and they did not know

    the correct strategies and methodology to teach students. They did

    not care about education because the government did not invest

    enough money in order to improve education.

    Now, this has changed for the better thanks to President Rafael

    Correa Delgado of Ecuador who took control of this situation

    because he realized that the big problem of unemployment and

    poverty in Ecuador was due to a lack of education. Nowadays the

    government is investing millions of dollars in education. He is not

    working alone; SENESCYT is responsible for finding solutions and

    strategies to improve education. They have many programs to train teachers to acquire and develop

    their knowledge in order to contribute to education.

    One of those programs is GO TEACHER for English teachers or for those who arent English teachers but

    know English and want to help the country succeed. That is true in my case. I am an engineer originally.

    I am not and English Teacher, but I have studied English for three years with native English speakers in

    particular courses. Also I have taught English in a private school for ten years. These requirements gave

    me the opportunity to apply for the Go Teacher Program and receive a scholarship.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    8/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Education is the Key to Success, Javier Andrade (continued)

    Now, I am here at the University of Kentucky in Lexington,

    improving my English, learning from other cultures, learning

    new strategies, methods and techniques to become a better

    teacher.

    I remember the first day when I arrived at Blue Grass Airport,

    tired of the long hours of flying from Guayaquil, Ecuador and

    happy at the same time because my dream was coming true. As soon as I got off the plane, I met Kate

    and Jason who were waiting for me at the airport and driving me to my new house for seven months.

    I was so happy to meet these nice and friendly people who were always worried about our needs. In

    fact, people in Lexington are the nicest and friendliest people I have ever met. I also met Yanet Perez

    and other program assistants who were always near to

    take us to the different programs and tours that Go

    Teacher and UK prepared for us.

    The first few days they took us to look around the city

    and know more about their culture and their traditions.

    They also showed us the way to go to the different

    places downtown and how to take the bus in case we

    needed to go somewhere. These amazing people were

    our tour guides during those days before starting class.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    9/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Education is the Key to Success, Javier Andrade (continued)

    After knowing more about the city, it was time to go to the University of Kentucky and look at the

    different departments and places inside UKs campus. We visited the Patterson Office Tower, the Young

    Library, the classrooms, and also the Kentucky Clinic in case of a medical emergency.

    When the time had come to begin classes, all the Ecuadorians were excited and very happy to represent

    Ecuador and ready to learn new strategies, methods, and techniques to improve our English skills. We

    are eager to teach this knowledge to our students in Ecuador to make them more competitive. That

    way they can face the challenges from the world today.

    Our classes were very interesting; we made a lot of

    friends from around the world, and we shared our

    Ecuadorian culture, too. I felt so proud and happy when

    I talked about Ecuador to my new foreign friends from

    Iraq, Oman, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, China, Palestine, Japan,

    and Venezuela. Some of them didnt know anything

    about Ecuador, but I thought it was my responsibility to

    let them know about this amazing South American

    country.

    There were always tertulia sessions every Friday to let us know about any important event or to

    communicate things that SENESCYT and GO TEACHER wanted us to know about. It was also a time to

    share and learn more about each other as Ecuadorians during the birthday celebration every end of the

    month.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    10/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Education is the Key to Success, Javier Andrade (continued)

    There were other important events in which we had the opportunity to teach Ecuadorian tradition and

    culture. At the same time it was a good chance to practice English, and learn more about American

    culture and traditions as well. I will share these experiences with my students in Ecuador to let them

    know more about these beautiful countries, and in this way encourage them to love Ecuador, and also

    motivate them to learn English because it is important if they want to travel someday or if they want to

    get a good job.

    We also visited many prestigious schools in Kentucky and learned about the education systems they

    have. These education processes let students show and develop their potential and skills in the different

    subjects according to the

    students ability. They are more

    self-confident doing what they

    know and what they like to do.

    Finally, I must say that living here

    in Lexington has been the most

    amazing and grateful experience

    of my life because I have learned

    many things about tradition,

    culture, and education, and also I had the opportunity to travel and visit many places in the USA. I went

    to New York City, Niagara Falls, Chicago, and other cities close to Lexington like Louisville and

    Cincinnati. I will never forget the amazing experience that was living in the USA.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    11/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    MY STAY IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKYBY LUISA ANGELICA MARTINEZ

    Who said that dreams dont come true? Life has given me one of the most w onderful gifts that happenonly in my dreams. Living in Lexington has been one of the best experiences in my life because I have

    had the opportunity to learn many things, visit some wonderful places and meet many new friends.

    The purpose of this scholarship is to acquire more knowledge to improve our teaching and language

    ability. I am very happy because every single day I receive the benefits of every opportunity that my ESL

    and TESOL courses at the University of Kentucky provide to Ecuadorian teachers to achieve our

    educative and professional goals. For example, we visit different kinds of schools, meet and interact

    with English speaking partners, practice speaking and listening, and also attend different events. These

    activities have helped us to interact in an English environment and improve our English level.

    Lexington is a wonderful place full of green areas. In this place I have attended different events like the

    Renaissance and Latino festivals. They have allowed me to talk with English speakers and feel confident

    about my English level. Besides that, I had the opportunity to visit Cincinnati, Washington DC and New

    York. It was an incredible and amazing experience because I knew them only in movies, but I was

    actually there - like a wonderful and exciting dream that came true.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    12/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    My Stay in Lexington, Kentucky, Luisa Angelica Martinez (continued)

    Finally, making new friends is another valuable experience. I met nice people; they are so kind and

    friendly. I have shared enjoyable times with them, created a nice friendship, and they have been with

    me in every moment. Now they are my family here and when I go back to my country I hope to

    continue our friendship.

    In conclusion, living in Lexington has given me the opportunity to meet nice friends from around the

    world, improve my English language skills, and to know a new culture and interact in a real English

    environment.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    13/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    LEARNING IS NOT ONLY INSIDE THE CLASSROOMS

    BY YOCONDA FRANCO

    When I boarded the train, I never imagined it would be

    so different from what I am accustomed to. The days in

    Lexington are so significant and unforgettable for me

    for three reasons that I will never forget because they

    include my friends, the places I have been, and the

    knowledge I have gained.

    I have had the pleasure of meeting many friends from

    different places with whom I can practice my speaking.

    Also, I have learned a little more about the culture of

    each of them. We have shared experiences, sorrows,and happiness here in Lexington. Learning also occurs

    through social interaction.

    I have had the opportunity to visit many places to learn more

    about education and culture in the United States. I had a big

    surprise when I visited a high school and I found the

    Ecuadorian Flag. I also had the opportunity to take a trip to

    New York. It was a relaxing time. I fulfilled a dream that I

    never thought would become true. Visiting new places is

    another opportunity to practice English.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    14/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    Learning is Not Only inside the Classroom, Yoconda Franco (continued)

    Another reason that Lexington will be unforgettable is

    the knowledge that I have acquired in the classroom.

    This knowledge will be put to good use in Ecuador and

    reproduced for my students. Our teachers have planted

    seeds within each of us. All the experiences inside the

    classroom, during each school visit, or the things shared

    with my friends can hardly be erased from my mind. In

    each of these experiences is something to learn. Finally,

    the learning that you receive in the environment is more

    important than that inside the classroom.

  • 7/27/2019 UK Go Teacher Ecuador Sept/Oct Newsletter

    15/15

    September & October 2013

    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

    CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

    The link to Go Teacher Kentuckys

    Facebook group is on the website!

    Center for English as a Second Language

    University of Kentucky

    1673 Patterson Office Tower

    Telephone: (859) 257-7003

    Website: http://esl.as.uky.edu