Success!
We got great news from one of our students yesterday- B has applied for a job on Kwaj and is just waiting on his medical clearnace! This is a really big deal. B is one of our best students in our English class. Even before we knew about his job, my fellow teachers and I had requested that he be singled out for recognition during graduation for his attendance, willingness to volunteer, and excellent attitude. To say that I am proud of B doesn't go far enough. The Marshallese culture doesn't encourage initiative in the same way that the American one does so it's pretty unique that B stepped out of his comfort zone and went to Kwaj to apply for a job.
My co-teacher Gina and I had just been feeling a little down about what effect our teaching might have and where the young men we teach might go from here. Most of the men in the WAM program didn't finish high school so the next step for them would be to get their GED but there isn't a GED program on Ebeye. They would have to do like B did and take the initiative to travel to Majuro, Guam, or the US to get it.
I don't know if our teaching had anything to do with B applying for his job, and to tell the truth, I really hope that it was what he learned in the WAM program that gave him the confidence to apply, rather than anythin we did. If WAM can help B succeed, than it can help other young men do the same.
Gina and I teach our last English class next Monday and the first WAM Ebeye graduation is next Wednesday. We're so proud of all the young men that have seen the program through to the finish. We've been told they're already interviewing students for their next class. I'm looking forward to having some time off from teaching every Monday but I'm also excited about starting fresh with a new class. Teaching on Ebeye has been a great experience for me, something outside my own comfort zone that I'd never done before. I'm so glad I took the chance on something new- it has expanded my horizons in some very good ways.
My co-teacher Gina and I had just been feeling a little down about what effect our teaching might have and where the young men we teach might go from here. Most of the men in the WAM program didn't finish high school so the next step for them would be to get their GED but there isn't a GED program on Ebeye. They would have to do like B did and take the initiative to travel to Majuro, Guam, or the US to get it.
I don't know if our teaching had anything to do with B applying for his job, and to tell the truth, I really hope that it was what he learned in the WAM program that gave him the confidence to apply, rather than anythin we did. If WAM can help B succeed, than it can help other young men do the same.
Gina and I teach our last English class next Monday and the first WAM Ebeye graduation is next Wednesday. We're so proud of all the young men that have seen the program through to the finish. We've been told they're already interviewing students for their next class. I'm looking forward to having some time off from teaching every Monday but I'm also excited about starting fresh with a new class. Teaching on Ebeye has been a great experience for me, something outside my own comfort zone that I'd never done before. I'm so glad I took the chance on something new- it has expanded my horizons in some very good ways.
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