The best part of the program is your interaction and
connections you start to build with the students. The coach/student relationship is not like a
teacher/student relationship in the US.
First of all teachers in Brazil have a sense of connection with their
students as many teachers are rather close to their students and have a vested
interest in the well-being of their students.
They also have a closer relationship with parents. I cannot say this happens in a larger city
but in Joinville I felt this connection and type of relationship as very
important to the success of the student.
Many of the students were friends with their teachers on Facebook as
well as friends with other staff and school administers. The teachers are still highly professional
and hold their students accountable for their work but I believe there is a
strong investment in the student because of this connection
As a coach we are not a teacher and not a peer, we are
somewhere in between. We build connections
with the students but through fun student driven activities and engagement on
their level. Through the process we utilize
the students are more engaged in learning.
Each week we challenge the students through project based activities
using topics that interest them. Topics like heroes and hopes & dreams that
inspire them and help them explore who they are but also that challenge them to
express themselves more in English.
Though I was not assigned to a specific group of students to
coach, as I was the Team Coordinator, I did get to interact with all the
students and spent many hours learning, singing, dancing, laughing and
exploring together. These students
opened their hearts to me and I will never forget the incredible month I spent
with each of them. Prior to coming to
Brazil I thought it was going to be difficult to relate to a 16 or 17 year old
as I was not sure I had anything in common.
I quickly realized that when you open yourself up and let the child
within come out to play that you have nothing to worry about and loads of fun.
