Twenty-seven Brazilian English teachers successfully completed a 180-hour Teacher Training Program at the English Language Institute. Topics included TESOL Methods, U.S. History and Culture, and English Skills Improvement. They are the second cohort of Brazilian English teachers to complete the program at the ELI since 2013.
The bittersweet program completion ceremony was held on Feb 22, 2018. There were tears, hugs, and laughs throughout the whole night. It was hard to believe what an impact the program made in only 6 weeks. A close bond developed between ELI instructors and participants. Despite not knowing each other before their arrival, the participants became very close during their time in the US.
English Language Institute Instructors Praise the Participants
“They really did keep their momentum up and were genuinely interested in becoming better teachers that are more able to make a positive impact in their students’ lives through language and culture education.” Kurtis Foster, instructor
“I was impressed by the pride they showed in their country and cities. And the persistence they showed in improving as teachers and students of English. I want to encourage them to believe in the power of those two things to impact their school systems, culture, and students’ lives.” – Phil Bridges, instructor
“I admire how dedicated these teachers all are to their students with the limited resources they have and the large classroom populations they deal with. None of them just have a job; they all have answered a calling to make a difference in young Brazilians’ lives.” – Terry Barakat, instructor
“I believe Ana Paula Goncalves da Silva said it best in her own words, ‘I used to think I was the resource but now I realize that I am the facilitator.’ So I want all of them to remember that their jobs are not to be perfect English speakers. They are not translators or interpreters, but facilitators in their classrooms. They should never feel embarrassed about proficiency because their role is to facilitate, encourage, and make others in their classroom feel inspired and excited about learning other languages and cultures.” Crystal Young, instructor
Participant Praise
The most important factor in program development and evaluation is whether or not our programs are beneficial for participants. There’s no better feeling than knowing we are providing valuable training and education for participants. Their feedback is invaluable.
“I am very glad for spending these six weeks with all my incredible instructors. Now I recognize my weakness and strengths and Iknow that some of those are better now. I hope to come back to attend CELTA program. I will study hard to get a high level in English proficiency. Thanks for all!”
“When you are the best you always think how can you do better. This program was the best. I can’t see how this program can be better because everything was perfect already. I just want to thank ELI for everything.”
“The program was fundamental to open my mind about my future classes. I realized that I can improve my way of planning my classes because I have learned a new format of planning classes and I am happy and more confident now. Actually, I feel more motivated to invest more in myself, hence my students always will have the best of me.”
Mutual Respect, Learning, and Friendship
ELI staff members enjoyed all of the participants as much as they enjoyed the program.
“The participants always appreciated what I arranged so they could enjoy everything. Their experience would not be the same if we did not have a strong team and a welcoming community. Anybody from our team would do the same for this group, not only because that’s what we do for all of our students but also because they were just a great group to work with.” Yi Winnie Wu, program coordinator
The participants expressed their appreciation at the end by singing a Brazilian song of “Garota De Ipanema” and a song they wrote about their instructors “We glad we came.”
We all know the end of this program is the start of their new educational journey, and we are glad we were able to guide them for six weeks on their journey.
We hope all the participants will remember what President Smart said, “Keep that excitement that you built up here! You are changing and shaping your students’ lives.”