(http://www.onceuponaschool.org/stories/282)
For six months I had served in Boston schools with City Year. In six months more I would be leaving to teach English on a Fulbright in Uruguay. But I was in between. And I was living back at home, without a job. I wanted to do more with my time than read and reminisce and daydream. One idea I had was to volunteer at my old high school, helping out my teachers and practicing my Spanish, and learning some French, all the while.
I emailed my teachers and looked up the county schools website to start coordinating the thing. Soon I was going three days a week for morning ESOL and French classes. I would circulate around the room talking to individual students, drawing them back into discussions about the material, or sharing extra bits and pieces of culture that might interest them--talking about Tintin, sports, possible field trips. Through a neighbor whom I had spoken to, I visited a nearby middle school, too.
Right away the teachers were genuinely happy to see me, and over time the students were, too. They liked to ask me about college and the other trips I'd taken, especially after someone from the AFS came to give a presentation. I hope they'll be inspired to study abroad and take advantage of all the opportunities out there--including those right next door, in the person of native speakers of other languages. My volunteering turned into a job for me, no less. The teachers pushed for me to become a substitute so I could put aside some funds for the trip. And whenever they needed a sub for those classes, they gave me a call.
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