Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
Editor’s Note: Perhaps most of us have chatted with our students about their lives under COVID-19. Seldom, though, have we seen them expressed in writing. Below are some selected writings from the students of an ESL teacher in our midst, submitted in their knowledge and with their permission. Let’s hear the voice of some in […]
By Linda Reed A Master Gardener, an older kindly gentleman, came to prune our apple tree in early March. He didn’t seem to know there was a coronavirus – he whistled while he worked. He mentioned advice from a professional apple grower: “Don’t feel sorry for the tree.” And so he whacked deeply. What had […]
Thank you for all those who took the time to complete our survey regarding Covid 19 and our ESL classes. We received 21 responses, with some very interesting and pertinent comments. Here are the questions and the responses. How has your ESL program been impacted by the COVID-19 situation? 42.9% say “suspended but replaced by […]
By Sandy Ho Teaching ESL is my job. Under the Covid 19 pandemic, the program where I teach told us to implement online learning. It was all very overwhelming and challenging. At first, it was tempting to just do the minimal, and I had thought, “It’s just a job.” But God is showing me otherwise. […]
By Linda Reed Zoom requires joyful exuberance (i.e. a little more enthusiasm), but it is worth it! We “meet” as a leadership team 15 minutes early, and as students “arrive,” we ask a warm-up question such as “what did you do last weekend” to practice past tense. Then, using the ‘Breakout Room’ feature, we discuss […]
Maybe your online ESL program will continue throughout the summer. Although it is harder this year to go on outings with our students, or to talk about travel-related themes, it may still be good to talk with your students about summer in Canada, Canada Day, cultural activities like camping or going to cottages. Here are […]
During the COVID-19 global health crisis, most church ESL programs are cancelled. Some programs continue online. Other teachers may be thinking of creative ways of connecting with their students either individually or as a class. We’d like to offer some resources during this unusual time. COVID-19 ESL Resources Quite a few ESL lessons that pertain […]
By Timo Posti 9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive […]
By Mary Hogan After Christmas, the ESL program at Bayview Glen Church resumed but in my advanced class, I began to hear rumblings about a coronavirus in China. It didn’t mean too much to me but then a few students stopped coming. I sensed something was wrong, but the class was eerily quiet and didn’t […]
By Inji Kim Technology is making it easier than ever for us to communicate with people all over the world. However, does technology truly enrich our lives or does it impoverish us instead? My team, Pluscope, is working on a project called “Gible” that utilizes technology to enrich the lives of children in Africa and […]