Heart For Change

Colegio Marie Poussepin

Courses taught - ESL 6th-12th Grade

My Group

Heart for Change was a non-profit that partnered with the Colombian Government to improve levels of English in public schools. College-educated foreigners with a minimum of a C1 level of English were placed all over the country to work alongside Colombian teachers. Our group was diverse with participants from England, Canada, Latvia, Jamaica, Slovakia, France, Germany, and the United States.

Placement

Our group was assigned to the Caribbean coast to teach alongside public school teachers in the city of Barranquilla. I was assigned to an all-girls catholic school called Colegio Marie Poussepin where I assisted in instructing English to grades 6 through 12. In addition to working with students in the classroom, we created cultural activities that shed light on the characteristics that made up our very own cultures.

What I learned

This opportunity taught me how to be compassionate towards the circumstances that students face and to be resourceful when creating activities. Classes had 40+ students and there was often an absence of necessary materials from books, pencils, down to a sufficient number of desks. Regardless of the shortcomings we faced, classes were always centered around dynamic activities and games that got everyone involved.