Great Experience- Need Right Mindset

I could not recommend the English Opens Doors Program enough!

I was so nervous going into the program as I had never taught English before. Having said that I knew that I would have the right energy and personality to relate with high schoolers due to past experiences. Personality is the huge difference between having a positive and negative experience. It is so important to be interactive and energetic and have well prepared classes because with out that your teaching may fall flat and neither you nor your students will enjoy the experience.

That being said, the week long orientation gave me a lot of confidence in how to manage my class and how to lesson plan. It is amazing everything that can be learned in one week but I really felt equipped to fulfill my role as a volunteer once the week was over. It is important to remember that your chilean counterpart is responsible for the more tedious aspects of teaching grammar and sentence structure and your class is meant to incorporate whatever is being taught in their regular class with an interactive lesson in English. The orientation does a great job of giving sample lessons that show you exactly how to create an interactive class. It is important to be honest with yourself when applying to this program as it does require a certain confidence to run a class.

My host family and location placement was so fantastic. I did have a hiccup with my host family and that story is slightly complicated as they are like a second family to me and they really accepted me as a daughter. That being said sometimes you have to be proactive about your situation and that makes all the difference in these types of situations that require a sense of flexibility. The program was extremely attentive to my particular situation however there is only so much they can do so you have to be ready to accept challenges as they come. Leaving my community was pretty heartbreaking as I had grown to really love my town. I did feel that had there every been an emergency of some sort I would have received the support I needed. The staff is extremely professional and efficient in their jobs.

In terms of placement, I had requested a rural placement and thus my experience was unlike most others as many had requested city or mid-sized city experiences. Because of this, I was placed in a community where I was the first and only volunteer. In terms of a rural placement it was absolutely the right fit for me. I was able to engage and be a part of a community in such an incredible way. My host family was amazing and related to half the town, my head teacher and I clicked extremely well, and I of course loved all my students. Most days I would run into my students outside of class which added to the community feel. Talking with other volunteers I know many enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with volunteers in their area so if that is something you think is important then I would not choose a rural placement. Although I did not have other volunteers to lean on, I think it enhanced my experience because it meant I had to be incredibly participatory in the community to make friends and because of that I had a very authentic cultural experience.