Gradinta

About mid-September I was asked if I would be willing to teach English at a local Gradinta, or pre-school. At first, I was a little hesitant since my Romanian is still a bit shaky and I had not taught toddlers for a long time. After some prayer and one of the other missionaries agreeing to help me with the class I agreed. The pre-school I am teaching at is the same one most Casa Alba children attend so I thought it would be good to see how they interact outside the orphanage.

After teaching the English course for about two months I am so glad God opened the door for me to teach at Gradinta. I find it is not only a way to interact more with the local Romanian people, but also an amazing new way to serve the children. The children of Casa Alba have had a really difficult time fitting in at school, mostly due to not being brought up in a Romanian home. They do not know many social nuances other children just acquire from day to day living. Out of their frustration they tend to act out and misbehave in class. This leads to the teacher punishing them either verbally or physically (hitting is quite common in the school system here), which leads to even lower self-esteem. It is quite a sad situation.

The English classes, however, have turned things around for them and it is so exciting to watch. Casa Alba kids have heard English quite a bit since their arrival to the orphanage due to so many foreign volunteers coming in and out of their lives. In fact, most of them can count to ten in English without any difficulty. So now, for the first time ever, they are the smartest kids in the room and it shows. They love getting positive attention and having the other students look up to them or ask them for help.

Teaching at the pre-school has also created stronger relationships between the children and myself. I had been having trouble with one particular child listening to me during Bible Time at Casa Alba, but ever since I teach English at the pre-school he has improved. They are also very excited about school. Whenever they see me they ask, "When is the next class?" And they are tso eager to learn! The kids also love to show the other workers what new words they have learned. Now even some of the Romanian workers are picking up a few words!

The pre-school playground, no seriously, this is where about fifty 3-6 year olds play.

Some of the students in one of my two my English classes.