Teaching English In Brazil 8

 

The beautiful thing about heading into a new year, It made me want to do explore and look into doing things differently, especially when  it came to having more freedom. I wanted to do things better as a teacher, and schedule my private classes better, so I can organize myself. In the beginning of 2015, I schedule two private classes a week. I had a private class with a man who was in the field of psychology.Marcos was his name. He loved to talk about philosophy and the human connection. I would  go to his office once a week with reading reading material. We would read short stories and talk about famous psychologist of the past. Darwin was one of the many people we studied. We would talk about his theories and how it related to everyday society. He would also bring in reading material such as the Little Prince. We would read excerpts from the Little Prince... And other fairy tales that dealt with society and the behavior of others and societies ills. It was a very intriguing and in depth conversation. We would share our opinions and discuss the reading and what possible scenarios of what the author or psychologist was trying to imply.  It was a very reverting, and sometimes very in dept, but we both learn a lot from each other. Marcos learn more English and I learn more about psychology. Four three months I  would show up at his office which was in the heart of Copacabana for a hour. It was my first private class since I arriving in Rio de Janerio. It came me more confidence and a better understanding of how to structure and organize my classes more effectively without the help of others. It was the first experience I had as a teacher where I felt I didn't need to depend on the help others to have a success outcome. Because I had organize everything myself.

     The best experience I had teaching privately was from a student named Ana Chistina Bonilha. Unlike many students I had in the past, she was different from many people I known. She lived in Lagoa which was in the very beautiful location in Rio De Janiero, There you can see the view of the Christ Redeemer from her Balcony. The beautiful lake circles around the Lagoon where you can see top notch breathtaking view of  the city. I first started teaching Ana in February of 2015. It was a very good chemistry from the start. She was determined to Learn English as a way to communicated better to her friends who lived outside of Brazil. She took it as a challenge to want to learn English again  because it was something she had once learnt but after time she had forgotten. What I enjoyed about her from the beginning, she had this wonder woman mystic about her. She was a mother of two and a businesswoman with many different interest. She was a caring and involved parent who always took the time to do think for others, but at the same time, she always wanted to better herself. For 7 months she would share her stories with me about her life. She would also fill me in on her aspirations for the future and what hopes she had going forward. She would talk about her love of music and how it gave her joy and comfort. Sometimes during our lessons she would sing a note or two of her favorite singers. In my time getting to know her I found out she wanted to go back to school to be a Lawyer.  She had an ambition about herself that also reflected in her kids,. Her kids who are both  grown with successful careers. I had a chance to have two classes with her daughter,  Ana Bonilha whom  is  a TV Host for various  television shows in Brazil.  I also had a chance to teach the husband of Ana Bonilha,  a few classes of English as well. He was also a very successful businessman who had a very busy and demanding schedule, working with the general public and  having public access and acquaintances with celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

   In my time getting to teach Ana,  we had some really good discussions and conversations about her aspirations and her body of work she had accomplished during her lifetime. She would tell me stories about  her childhood and how different parts of her life effected her personally . For months sevens months  2 hours a week, every Wednesday, We had a connection and a bond that cemented our time together as teacher and student. Through our conversations, and sometimes silly but fun classes I found out she was a real life Superwoman, who cared deeply about others, especially her family.