One of my favorite things about going to McDaniel is our long winter break. Although eventually I will have to do a Jan Term which is a 2-3 week class on campus or abroad that allows you to do something fun (and I am definitely looking forward to it), it is nice to be able to go home and relax after a semester of hard work. So far I have caught up on my sleep, hung out with my friends, and celebrated the holidays with my family. However, I have recently been volunteering at the local college. I am a teacher’s assistant in an ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom with students from South Korea. It is a really awesome program because the students get to focus on conversational English and American culture. The students get to go on field trips to the capitol and San Francisco, and they all live with local families. I think it’s such a great opportunity to get a true English language immersion experience.
It has been an enjoyable experience for me as well. I am learning a ton about running a classroom and the teachers allow me to lead segments or small groups. (I have also picked up quite a bit of Korean!) I am really glad that I have the opportunity to use my winter break to be a positive ambassador of American youth as well as strengthen my teaching ability and learn more about my future field. My dream is to teach English around the world and then eventually open my own school in California. Winter break is a great time to get more experience and grow as a person, but it’s only what you want to make it. I am choosing to make it a learning experience! What will you do with your break?
Leave a Reply