Teaching English as a Community Health Volunteer, as a Nurse

Even though it’s always highly requested from our communities, a lot of volunteers avoid teaching English as a secondary project because it’s easy to get trapped into teaching a lot more than planned on, because it’s something that everyone wants to learn and wants you to teach them. I also thought I would avoid getting sucked into it, but upon arriving here last year I did Summer school English classes because it was an easy theme with where my level of Spanish was at, and the principle of the school really wanted it for the kids. And it was an awesome experience, it tremendously helped my Spanish skills, taught me about maintaining a classroom, making lesson plans, and allowed me to get to know the community. So because I enjoyed it and was begged to keep teaching once school started, I did. Every Monday during this last school year I had my English class in the elementary school. Whenever I had time I made my way to the high school to help their English teacher (who speaks maybe 2 words with terrible pronunciation) with his classes. But because that was the first thing I did, and something I continued doing, everyone in town immediately pegged me for the English teacher. Even after explanations of my main work during town meetings, after constantly correcting people when they introduce me as “profesora”, after explaining my background over and over again, after people seeing me work with the health post, and after participating in my health educational sessions, people still think I’m just the English teacher. It’s something I’ve corrected the whole year I’ve been here and I’m sure I will have to continue in the year ahead. Because on top of my health promotion, I do teach English. So I can see why people resort to saying I’m the English teacher when asked by outsiders what a gringa is doing in Chocta. It’s easiest for them to cognize and simplest to explain. If I’m not in the health post doing check-ups and giving vaccines, how can I be a nurse, right?

And as a nurse, with a bachelor’s degree in nursing science from a really great university, with 100s of hours of clinical experience, it was sometimes hard to swallow that everyone saw me as an English teacher.  I’m proud to say I’m a nurse and want to be recognized as such. So at first, I kind of regretted teaching so much English. As my service goes on, however, I realize the value in teaching English more and more.

Peace Corps has three goals: 1. Bring technical assistance to host countries to promote sustainable social and economic development and human capacity, 2. Promote friendship and understanding of the US culture to the host country, and 3. Bring an understanding of the host country’s culture to the people of United States. One goal focuses on the technical assistance we bring, and two of the three goals are cultural exchange. People here want to learn about the United States, they want to learn about me, they want to learn about my language. And when I tell them about my country, my hometown, my family, they are intrigued and leave a little more worldly, a little more aware, with their minds a little more open. And when I spend time with their kids teaching English and the kids show off at home naming their foods and greeting their grandma in a language she never had the opportunity to be exposed to, they are proud that their child is being cultured  and hopeful for their future with this admirable skill. And when people from out of town are told I’m here to teach English and thank me with complete sincerity for coming all this way to use my time and skills to make a difference in the lives of children, I don’t bother correct them and say I’m actually here for a different reason and English is just a side job.

 I hope babies will grow taller and teenagers will practice safe sex because of the technical assistance I’ve brought. I also hope this random, wonderful village in the mountains of northern Peru will have a better understanding of the people from the United States because of the knowledge I’ve shared with them and friendship I’ve shown them.

me with some students at the end of the year:))