English as a Second Language

Some high school teachers have had the added experience of teaching English as a Second Language students, known in the business as ESL.  I was one.  It my was true pleasure 'back in the old days' of somewhat unregulated ESL instruction, to teach a young man from China, who still writes to me via Facebook, and three girls from Jordan, as well as half a dozen Indian and Pakistani children.  

As I mentioned in a previous post, I bought Raining Cats and Rats
at My Fair Trade Lady shop in Haddon Heights last week and I have been reading it with my morning coffee.  It is the memoir of Donna Gottardi's time as an ESL teacher in "Chinese Siberia" - a small town on the border between Northern most China and Russia.  She was teaching Chinese English teachers in the time right after English had become a mandated subject in the curriculum.

When I taught ESL, back in the 80's, none of us were trained or certified, some weren't even English teachers!  But I had taken language classes when I lived in Germany, so I had at least that experience to guide me as I developed my own curriculum.

One of the things I have enjoyed about roaming far and wide in South Jersey, has been the discovery of other writers.  At Bogart's Book Store in Millville, i met a woman who had written a novel based on the story of her family fleeing Freiburg, Germany during World War II.  Now, shopping at My Fair Trade Lady shop, I have met a writer who has written a memoir of her time in China.

Oh yes, I met a fiction writer at the Egg Harbor Historical Society too!  Along the way, it has been my honor to have met and bought the books and periodicals of many history writers as well.  One of my greatest honors was the opportunity to speak by telephone with Shirley Bailey before she passed away.  She provided an immeasurable wealth of information on Southern NJ history in her lifetime.  

Stop by My Fair Trade Lady shop and pick up one of Donna Gottardi's two wonderful books.  Her shop is located on Station Ave, next door to Local Links right near the railroad tracks.  You may find just the right exotic item for your wardrobe or your table or a gift while you are there, too!

Happy Tales!
Jo Ann

ps:  Mystery solved.  I had received a number of comments from a hotel cafe' in Frankfort, Germany.  From reading Donna's book, I learned that students of the English language meet in cafe's to practice.  I think my German commentaries may have been a club of that kind!  If they were, then I want to wish them "Gruss Gott, und Willkommen nah mean blog!"