There are currently four SKIP volunteers teaching English in three schools in Porvenir: Lizarzaburu, Indoamericano and JC Mariategui. In the mornings they give classes to sixth graders with the aim of providing a fun and simple introduction to the English language. In the afternoon they teach secondary classes, with a view to improving students speaking and listening skills and introducing some appreciation of different places and cultures.There are normally about 40 kids per class – an almost unmanageable number – so SKIP volunteers have been working in pairs, often breaking classes into smaller groups, and focusing on activities and team work. The great majority of the children are extremely friendly and eager to learn; some even practice their English with volunteers in the school yard. A few of the teachers have been very supportive, but others have taken on much less of an active role. We are still working on establishing a more productive working relation with the teaching staff as a whole.
Formal contracts have been signed with the schools, and we also plan to work closely with the school teachers to improve their English, and share new ideas for language teaching. Hopefully we will be able to involve other training institutions in this process. We have now been working together with Indoamericano for five years and have built up excellent relations with the school in this time. One really positive thing to have come from this is that on Saturday mornings they give us use of the school premises so we can hold extra classes and workshops.
