As I have mentioned here on my blog before, I’ve been dabbling in English tutoring, part-time, for a few months now. So far, I’ve really been enjoying it; I have a handful of clients, varying in age and skill level, and while I very much am a person of routine, I’ve been enjoying the unpredictability of tutoring, if you will. When I first meet with clients, I really have no idea where they’re at in terms of their English comprehension, and I appreciate the challenge that accompanies tutoring in this sense.
While I may be tutoring these individuals and assisting them in improving their English skills, I’ve also been learning a lot through conversation with my clients. A couple of my clients, for example, are originally from India. They have recently moved here, to Canada, and have expressed to me that they wish to improve pronunciation, conversation and communication skills, and further, a stronger comprehension of Canadian culture.
In turn, I’ve been gaining knowledge in all of these realms simply by chatting with my clients. I’ve learned a lot about Indian culture and traditions, and I don’t believe I would be gaining this sort of knowledge if it weren’t for me tutoring these folks.
I wasn’t really expecting to gain skills and learnings in new areas when I first decided I was going to tutor people, but I am pleasantly surprised with how much I have gained, in a broad sense, via helping people improve their English dexterities. I’m meeting with people who come from a variety of family environments, occupations, locations and cultures, and in doing so, I’ve been able to broaden my knowledge of certain topics. It’s a win-win situation, and I’m grateful to be able to heighten my understanding of things I wasn’t overly familiar with prior.
ontheedgeofeverything 