What would you do when English class is cancelled? First, some parameters: 1. The English Teacher has an unexpected meeting in a different part of the country. 2. The English classroom and regular classroom for the grade you are meant to work with are both in use for community programs promoting healthy habits such as brushing your teeth and getting regular eye exams. 3. It is raining, quite hard.Our resourceful volunteers took the antsy sixth graders to the covered patio and played Simon Says and Fruit Salad while reviewing all the vocabulary from the current unit. The kids (and volunteers) loved running around and learning through movement. Even with limited Spanish, our three English, Classroom Assistant and Sports volunteers came together and led an engaging lesson for 40 minutes. As their program manager, I was very impressed with their determination, creativity, and energy.

As a reward, after the class was finished, they were invited to observe the workshop on how to properly brush one’s teeth. I remember a similar presentation in Elementary school called Smile and Style. After talking to the volunteers I learned that these types of presentations are also common in Australia and the UK. It turns out we all learned how to brush our teeth differently! I wonder if there really is one right way…. 🙂