Obstacles

Some months ago I learned that English is taught to Bangladeshi men here in Aston. It was good news to me, because I strongly believe that command of the English language is a prerequisite to any bridge building between the various ethnic groups in the neighbourhood. Without it, segregation will reign supreme with its attending dangers of ignorance and prejudice.

So one morning I took the bold step to visit the community centre where the English classes were conducted and waited outside until I had a chance to talk with the teacher. He was surprised to meet someone who wanted to volunteer in helping him with his classes, but, sad to say, he could only accept an assistant who had the necessary qualifications.

At that time I had no idea what those qualifications were. I simply thought that it would be enough that my command of the English language was much better than that of his learners and that it would take him only a few minutes to find that out. Disappointment on my side: volunteering was not going to be easy.

It was Aston Pride, the regeneration programme of the city government, that organised a course for Adult Learner Support. After some hesitation I followed the lead of my two companions and subscribed to the course. It turned out to be an extensive affair way beyond what I would ever need to help a few men to improve the little English they possess. In fact, the language part of the course was the shortest part of the course. Most time was spent on other matters: education policies of the government, health and safety, learning styles, learning disabilities, methods for assessment, curriculum fits and so on. Worse still was the amount of paper work expected from the volunteers, a true deterrent.

What I needed most was in short supply: an understanding of the particular difficulties that Bangladeshi men face when they try to master English and how to work with a variety of simple exercises to keep the learners interested. The focus of the course was not on that, even though, thanks to the course, I know by now where to find these things.

My big suprise came in the end. One of our teachers admitted that a volunteer does not need the qualifications which the course provides in order to volunteer. It all depends on the tutor, the principal teacher, whether he or she can make good use of the services offered by the volunteer. That was exactly my original idea: what a long way to get back to it.