Before I co-founded TNKR, I remember meeting someone who works with refugees who said they are passive and lazy. Now after more than two years, I am wondering if the person making that statement was the problem.
I was thinking about that person as I heard a refugee today say that he travels 90 minutes each way to study at our center twice a week. He makes 4 transfers along the way. Other refugees are going out of their way to join our program.
Whenever I used to tell this story, someone smart would say the student was wasting his time. It isn't up to me to judge that. The stubborn smart people wouldn't concede when I informed them that YES, we mentioned online options, the student was familiar with them. We also mentioned there were organizations and institutes offering classes and tutoring. Despite that, he was traveling a long way to study at our humble little association (we were not an organization then we were using the offices of other organizations). He said that our tutors were focused and professional, he had found that other organizations wanted too much socializing and unstructured chitchat.
Today was his third class, 270 minutes with two tutors who have focused on him. I can already see the difference in him.
Students in a group class can often hide, knowing they will only get called on a few times. But not with a tutor! Today it was 90 minutes of questions and comments in English. He said it was tough but so useful for him. Danielle was great today. For 90 minutes, she was locked in on the learner, so much so that when it was time to finish, she was already starting a new topic rather than wrapping up. When you don't enjoy what you are doing then you watch the clock, wondering if the clock is really working.
