The Power of Education: Celebration of Teaching and Learning

AIWA-SF Empowering a Remarkable Teacher Whose Influence Can Never be Erased

Teaching is an Adventure for me

My students and I always look forward to our English classes. Teaching English is not simply a paying job, it is an adventure for me. It is a gratifying experience both professionally and personally, and for that, I thank AIWA-SF from the bottom of my heart! They gave me the opportunity to do what I love at a professional level, meanwhile make a difference for the youth in our scenic Village of Dsegh. We have tourists in our beautiful village almost every season, and very recently, some of my students accompanied a tourist group during their visit to Hovhannes Toumanyan’s museum, a distinguished Armenian writer, and witnessing mystudents communicate with the visitors in English language, validates the work that I do. We are very fortunate to have rich library resources, which I use to help students develop their reading comprehension, grammar knowledge, building vocabulary and working on their pronunciations. While we focus on academics, we also find time to celebrate the holidays. On February 14^th we celebrated the Valentine’s Day, and my students made March 8, Women’s International Day, a special one for me. They pleasantly surprised me when I stepped into a beautifully decorated classroom and heard them recite the “Mother o’ Mine” poem by Rudyard Kipling. They are not simply learning another language; they are developing good habits and values.   We are now working to put together a play “The Master and the Laborer” by H. Toumanyan. The students can’t wait to perform in our village community!

~Anush Ghorkhmazyan

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After School English Program at Dsegh Village

This is the spirit that exists at the After School English Program in Dsegh Village. As they say “A picture is worth thousand words”. All we can add is that the English teacher, Mrs. Anush Ghorkhmazyan, makes learning an exciting experience for the students through her interactive teaching approach. Vocabulary quizzes, proverbs, poems, songs and drama are part of her weekly curriculum, which are considered to be creative methods for foreign language acquisition. Mrs. Ghorkmazyan does not have any children, however she has 40 spirited students that she treats the way she would her own children.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Building Bridges for Brighter Futures – “Bridge of Hope” in Dilijan

The “Bridge of Hope” was first established in Yerevan in 1996, and now includes four branches in Tavush Province, including Noyemberyan, Ijevan, Dilijan and Berd. In addition to offering speech development, social skills trainings, art and physical therapy to the Armenian youth with special needs, the Dilijan branch also serves as a community space that hosts and leads seminars and discussions on gender equality, environmentalism, and volunteerism for local youth.

AIWA – SF is pleased to support the creation of English Program at “Bridge of Hope” in Dilijan to promote learning for 75 students and 23 female staff members, as well as, creation of employment for Christina Aslanyan, young Armenian woman, who is enthused to bring her knowledge and energy into the classroom, fulfilling her own professional aspirations.

~~~

Rewarding Hard Work and Determination

Two of the students at Mer Hooys English class, Lilit and Varsenik, demonstrated high performance in learning the language, and progressed fairly quickly, standing out among their peers. With the intent to keep them continually challenged, encourage and promote their continued academic advancement, the girls have been separated from the other two groups, who have their own pace in learning.

“Success is possible if we work hard, and do our best”, said Lilit, who loves to read, and whose favorite writer is Aleksandre Dumas. “I am very passionate about reading, but my long-term objective is to become an accountant, and be the best specialist in my area that I can be”.

“Receiving higher education is one of my highest priorities now”, shared Varsenik with her English teacher, Ms. Gayane Shmavonyan.”My goal is to pursue an undergraduate degree in English with a minor in Spanish. Securing a promising future in my professional life is imperative for me, however being surrounded by a loving family and devoted friends is equally essential for living a happy and meaningful life. I hope I am not asking for the moon”.