Initiative Update: After-school English Program at Dsegh Village

Initiative Update: After-school English Program at Dsegh Village

It is with great joy that we share the progress that our After-school English program at Dsegh Village School is making. AIWA-SF started supporting this important initiative 2 years ago, empowering over 40 students in the village by giving them an opportunity to learn a global language.

The students attend the classes with great enthusiasm, and the teacher marvels at how sometimes classes continue for hours. The students are so engaged that English teacher, Mrs. Anush Ghorkhmazyan does not want to stop their educational thirst, so classes often go longer, sometimes through dinner.

Mrs. Ghorkhmazyan shares that “each lesson is a holiday for the students.” With a fantastic learning atmosphere in the classroom, the students engage through group setting and enjoy learning through songs, poems and rhymes.  For example, the song “Last Christmas I GAVE you my heart” was a memorable song that the students used to learn irregular verbs during the Christmas season.  This provides a fun and effective way for the teacher to teach and the students to learn.

A remarkable teacher dedicated to her work, Mrs. Ghorkhmazyan, shares with AIWA-SF that her students inspire her daily. She shares a story about how she recently introduced a book titled “Different Cultures-Different Pets” to her students, who enjoyed reading it and made many connections. Throughout the week they spoke of different pets, and two students even brought pets to the class: a cat and a hedgehog.

Mrs. Ghorkhmazyan also shares that the students learned about different holidays that are celebrated in various countries. The students were thrilled to celebrate Halloween, even though it is not an Armenian holiday, bringing a huge pumpkin to school and decorating it. They also dressed up in customs.

AIWA-SF affiliate’s support is appreciated both by the students, who are given the opportunity to learn the English language, and by the teacher, who is empowered to do what she loves.

We encourage our members and supporters to get involved and be direct participants in making difference in the lives of our youth in Armenia.  To get involved with the AIWA-SF affiliate, please visit www.aiwasanfrancisco.com or send an email to aiwasanfrancisco@gmail.com.