American English Institute

Katie D.

March 1, 2009 - 10:45 AM

One of my favorite activities these days is my work with the American English Institute. International students who come to the University of Oregon to study English study at the AEI. Most students study at the AEI for a full quarter at least, and some are here getting ready to enroll in the general university classes, on their way toward majors in international business or the sciences or any of the large variety of majors our university offers. Some students already have a high level of English skills, others are near-beginners. Usually students come as individuals, but there are also special groups: a group of students from a university or a specific class who come to the UO for a month or so to gain some conversational English skills, see some of the US, and then go back home.

And all of these students have the option of working with a peer tutor. Tutors serve as conversation partners and as social guides: as native English speakers who can explain basic grammar, know the slang, and can answer questions about American language and culture.

I've been working as an AEI tutor for a few months now. It is a fabulous job, as I get to meet people from all over the world and have conversations about their travels and goals. When compared to other tutoring jobs I have had, the focus of the AEI tutoring is much more on conversation and communication between people. Generally speaking, international students are interesting people with a wide variety of experiences and perspectives to share. From my travel experiences I know what it is like to arrive in a new culture and feel totally confused by bus schedules, procedures in grocery stores, and the everyday realities of a new city and pattern of life. And from my experience of learning Spanish and some Italian, I also know what it is like to be trying hard to express ideas too big for your vocabulary. It can be a very frustrating position to be an adult with big ideas but essentially a toddler's range of vocabulary words and a lesser range of grammatical structures than that.

Conversely, some students I have spoken with have been studying English for years, and already understand the grammar but have questions about culture and slang. I recently said "Oh my gosh" in front of a student, a phrase I usually take for granted, expressing surprise with a nod to the decency police. But while this student was quite familiar with the phrase "Oh my god," the idea of changing the word "god" into some softer form that has no meaning as a word in itself took a good deal of explaining. Another student had me help her with her class readings: I would read passages aloud while she followed along, and she would stop me when we reached a word or phrase she didn't understand and I would try to explain. What was most disconcerting about this was that she would write down word-for-word what I told her, even if I was hoping to explain and then condense later. She wanted the word-for-word truth on Katie's take on American phrasing.

Recently I have added extra work with the AEI on top of tutoring. The groups that come for a short time often have a special arrangement with the program, which includes organized trips outside of the normal tours of the campus and Eugene the individual students get. So now, as an Activities Coordinator, I am van certified and ready to start driving AEI students for trips as far away as Portland, ski resorts, and Crater Lake. As a non-Oregonian myself I can hardly wait to explore the state, sharing an outsider's view of places we go.

The final (and possibly most interesting) piece of my work through AEI is an online tutoring program set up with Iraqi students studying English in Baghdad. Iraqi students and AEI tutors read articles and then answer questions. I have made some good friends over topic discussions such as the meanings of names, the Seven Wonders of the World, and tourism in Iraq. I feel so blessed to be meeting these people online, and to be a part of them improving their English skills. I could not be farther from conversational Arabic if I tried, so if I ever do manage to take a trip to see all these beautiful places described to me in Iraq, I'll need English students like my new online friends to help me navigate the country.

Come to think of it, I'm getting to have friends like that from all over: Korea, China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia...

I had such wonderful luck while I studied abroad, meeting people and experiencing new cultures. I hope I am helping these students with their time here as well. And I hope that some day I'll be taking off to travel to visit all these people I have come to know here on the UO campus.