Daniel Charnoff: Charnoff@usc.edu
I was the first volunteer at Barreira do Vasco, so first I organized English classes. We ran 4 classes, each twice a week. The classes were for different age groups-one for kids, two for teens, one for adults. They each made different levels of progress which they can really attest to more than I can. There are so many students it is often hard to remember where they all are but they understand that and will remind you where you left off. Roughly, though, the teenagers made the most progress, then the kids, then the adults, who really struggle.
It would be best to continue working with the same students, teaching them whatever comes to mind. They really are most interested in how to say everyday things, like things they would need while travelling, and also in things they hear on tv/sports terms, etc… If there are more volunteers, then it would also probably be good to expand the classes offered to art, sports, other languages, etc. Hopefully there becomes a consistent offering of classes at the Residents Association that the people of Barreira can count on.
