Today we went to South and City College, another college located in Birmingham. We woke up very early this morning, 6:15 in the morning! This was rather unfortunate but Ashley and I got ourselves together and we both made it downstairs on time. Last night we packed up all our stuff in preparation for checking out of the hotel tonight. At 7:15 I handed my room key to the staff working at the desk and they took my bags into the back to hold them behind the desk until we got back from the college today. Then we all sat down and had breakfast until about 7:40 when we were due downstairs for our taxis that were supposed to come by 7:45. The first six of us quickly jumped into a taxi and sat for a relatively quick ride, probably like 20 minutes. Then the next taxi of people showed up about 3 minutes after. We all waited together huddled under the little overhang as it began to rain. The last taxi was very late! There was a mix up with the company. It seems as though they thought they had already sent a third taxi when in reality they had not. So we all waited and eventually everyone made it. 

        We were ushered into the beautiful building that appeared to be built with all of the students in mind. The cafeteria was vast and the different colored walls made the school feel more fun. We walked to a room upstairs and began receiving a debrief on the school. I learned that it has 8 campuses which is a ton! The school wasn’t always this big, it absorbed other schools and facilities until it had grown into what it is today. It has mostly coed campuses except for one which is an all girl facility. This is for cultural or religious reasons for girls who may not feel as comfortable faced with being grouped in with men. On the other hand the teachers believe that the girls have to get used to men as they’ll exist in everyday life so the all girls campus is very small as they encourage the girls to mingle with the guys and get used to being with them. We also learned that the school does lots of work with vocational courses. They teach lots of ESOL classes which are aimed toward students who may have learned their trade in their country and now just need help sharpening their English and other basic life skills. Here they can sharpen these skills and become successful in their trade in an English speaking country. Plumbing, bricklayers, and more are all courses taught here. 

        After finishing the talk and meeting some of the staff we split into a couple groups to be able to shadow some of the classes that were in session. My group started in an ESOL math class. It was a level 1 and 2 class combined so there were lots of different skill levels in the class. The teacher was having them write their own questions with answers and then was having the level 2 students who were more advanced help the level 1 students. They had just taken their exams so they’ll see soon who passed and is moving up to the next level. It was very cool how the teacher was able to keep the class engaged by doing activities with them rather than it being a full on lecture. 

        Second, we went to an ESOL English class. This was super interesting as it looked very different from any English class that I’ve ever been in. The teacher was focused on using repetition and real life examples to teach his lesson. For example, the class was focusing on comparisons today. He was saying phrases over and over again about the city of Birmingham. This was showing his students how to use the comparative language while teaching them about the city as many of them have yet to pass their citizen tests. The style of teaching here is very intentional. Basic skills are being reinforced while they’re learning, and at the same time new facts about their environment are being instilled in their mind. 

       Third, we went to an ESOL English for plumbing class. This is part of the vocational program for plumbing. The goal here is to raise the English speaking level of the students so that they can be proficient in their job, English, and everyday life. At the school the goal is to make the students proficient in their job and it would be nearly impossible if they don’t have the english skills to match. 

        The final class we went to was a job center class. These are all students who were sent to school via referral from a job center. They were taking a 12 week course to get a good grip on English, then they could hopefully return back to the job center and hopefully be approved to resume their job hunt. We talked to a couple of the students and got the rundown on what happened in the class. They were super friendly and we had to learn how to use our communication skills to talk to people who might not fully understand what we’re saying. 

        Finally, we got a tour of all of the vocational skill labs and rooms. They were super cool and nothing like I’ve ever seen before. The rooms were full size workshops that spanned many long warehouse-like buildings. It included specialties like plumbing, electrical, gas, bricklaying, and mechanic training. 

        Now we’re about to board the bus and leave for London if the bus ever shows up. Currently running about 40 minutes late but that’s okay! Still so much to look forward to before this trip is over, including a nice nap on the drive over.