ESLIM Teacher Headed to Kyrgyzstan

Shortly after he graduated from George Mason University, Eric Connor joined our ESL program at Graham Road UMC.  Eric wanted to gain experience in teaching English because he hoped to get accepted into the Peace Corps.

For the past year, Eric has served as my assistant teacher in the Advanced level class at Graham Road – and he has been a joy to work with.  Eric has boundless energy (he also taught English to adults in the Arlington County REEP program) and unlimited enthusiasm.  He brought to our class both a keen intelligence and an impressive grasp of many world cultures (Eric is fluent in Mandarin Chinese).  Eric was perfect for our diverse class, which during Eric’s tenure included students from Algeria, Bolivia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Eric did not limit his contributions to the classroom.  When one student expressed interest in learning more about American culture, Eric formed a book club and spent his Saturday afternoons reading and explaining “To Kill a Mockingbird” to his students.  This American classic – though somewhat challenging — was a huge hit with the students.

Eric has now achieved his dream and been accepted to the Peace Corps.  Eric has been assigned to Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia.  As you’d expect if you knew Eric, he is excited and eager about the assignment, which begins in early April 2011.

For our final class with Eric, the class’s writing assignment was, “Discuss the history, culture, and foods of Kyrgyzstan.  Give details.”  (Fortunately, there was a backup assignment!)

After class, the students treated Eric to a delicious Korean lunch at Vit Gol Lighthouse Tofu in Annandale.  There were hugs and handshakes all around as the class bid Eric a fond farewell – but not before all the students gave Eric their email addresses and extracted a promise from Eric of frequent updates about his adventures in Kyrgyzstan!