1646 – Issue 3

During the summer, I moved into teaching adults. The Youth programme was exciting; you saw the impact you had on the children and I wasn’t sure if I would find this in the adult programme. I was very wrong. A large majority of my students were illiterate men and women who had never gone to school. Although many of these students won’t reach a high level of English, these classes were vital for building confidence and giving students a second chance. One of my students was Habiba, a 78-year- old woman who is illiterate in Arabic. Her age meant that she struggled to retain information like the younger women in the class, making her scared to participate. However, she was motivated and came to every class. The regular students started to form a little community and Habiba’s confidence slowly increased. I was only able to teach the Adults for two months before another lockdown hit. We decided to move our Adult classes online where Habiba became the most dedicated student, attending every lesson and studying outside of class with her son, Mohammed. I will always remember the day that she read the word ‘Dog’. It might seem small, but this was momentous, an achievement that she never thought she would achieve and an emotional moment for the both of us. Habiba left camp during that lockdown to move to Athens and reunite with the rest of her family. We still talk, and she continues to work hard on her English with Mohammed. I have now been at Second Tree for over two years and I am currently helping run the education programmes. It’s the people who have kept me here. I work in a strong community that cares about one another. I have made some incredible bonds with people from all around the world and these will continue no matter where our journeys take us. One thing is clear to me; it’s unlikely that I will ever get a job as rewarding, challenging or emotionally charged as this one, and that is something I’ll always be thankful to have experienced. 19