Another English Class in Bay Ridge

Today was my second English class at the Arab American Association of New York. I took the Brooklyn-bound N train, which goes over Manhattan Bridge and offers a spectacular and inspiring view of Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.

There were again four students: three from last time, as well as the only woman (client, I mean) I’ve seen at the association so far without a hijab.

In fact, she was the only one in either of the two English classes being held today, totaling more than 20 students, who was wearing Western attire. I wondered what the other women thought about that. If anything.

The grandmother from the first class was there again today. She remains touchingly concerned that I am learning the wrong type of Arabic. So I got out my Pimsleur and played it for them, and said that for the most part this is free, and that I haven’t found anything else like it that is as useful. I don’t know whether she fully understood me, but she may have given tepid approval to the undertaking.

I asked the students what they had done the previous weekend. Most of them had celebrated Eid, which I think they referred to as “the feast”; this holiday marks the end of Ramadan.

One of the students described a visit to Six Flags Great Adventure with her two children. I asked if she had gone on the roller coasters. She said her son did, but she didn’t.

“Why not?” I asked.

“I am getting too old,” she replied.

I had them read aloud quite a bit today, and frequently corrected their pronunciation. One of the things they read was an ESL dialogue between two men about a lottery winner.

It did not seem to be a big hit, except that the group giggled when I tried to convince a student—the one who went to Six Flags—to express a bit more enthusiasm as she read her lines. The guys in the dialogue were talking about what they’d do if they won a million dollars, after all!

She often seems pretty serious, but she may have cracked a smile as well.