Service Learning Reflection (Question no. 2)

Having signed up for two one-hour sessions, I went into the NALC office on Tuesday, April 5 thinking that I was going to tutor two different people. But, one student canceled, and so I ended up working both sessions with one person, a man from Mexico named JM. He’d been in Nashville for 11 years and spoke English fairly well, though couldn’t quite pick up on the southern-tinged expressions I said (he was confused when I said, “Let’s call it a day."). He was at NALC that night to prepare for the US citizenship test, which he was going to take the following weekend. He was a hardworking student; he had practiced a lot outside of class and knew almost all 100 questions on the test by the time I quizzed him.

What was interesting about this sessions was how materials and atmosphere really played a part in his preparation. Rather than working at a small desk or booth, we worked at a long table in the south-east corner of the room, which was more quiet and isolated. It surely felt more personal and learning-friendly. He was supplied by NALC with a mock application to study, so that he could relay all of his personal information in English when he took the real test. The application was interesting; it made the goal seem more reachable. To see those ten pieces of paper made us both feel like citizenship was close. There was a lot of specific information, such as time since becoming a legal US immigrant that was spent outside of the country, that JM would have to memorize, but I could tell that he was getting excited to fill it out himself.

He had his own notebook and pen too, which told me that he was serious about this test. We practiced a portion of writing out American history and culture-related sentences, and took great care to write neatly. His handwriting was very blocky and in all capitals, and he left a line blank in between each sentence. There were other notes in there as well; I was very impressed with how he took his time at NALC seriously.

The most interesting material was the sheet of paper which explained the oath of US citizenship. JM and I read through the long phrase a few times. It was strange to me that to officially become a citizen, one has to repeat a very confusing, very wordy oath. I imagine that most people who repeat it do not understand it. It must be a matter of tradition.

Materials played a big role in this session. JM took a lot of cheat sheets and other helpful pieces of information home with him to study. Though I did not expect to work with someone who was preparing for the US citizenship test, I really enjoyed it. I look forward to going in next time and finding out if he passed, because he certainly seemed ready to me!