Sarah TP #2

For our first meeting, my CIES tutee and I just got to know each other and discussed how we will approach the rest of our sessions together. Ali is from Oman, where his wife and 4 children, the eldest of which is 6 years old, are living now. He says he hopes to one day bring his children to the United States and have them learn English. Ali has a Bachelor’s degree in History and will be pursuing a Master’s in International Affairs at FSU upon completion of his English studies. He’s a little anxious, because his admission to FSU is conditional upon his success on the TOEFL exam and his taking the GRE, so he wants to get as much as possible out of our tutoring sessions. He requested that we meet twice a week for two hours at a time, and says he would like to focus on his writing and speaking skills. Ali is blind, so it would be difficult for us to read together, but he asked if I would find articles to read to him so that he may improve his listening comprehension and we can discuss subjects of mutual interest together. Knowing that I’m studying biology, Ali suggested that I read scientific articles to him. He has a genuine interest in other people, is ready to learn and eager to make friends. When I asked about his religion, Ali became rather defensive—I think he’s concerned that some Americans are unfriendly toward Muslims—but the misunderstanding was quickly patched up. The first problem I’ve encountered is describing italics to him, because there is not an equivalent for italics in Braille. He’s asked that I put him in contact with the local division for Blind Services. This weekend I’ll be researching methods for teaching English composition, coming up with exercises, and finding articles for our next session. I plan on learning some basic Arabic and finding local Braille printing services.