written by William Norris
Never in my life would I have expected to be living in Florence, Italy at 20 years old. Let alone, have the opportunity to teach Italian to elementary school students. When arriving in Florence, I didn’t know what I was getting into, and honestly, I was extremely nervous about my decision to live overseas. I was lucky enough to be presented with the volunteer opportunity to teach English to local Italian students.
At first, I was reluctant to apply for the position, and honestly, I waited until the last day of the deadline to even submit the application. I felt this sudden urge to give back to this amazing city. I was offered the position, and I ran with it.
When the first day of class arrived, I was filled with excitement mixed with nerves. It was an interesting feeling. I had to meet the program representative and my teaching partner, both of whom I had never met before, and I was running late due to a mistimed 30-minute walk.
Upon meeting them, we rushed to the tram because we were already running late, and they gave us a rundown of the lesson we had prepared and what to expect throughout the semester. The tram stop was deeper in the city, which I would describe the area as a more casual, local way of life; it was a time away from the touristy chaos that occurs in the city center. Seeing this way of life put me at ease.
When we first arrived at the school, I started to feel nostalgic, remembering my days back in elementary school and how happy I was. The first thing I noticed was that the school had a mini soccer field right out front. Something you’d rarely see in America, or any school I was accustomed to.
As we figured out how to sign in, we quickly realized the front desk worker didn’t speak English, further reinforcing the fact that we were fully integrated into the local community. Once we finally signed in, we walked up to the classroom we were assigned, and the nerves began to fully set in, simply because I had never done this before.
As we got let in, I quickly realized how excited these kids were, and it immediately filled me with joy, eliminating my nerves. I realized that these students were amazed that I was from a country that many of them had never been to. I reminisced about being in elementary school and how cool I would’ve thought it was if someone from another country came to teach me their language.
We began the lesson by introducing ourselves to the students, sharing our names and places of origin, which immediately prompted a discussion. This simple introduction caused them to fire away with questions about our favorite food, songs, and sports, lasting almost the entire class.
I was shocked at how good their English was at such a young age. They were at the same level of English as I was when I was taking Spanish in college.
This got me thinking. America’s school system has a lot of flaws, but one particular aspect is that we should have a language class at a young age. Seeing how many languages European citizens speak seems to be attributed to how young they were when they started learning.
When I walked out of the school, I felt fulfilled. Going into this, I didn’t know if I would enjoy it, but when I was outside of that school, and all the stress and anxiety had finally left my system, I couldn’t wait for next week’s class.
I firmly believe that one of the best ways to start your day is to make someone happy. This volunteer experience has not only taught me so much about Italian culture, but also about myself. Broadening your experiences and helping others out is crucial for a fulfilling life, and this experience in Florence only reinforced this sentiment further.