Greg

As a full time TESOL teacher, I can say that online lessons with Ukrainian students on a weekly basis have uplifted me as much as them. In one of my first lessons I learned that L loves to cook. The next week I asked her to send me her favorite recipe and she taught me to make tiramisu! Since then we've met weekly, learning practical lessons for the grocery store, the doctor's office and what to say while watching golf on TV! The best times though have been sharing our family stories. L tells me a story in Ukrainian; her son R translates his mom's story into English; I write down the story and then L retells the story in English by reading it aloud. These are magical moments, transforming our lives into new languages. When learning seems like a heavy burden or when lessons have to be postponed or cancelled, we just laugh and say, time for tiramisu! Thank you Teachers For Ukraine helping make these connections for us all.

Greg, from Maine

Tony

I'm Tony and I'm 66 and originally from the UK but now living and teaching in Germany. I've taught and qualified since 2008. Teaching is my passion and it doesn't matter if I'm earning a $100 an hour or nothing, I put the same amount of effort into preparation and teaching. I wanted to offer something to Ukraine but all I really had was my teaching.

I was delighted with my assigned student O. She was able to escape from her city even though the Ukrainian forces had blown up the bridges to prevent Russian forces access towards Kiev. O., her sister and her children were able to get a sponsor in UK.

We have been working online together for about 15 weeks now. I have to say this experience has been so rewarding for me, I have learnt a lot from the experience, each student is different and unique and I plan classes on that basis. Very soon after our teaching began O. got an important job interview so our sessions changed to mock interviews. O. got the job, which brought new needs, O. was very competent in her job but did not always know all the terminology in English. As the job was a flexible mix of work from home and in the office, there were cultural issues to consider, local dialects, the tendencies for native speakers to weaken certain vowel sounds and even things such as gardening vocabulary.

I found out we both like films, so in 2 weeks we are going to watch extracts from a film for general understanding and new vocabulary. She thanks me for my teaching but really it's me that should thank her for the opportunity.

Clare

Our first conversation was about the weather. Nataliia and I compared my scorching desert summer to her cool, cloudy days (and when the UK experienced a heat wave, we discussed that too). Then, we discovered that our young daughters were the same age. We exchanged photos and video clips from their birthday parties; the two girls now smile and wave to each other during our Zoom/Whatsapp sessions. In between lessons on irregular verbs and superlative adjectives, we have commiserated about our messy homes and shared a mutual love for wine and anything cheese. We brainstorm about job opportunities, interview strategies and future employment goals. Last week, Nataliia’s daughter had a fever and her sponsor family was out of town. She had to talk to the pediatrician without the help of an interpretation service. I cheered this pivotal accomplishment and saw obvious pride on her face.

But, of course, the reality of her situation is difficult and complex, often overwhelming for this single mom. One night, she told me that she was deeply depressed. I offered to reschedule the class, but she insisted on continuing and by the end of the hour, she was relaxed and smiling. I had merely offered a friendly face, a listening ear and some distraction, but one thing I have gleaned during 25 years of teaching is that connection is key. Learning cannot happen until trust and community are established. I hope that anyone who is pondering Teaching For Ukraine will take the leap. The rewards are incalculable.

Sonya

I have been assisting A. with English lessons since the beginning of May, 22. We meet twice per week and I can honestly say that it is one of the most rewarding times in my teaching career. I have come to know A. on a personal level too as we have shared some personal things...she is a remarkable young woman with the spirit of a lioness. She is eager to learn and we also take turns to choose a song which we then listen to on YouTube...it has happened a few times that she is dancing in her room in the UK and me in my study in South Africa, just meeting up in the universal language of music. We also shared a beautiful, heart-warming song "It is well with my soul" which is sung in English and Ukranian....a touching moment.

I know that I can never diminish the sense of displacement that she experiences or lessen the feelings of anxiety and worry...but I truly believe that the friendship that has formed between us and the shared experience of this world becoming more and more hostile, have brought some joy to both our lives. I keep A. in my prayers and in my heart and have been blessed meeting her.

Beata

When I first learned about Teachers for Ukraine on social media, I admired the idea of an international charity to support Ukrainian refugees (or those living in Ukraine) with skills such as languages. As I have been teaching English, German and Polish for the last 25 years and currently run an online tutoring service in the UK, it seemed like a perfect match for me to offer my time and skills to help. I was teamed up with O. who currently lives in Spain and originates from Kyiv. O. has learned English in an autodidactic way and is pretty much an intermediate student, but typically for someone who learns the language without being in immediate contact with it, her strengths are grammar and written language. After our first session, we established that O. needs to focus on speaking, learning a lot of English idiom and applying the grammar, she knows in a more theoretical way. Our lessons bring us both a lot of joy. We chat about everyday stuff, then focus on learning, then plan O.’s next lesson. Online teaching allows us to build bridges. I live in Scotland and O. is in Spain, but it does not really matter. Although I am a bit older, we have a lot of things in common, e.g. interest in cultures, art and nature. I was born in Poland to Polish/German parents. My dad’s family is actually from the region which is now Western Ukraine, but when he was born in 1940, it was Eastern Poland. I always wanted to visit the places where he had grown up. Let’s hope Ukraine will soon be a peaceful place again, so people can travel there and see it for themselves.

Dr Beata Kohlbek, Director at www.bktutoring.co.uk

Achama

My name is Achama and I'm an ESL teacher in Canada. I am 64 years old, but still work fulltime as an online Business English trainer. The initiative’s vision of supporting Ukrainian refugees through ESL coaching has brought together ESL teachers from around the world. We are a supportive community sharing our knowledge, materials and success stories.. This caring and nurturing network has been able to reach out and help hundreds of refugees who have to rebuild their lives in a new language. While it has never been mentioned, we all understand that the lessons are only a small part of the lives our students have been pushed into. We are able to help them build the foundation from which they can find jobs, skills and a little bit of hope for the unknown future.

My student, L., was an art teacher in Ukraine. Through Google Translate we were able to communicate and set up a learning program and weekly video meeting. Her first class was postponed at her request because she wanted to meet with her own students before leaving for the UK. I knew right then that this was a woman I would do almost anything for, as I would for Teachers For Ukraine. They are women who set aside their immediate needs for those of others. Kalina's first email to me had been written in the wee hours, after her infant son was asleep - she took the time to write a personal email, and even to reply to my reply, in spite of having hundreds of pieces of correspondence to tend to. At that time she was running this humanitarian initiative on her own.