Week 7

It's seven weeks since I have started my project.  I have been working every week at something new, but I start to feel that I should have done more than that.  But I believe that teaching and also learning a new language takes time.
Teaching Mariela become harder, more complicated, and we are unable to work like before after school. Because she moved to a new house in Garden Grove, and she go by bus.  Therefore she can not stay or she will miss the bus.
Honestly I don't know why I keep having troubles in doing my project!!  Like in the first I made my project to teach a Gardenia but she moved from the class, then I planed to work with Naima and also we couldn't because she can't stay while she has a practice for soccer.  And now Mariela can't stay!!  I feel mad a little bit, worry, and hopeless...
This week I didn't work on something new, I just saw her around in school we said a few sentences in Arabic but I am sure that is not enough.  So I have been thinking of finding a way that will let me work with her and keep going in practicing Arabic or we will be just wasting time.  I start to feel that she is not willing to learn like before, and we don't have enough time to finish what I have planned to do.  But still we didn't do anything different than my project plan.
I want a way that will make teaching Arabic to Mariela more fun and likable, so that she will keep willing to learn new things in Arabic.  So I thought about making some drawings of people who are talking and write the conversations, in which when she go over them she can memories better.

Week 6

This is the sixth week for my 20 Percent Project.  In this week we still working on the main phrases of Arabic- which is the most thing that we are looking to work on. 
This week we reviewed what I have taught Mariela last week.  It took a longer time! After we done with reviewing, I taught her some new phrases. 
For me, teaching Arabic became more serious than it was before.  My short journey in teaching made me know how teachers feel when students don't do their work or when students come to class not prepared.  Now I feel more responsible, because I want Mariela to be able to speak Arabic and because I want to succeed in my project by having a perfect work done.
After a long time, and after I have taught Mariela many phrases, thinking of new ones to teach become harder. But teaching become more serious, beside that my techniques and ways in teaching become better.

Week 5

This is the fifth week since I have started to work on my 20 Percent Project. In this week we still working on the main phrases. and we will continue on that till the end of October based on what we have planed for. In this week, I found some problems with Mariela to make her learn how to pronounce the words. Maybe she didn't really want to work after a long school day. And what really made me mad that she didn't study the things that I taught her last time. But she told me about her reasons and I excused her. So I thought about a solution for that and I will keep looking for solutions to make everything work well and get it done as I like. So I thought that while she doesn't have the ability to study at her house, I am going to work more on making her memorize as much phrases as she can during the lesson, and hopefully that will help her to memories them. And also I can practice with her during school. So when she practice a lot, that will help her to learn faster.
I don't really like to be a teacher, and teaching is something hard such like a language. Especially when I have to repeat everything so many times, and the one I am teaching keep saying the wrong thing. I have tried that before, but I was teaching the English instead of the Arabic. I love smart students who learn fast- such like me. Hopefully, Mariela will be a smart kid who can learn fast and won't make me upset because of teaching her.

Week 4

In the fourth week, me and Mariela still working on my project. We met on Tuesday, and we continued working on the main phrases in Arabic. The good thing about Mariela is that she is learning fast and she is trying her best to say the words in the correct accent. We have worked for an hour, it was really fun and an interesting hour.
First, we made a review for the things that I taught her last time, and happily she still remember them. After that, we start with a new things. Such like: Hi, bye, how are you? , I'm fine thank you , good morning , good evening , what's your name ? my name is.., where are you from ? I am from... , what grade you are ? I am in grade... , etc.
So now we are not sure if that we are going to meet twice a week or only once! But even though, once might be enough. But if we have the ability to work on it more than that, that would be much better.
I am worry if Mariela will get bored of that, or she won't be willing to work on learning Arabic any longer. I will try to use ways that help to make learning fun so she will keep willing to learn.

Week 3

This is the third week. On Monday, I met Naima in the class and she told me that she doesn't have her phone and that's why she didn't come. But still we didn't work in that day. Therefore, I got an idea which is talking to one of my friends who is really interesting in learning Arabic. I asked her about if she still wants to learn Arabic. And if so, I will talk to Naima about if she still can't work. And depending on that, I will decide whether I will work with both of them or work with only the new girl and Naima will work by herself on another project that she decide. So that I will teach Arabic but to another girl. I guess that this will be the solution to save my project.
This new girl is Mariela. She is very nice girl and she wants to help me on my project and she is willing to learn Arabic, therefore she is going to be my new student.
On Tuesday, we met after school and we put a new timeline for the project, depending on what she wants to learn. We worked for about an hour on some of the basic phrases. And that was her entry to the Arabic.
My new timeline will be like this:

• The first thing to do is teaching Mariela how to write her name!
• During October and November, we will work on the eight parts of speech.
• During December we will work on the letters and numbers. At the same time Mariela would like to learn about the Arabic traditions, so we will work on that too.
• During January and February, we will work on writing. It will take two months because writing in Arabic is really hard, especially that Arabic is very tough language so it will take more time.
• In March, we will work on the pronunciation. Especially that the Arabic is different from other languages, so it’s important to know how to pronounce the words correctly. And the best thing that Mariela is the one who wants that.
• During April, we will be working on other words.

Mariela is a good student and a good listener! She said that she liked the Arabic and she is really excited to learn it through out the year. We will meet twice a week except if something will happen so that will make us work only once.. but we still have enough time.
The first lesson was really fun and we both had a nice time.

Week 2

In the second week of my 20 percent project, I didn't start teaching Arabic to Naima yet! Honestly I think that is really wasting for time and I am not okay with that at all! Because Naima doesn't have a lot of time for that, we decided to work on it once a week- that's what Naima wants.
I can't believe that this is the second week and I didn't do anything yet, except for the proposal!! I really want my project to be great and I am willing to work hard on it so that it will be completely done in an organized way since the begin, because everything start organized will stay like that till the end. I will meet Naima in the end of this week and hopefully she will come.
We planed to meet on Friday, but unfortunately Naima didn't come and she didn't answer on her phone when I called her or even respond to my texts. Now I start to think about some solutions for this, and will see what will happen next week.

Week 1

Welcome to my new 20 Percent Project Blog spot.  My name is Lana and I am doing a project for my English class called 20 Percent Project.  I have to do something that helps others or/and teach them something new and useful, it also might change their lives and make it easier.  So I thought about so many things and in the end I decided to teach mt language, Arabic, especially that no one else will do it.  I am going to work on this project with one of my friends, she will be my student, her name is Gardenia.
This is the first week and I have to do a proposal to tell what is my project.  I have to talk about what is it, who is involved, who is the audience, what do I expect to learn, expenses, what are the equipment, and my timeline.
A new girl came to our English class and she will join me in my project beside Gardenia, her name is Naima.  Bur after a few days Gardenia changed her schedule and she doesn't have the same class with me, so she doesn't want to work on this project any more.  Therefore, having Naima is my group was a good thing.
This week I didn't start teaching Arabic to Naima yet, because our plan is to work after school but she didn't have time after school to work on that while she has practice for soccer - which is going to be over by 4:00 PM if not after!! However, I won't be able to go back to school after she done with her practice, so I thought about if we meet in my house and she said yes, but then I start to feel that she doesn't want to come, because she kept giving me excuses.  And honestly I have a feeling that she is not willing to work on the project that much!  But even though I will keep trying with her because I am sure it's worth working for, also it will start getting fun when we start working. We shouldn't waste our time this much, but I could not do anything but wait to the next week to see what we will do.