Volunteer of the Month

Why did you choose to volunteer with Eden Housing? 

After moving back to the Bay Area, I desired to find a place where I could give back some of the learning that I have received at two of America’s leading institutions to those that may not have access to avenues of knowledge. Once I started researching where I could accomplish that goal, I found that Eden Housing offered ESL teacher opportunities via VolunteerMatch, so I filled out the application and accepted the position.

What have you done as a volunteer? 

Please describe your role and what you have worked on.  During my time as a volunteer I’ve A/B tested some of the practices I have learned in Design Thinking courses to the practice of teaching. For example, in one of my first classes I decided to implement a “free-learning model” where I would test the level of English fluency from my students by observing how they would respond to simple questions like: How was your day today?. In the following class I followed a more traditional model where I had set 3 key goals for the day, and I taught my students to write sentences using “verb + object” formulas and standard memorization quizzes. What I found from these two experiences is that my students wanted to be more fluent in common situations like calling their child’s schoolmaster to report an absence or book a doctor’s appointment, rather than more structured learning. This in turn made me change my classes to a more practical format that required less formal quizzes but highlighted the need to practice English in real-time.

What have you learned through your volunteer experience?  Have there been any surprises? 

I’ve learned that communication is key in coordinating your time and schedule. I prioritize my day first around my work demands, but I try to have a “safe zone” marked on my calendar to prepare for my classes.

What do you like best about volunteering with Eden Housing? 

I love seeing the smiles of my students and their children. Making others realize that they know more than they think they know is such a gratifying experience.

Are there any tips that you would share for someone else who is considering volunteering? 

Patience and commitment are the two keys of being a volunteer. Sometimes one can fall in the feeling of not feeling “appreciated” but trust me, appreciation can take many forms. We have to be patient to see the fruits of your volunteer work and committed to see our volunteering as another important part of our days, not just a side project.

Tell us something we may not know about you. Any interesting facts you’d like to share about your life? 

When I first came to the US in 2005 I did not speak English fluently and learned the language from scratch in middle school. While it was hard at first, I noticed that I had an avid fascination for video games and music videos allowed me to channel my passions with my love for learning a new language, so I started dissecting a lot of the songs I knew and translated them to Spanish or vice versa. This fun work on my free time and my daily ESL courses were fundamental in my quick growth: From being an ESL student in 2005 to entering a regular English class in 9th grade  and culminating with a score of 4 out of 5 on the AP English Language exam in 2010. I even started learning French on the side and I got a Modern Languages certification at Stanford in 2015 as part of my Bachelor’s degree.

ame: Susan Schroeder

Property: The Altenheim, Oakland

Why did you choose to volunteer with Eden Housing? I had volunteered teaching English to immigrants for two years when I saw the request for someone to teach ESL to residents at Altenheim. I have long admired The Altenheim’s peaceful, beautiful grounds in the midst of a busy, noisy city.  I had taught ESL to women with small children, so the opportunity to teach older students was appealing–especially given that I am 71 years old, so I would certainly fit in!

What have you done as a volunteer?  Please describe your role and what you have worked on. My role as a volunteer ESL teacher is to create an environment where students feel comfortable speaking up and trying to pronounce words with totally foreign sounds; teach at a level and in a way that the students can understand (I speak about three words of Chinese so there is no explaining things in their language!) and make the classes fun and relevant to the students.

What have you learned through your volunteer experience?  Have there been any surprises? I have learned a lot through my work at Altenheim! The students are eager to learn and work hard at the lessons! These older adults want to learn, partly to help them function in their new country, but also just because they want to keep learning new things, and find new challenges in life.  I deeply admire their desire to learn despite the obstacles they face.  Like me, they want to keep their brains working, even as they age.

What do you like best about volunteering with Eden Housing? I love the friendly energy at Eden Housing, the wonderful sense of humor of the students, and the staff that sometimes poke their heads in and chat for a moment. Our class is small, but brimming over with energy and enthusiasm! I believe Eden provides an essential service to our county, and does so in a gracious and warm way.

Are there any tips that you would share for someone else who is considering volunteering? I would certainly encourage anyone to volunteer at any Eden Housing community.  It is easy to sign up, clear guidelines and support are offered, and communication is maintained so that there is really no burden placed on the volunteer. But more important is that you will make friends with people you would never expect to get to know, and every time you walk away after volunteering, you will find yourself smiling and appreciating the diversity of our community. If you find yourself fretting about the world situation, or feel that you can’t do much to make a difference, come spend a few hours with Eden residents and you will see that there are so many good people in the world that we can have hope, — and have fun.

Tell us something we may not know about you. Any interesting facts you’d like to share about your life? I am a proud sixth generation Californian.  My first ancestor in California was a sailor who jumped ship (illegally) in San Francisco when the gold rush started. He was followed by my Italian Swiss ancestors, dairy ranchers who came to Sonoma County as “WOPs” – (With Out Papers), some of the first “undocumented immigrants” to arrive here!