“To be a part of opening the door for someone is so rewarding,” says Nikki Snyder. Nikki loves grammar and enjoys teaching, so volunteering with MSC to teach English was a great way to combine these two passions. While in college, Nikki was a writing tutor and worked with a lot of students who were learning English as a second language. Now, a graduate of Northwest University, Nikki volunteers with MSC’s ESL program and hopes to travel to Japan someday to teach English.
Nikki shares that teaching adults is very different than teaching college students. “Adult learners are very practical – they want to learn what to say in emergencies, how to talk to a doctor, and what to say in a job interview.” She currently has five students she works with twice a week, all of who speak Russian as their first language. Even though Nikki is unfamiliar with the Russian language, she has been able to communicate and teach them English through a defined curriculum for each class.
She remembers one of the first lessons was learning how to say hello and goodbye. The students learned formal versions, but also common sayings such as, “see you later” or “have a nice day.” Now, when the students come to class and leave class, they greet Nikki with these sayings. “They are intentionally saying it, applying what they learned, and enjoying it,” says Nikki.
Nikki teaches MSC’s ESL class in Auburn at Firwood Circle, subsidized housing run by the King County Housing Authority. MSC is able to provide classes to community members where they live because of a unique partnership with the YWCA, which runs the community center and many other programs for South King County at the complex.
Jeannette Wilde, an employment specialist at the YWCA says, “Students stop by regularly to say that Nikki is an amazing teacher. They are so thankful to learn English, and the YWCA is happy to collaborate with MSC to make this available for them.”
