Issues of constraint and power: The creation of English language center in Esteli, Nicaragua

Bilingual Research Journal, Winter 1997 by Cindy A Brantmeier

After two months of operation, we had over 200 students enrolled in English classes, and we began a search for an additional teacher for the faculty. Because of the overblown media coverage in the USA of the counter-revolution in the Northern regions of Nicaragua, we could not recruit any teachers from Wisconsin. We reconsidered the practice of only recruiting native English speakers for the first year of the project, and we questioned the administrations' pedagogical theories regarding this issue. The Nicaraguan stakeholders insisted that we only hire teachers from the USA; they felt that the center would lose popularity and marketability if we hired local Nicaraguan teachers. In the end we convinced them that if we drew upon the Estilian community, we would strengthen our program with the expertise of a Nicaraguan. We recruited a man who had lived in Los Angeles for 7 years, and whose English was exceptional. In the beginning we hired him as an aide and cultural resource, but after much teacher training and observations of our classes, he began teaching his own classes. Auerbach (1993) indicates that "credentialed ESL/bilingual educators and community based bilingual educators can work together through a process of mutual training to share their knowledge, establish partnerships, and learn from each others' experiences" (p. 30). Phillii)son's (1992) research on the native speaker ideal for ESL demonstrates that non-native teachers of ESL may be better qualified than native speakers, if they have gone through the complex process of acquiring English as a second or foreign language, have insight into the linguistic and cultural needs of their learners, a detailed awareness of how mother tongue and target language differ and what is difficult for learners, and first-hand experience of using a second or foreign language (p. 14).

Having the same linguistic and cultural background as the Esteli students, our Nicaraguan teacher helped us break the dominant pedagogical paradigm, and eventually after we native speaker teachers left the country, our Nicaraguan teacher became the Director of the center.

Our best laid plans were put to the test again when the government began regulating electricity for the country. Before implementing the project, we had planned and prepared for the fact that we would not have access to a wide range of teaching aids and technologies, but we took for granted that we would have electric power and lights to hold our class sessions at night. When the government shut off electric power for 3 hours a night every other day, we had to rearrange our teaching schedules, and we actually taught some classes by candlelight. Likewise, we were not prepared for other outside pressures, such as the change in seasons. When the tropical rainy season started, we had to remain in our homes for days because of the flooding and because of the illnesses that spread as fast as the rain poured down. Our assumptions and expectations about the surroundings were wrong, and we were forced to cope with the unplanned happenings, whether they were political, cultural, or environmental.