language center
The Language Centre
Vocabulary
| hire | way (2) | show around |
| consist | decorate | feature |
| costume | play (2) | Halloween |
| session | resource | administration |
| vacant | locker | shake hands |
| vague | familiar | put away |
| arrange | pinpoint | head teacher |
| desk-chair | conference |
The Queen’s Language Centre.
It was my first day at The Queen’s Language Centre. I had just been hired as an English language instructor.
The director, Mrs. Rivers, showed me around the school.
Photographs
At the entrance way, numerous, large photographs hung from the walls. “Here are some of our students and instructors,” she explained.
Each photo featured a teacher with his or her class. The student groups consisted of young adults, older adults with business suits, teenagers and children.
There were also youngsters in costumes as part of drama plays or Halloween parties.
Star Pupil
“And this was our star pupil,” Mrs. Rivers said, pointing to a little girl in a photo.
“By the time she was just ten years old, she could already speak Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, as well as English!”
WOW!
Incredible.
The Teachers’ Room
Mrs. Rivers took me to other parts of the centre: the classrooms, front desk and administrative office.
Almost all the classes were in session that afternoon, so we entered the one that was vacant. It contained a sixteen chair desks: one in the front in front of a white board and fifteen arranged in a semi-circle. Posters of scenes of the UK decorated the walls.
She then led me to the teachers’ room.
Here Mrs. Rivers showed me the photocopier and teachers’ resource library: a huge shelf filled with coursebooks, exercise books, activity books and other teaching and learning material.
End of the Session
Just then, a bell rang.
“This hour’s session is over,” she said.
Soon I could hear chatter and students walking past. They were followed by the language instructors who came into the teachers’ room.
“Tom, this is Linda, one of our English teachers,” said Mrs. Rivers. We shook hands.
This went on with a few other instructors.
The Head Teacher
Mrs. Rivers then brought me over to a teacher putting her things away in the one of the teachers’ lockers.
“Valery, this is Tom. He’s a new teacher from Cork, Ireland. Tom this is Valery. She’s the head teacher.”
Familiar
Valery looked vaguely familiar. I could have sworn I had seen her before . . . but I couldn’t quite pinpoint where.
“You look familiar. Were you at the teachers’ conference in Porto last year?” I asked Valery.
“No, I’ve never been to the Ireland before.”
“It’s in Portugal,” I informed her. “And so what did you just teach, a TOEFL or IELTS preparation class?”
“No, not this time. I just got through a French class with teenagers.”
“Oh, you are a French teacher?”
“Yes. But I also teach Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, as well as English.”
Questions
1. Who is Tom? Where was he?
2. Who is Mrs. Rivers? What did she do?
3. Was there anything in the entrance way?
4. Only university students study at the Queen’s Language Centre. Is this true or false?
5. The maximum number of students per class is sixteen. Yes or no? What did they see in the classroom?
6. What was in the teachers’ room? What happened there?
7. Who is Valery?
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A. Have you studied at a language center? Describe it.
B. Do you know any polyglots? What are their jobs?
