The English Intern: The Voice Inside
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you—just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.
—Shel Silverstein
Having recently completed my master’s in English, I had realised that English language teaching (ELT) fascinated me, but it wasn’t something I wanted to specialise in. When the opportunity to work as an intern in curriculum development at CLIx presented itself, I was apprehensive, given the juncture at which my career was.I eventually decided to listen to “the voice that speaks inside” and applied for the internship.
As an intern with the English team, my initial responsibilities comprised compiling ‘Word Help’s or glossaries. These were to be used at the end of the lessons to help learners understand and use the new words they would learn. I eventually started authoring content for the team on the CLIx platform, which included putting up the content of the lessons that had been designed. Participating in the process of curriculum development, provided me a unique experience compared to what is usually associated with ELT in India. Throughout our discussions in the ELT elective course at the master’s level, grievances about English being taught as a subject rather than a language in Indian schools were commonplace. As opposed to this, CLIx’s vision to implement a communicative model of teaching is exactly what appealed to me. The sincerity and efficiency with which this vision is executed at CLIx are highly commendable. Looking back, these two months have been a huge learning for me, both as a person and as a possible teacher.
Having come to the end of my term, I can proudly say that the decision I made was a good one. I leave CLIx with best wishes for the rest of the project and with the hope that I can be of some help again, in whatever small way possible.
I learned from all this that my limits aren’t what I think they are. In fact, each time I question them, they seem to expand a little.
—Bernie Glassman
(Elloit Cardozo, Intern, English team, CLIx)
