18/365

It doesn't make much sense, if you think about it. We most commonly associate the letter A with apple. But we say the name of the letter A with /ā/ and the a in apple as /a/. How do you explain that to someone who doesn't speak English? And the letter C? The name of C says /see/ but the picture says cat with a /k/. Psheesh.

If you grew up speaking English, you probably just laugh and shake your head. But if you are an adult and learning English for the first time, you might rather cry. It's not an easy road.

I'm pretty sure my two new Thursday night English students would tell you that. One is a young man; one is a grandpa. (I give the abuelo a slight edge- I know his two young granddaughter tutors...) Both men enrolled in class this week, ready to learn, but not really knowing much English. In the first 30 minutes of class, we reviewed the first nine letters of the alphabet. Then, to mix things up, we worked on the first dialogue students learn in nearly any language.
"What's your name?"
"My name is (fill in your own name)."
"I'm (fill in your own name)."
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."

With a short break for brain rest, that took up our 2 hours of class. It doesn't seem like much, for a native speaker, anyway. But for a brain learning these sounds for the first time, it's a lot. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Lots of gestures. Ask him his name. Tell him your name. Tell me the letters. Fill in the missing letter. We put flashcards of A through H in order. They slapped the board with a fly swatter when they recognized the letter we called out. I cheer when they answer correctly, not at all contrived because I'm sincerely happy with them. I remembered to reward their efforts with a few pieces of chocolate. It came time to finish and they both looked tired, but asked for homework nonetheless.

"Good job! Hasta la próxima semana," I told them with a handshake. "Gracias," they told me as they left the room.

Maybe it should be A for some have entertained angels unaware...