Cindy Smith

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"I always liked reading and writing and I wanted to help others, but I didn't know how to go about it until I saw your advertisement. I was trained as a Reading/Writing tutor in 2004 and worked with two students. I was getting frustrated because I felt the student I was working with did not have much motivation - we were going backwards. I decided to train as an ESL tutor after talking to another tutor at the Volunteer Recognition. I was trained in September 2008 and was matched with a Chinese student right away. I love this. I love the "aha" moments when you know the student understands. My student is so eager to learn - he asks questions, he emails me, he wants to talk as much as possible. It's very rewarding working with a student who wants to learn. I find TFL a warm and welcoming place to work and the staff is very helpful."

Cindi works with a young Chinese man. When he arrived at TFL, he could speak only a few words of English. He was shy and reticent. Now, he is able to ask for help in stores and speak to Americans he meets. He is learning rapidly and becoming more confident each week - he now exchanges comments with the staff when he arrives and leaves the office.