English Professor in Panama City Helps Families, Schools
2020-10-04
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1Every Friday afternoon, Joel Alvarez gets his disco lights and music ready.
2When he turns on the Zoom camera at 6 o'clock, he is surrounded by blue lighting, or lights of some other color.
3Sometimes, he adds a hat or a special piece of clothing.
4Then, he is ready for the party.
5But this is not just any party. It is also an English class at the University of Panama.
6And Alvarez is not just the event's D.J. He is also the professor.
7During these weekly parties, students play competitive grammar games in teams.
8The winning team gets to hear their favorite songs.
9Parties, however, are not all Alvarez's only specialty, says university student Linda Bermudez.
10"It's really nice having classes with him. We get really entertained. And we learn a lot too -- that's the more important thing. But we also get entertained with him."
11At the university, Alvarez is known for working especially hard to connect with students and help them expand their professional goals.
12He is a respected educator in Panama, involved in everything from training English teachers to planning and speaking at conferences.
13Yet, that is still only part of the story.
14Alvarez has a whole other life in humanitarian causes.
15In the past several months, that has taken the form of helping needy families and schoolchildren around Panama City.
16During the coronavirus crisis, Alvarez has been identifying local families who need food and other assistance.
17He requests and gathers donations from friends and other people.
18He goes to the stores to purchase supplies.
19And, he delivers the donations himself to the families.
20"I try to identify where is the real need...where there is impact."
21Alvarez says he visits with the families when he makes deliveries.
22He talks with parents about how important it is for their children to continue their education even with schools closed across the nation.
23Francisco Santamaria is one of Alvarez's friends and a donor.
24Sometimes he goes with Alvarez on his delivery trips.
25Santamaria likes meeting the families and hearing about their lives because, in his words, "if we are living in our bubbles, we will never know how difficult (a time) others are having."
26Alvarez says that the number of people willing to help his aid operation keeps growing.
27"Every month, more friends are joining to the group."
28In July, a friend of the professor asked their friend group to help provide aid to a local home for the elderly.
29They have been delivering food, clothing and supplies such as disinfectant products and face coverings.
30Along with providing basic necessities, Alvarez volunteers as an English teacher for children in low-income neighborhoods.
31The families of these seven, eight, and nine-year-old students do not have computers but they do have cell phones.
32So, Alvarez teaches them in small groups over video calls.
33Alvarez says changes in Panama's education system has left the country without a "strong reading culture."
34So now, he is gathering donations of books for a nearby elementary school.
35His longer-term plan is to start a reading circle program at several local schools.
36Volunteer teachers would lead the circles.
37Alvarez has done humanitarian work for a long time.
38His service includes eight years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Panama as Program Director for Teaching English, Leadership and Life Skills.
39Back in the virtual classroom, university students Linda Bermudez and Daniel Gonzalez help Professor Alvarez prepare games for their weekly grammar parties.
40Gonzalez has been studying grammar under Alvarez since the spring.
41He says the professor pays careful attention to the troubles and learning styles of each student.
42And he pushes them to identify their larger callings and goals beyond school.
43"Professor Alvarez is not only a good professor but he is a very, very, very good person."
44Gonzalez says that, to him and others, Alvarez is a guide - showing them the way to be better people, not just better students.
45I'm Alice Bryant.
1Every Friday afternoon, Joel Alvarez gets his disco lights and music ready. When he turns on the Zoom camera at 6 o'clock, he is surrounded by blue lighting, or lights of some other color. Sometimes, he adds a hat or a special piece of clothing. Then, he is ready for the party. 2But this is not just any party. It is also an English class at the University of Panama. And Alvarez is not just the event's D.J. He is also the professor. 3During these weekly parties, students play competitive grammar games in teams. The winning team gets to hear their favorite songs. Parties, however, are not all Alvarez's only specialty, says university student Linda Bermudez. 4"It's really nice having classes with him. We get really entertained. And we learn a lot too -- that's the more important thing. But we also get entertained with him." 5At the university, Alvarez is known for working especially hard to connect with students and help them expand their professional goals. He is a respected educator in Panama, involved in everything from training English teachers to planning and speaking at conferences. 6Yet, that is still only part of the story. Alvarez has a whole other life in humanitarian causes. In the past several months, that has taken the form of helping needy families and schoolchildren around Panama City. 7Helping families in need 8During the coronavirus crisis, Alvarez has been identifying local families who need food and other assistance. He requests and gathers donations from friends and other people. He goes to the stores to purchase supplies. And, he delivers the donations himself to the families. 9"I try to identify where is the real need...where there is impact." 10Alvarez says he visits with the families when he makes deliveries. He talks with parents about how important it is for their children to continue their education even with schools closed across the nation. 11Francisco Santamaria is one of Alvarez's friends and a donor. Sometimes he goes with Alvarez on his delivery trips. Santamaria likes meeting the families and hearing about their lives because, in his words, "if we are living in our bubbles, we will never know how difficult (a time) others are having." 12Alvarez says that the number of people willing to help his aid operation keeps growing. 13"Every month, more friends are joining to the group." 14In July, a friend of the professor asked their friend group to help provide aid to a local home for the elderly. They have been delivering food, clothing and supplies such as disinfectant products and face coverings. 15Along with providing basic necessities, Alvarez volunteers as an English teacher for children in low-income neighborhoods. 16The families of these seven, eight, and nine-year-old students do not have computers but they do have cell phones. So, Alvarez teaches them in small groups over video calls. 17Alvarez says changes in Panama's education system has left the country without a "strong reading culture." So now, he is gathering donations of books for a nearby elementary school. His longer-term plan is to start a reading circle program at several local schools. Volunteer teachers would lead the circles. 18More than a teacher 19Alvarez has done humanitarian work for a long time. His service includes eight years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Panama as Program Director for Teaching English, Leadership and Life Skills. 20Back in the virtual classroom, university students Linda Bermudez and Daniel Gonzalez help Professor Alvarez prepare games for their weekly grammar parties. 21Gonzalez has been studying grammar under Alvarez since the spring. He says the professor pays careful attention to the troubles and learning styles of each student. And he pushes them to identify their larger callings and goals beyond school. 22"Professor Alvarez is not only a good professor but he is a very, very, very good person." 23Gonzalez says that, to him and others, Alvarez is a guide - showing them the way to be better people, not just better students. 24I'm Alice Bryant. 25Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 26________________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28disco (lights) - n. special lights that are meant to look like lights in a nightclub 29D.J. - n. (disc jockey) a person who plays recorded music on the radio or at a party or nightclub 30entertain - v. to provide amusement for someone by singing, acting or doing something else 31impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect 32bubble - n. a condition in which similar members of a community reinforce their shared experiences 33elderly - n. people who are old or rather old 34low-income - n. people who earn less than, or at least not much more than, the poverty level 35style - n. a particular way in which something is done, created or performed