“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
There are many things that make Heartland special, but for me, one of the most special aspects is the community. From the moment I walked into Heartland, I felt at home. On my first day I remember having technical difficulties and everyone was so helpful and supportive. I remember Keira saying to me, “I’m sorry you are having all these challenges!” It was my first day here, so her supportive words went a long way. Of course, because everyone works so well as a team, we were able to fix the problem quickly and move on with our day.
That’s just one of the many examples I can think of to show how well Heartland’s community operates. There is a team flow and support as we navigate the world of teaching and learning English. The teachers and staff help to create this flow that sets the stage for the ideal environment for students to not only learn English well, but to grow as individuals too.
As we all know, learning English is difficult, and students need an environment that fosters trying, making many mistakes, and eventually growing. They need a net to catch them when they fall so that they can get back up and try again. That’s what this healthy community does. It helps you get back up again so you can try again and again until you get it.
And not all of this learning needs to be hard and difficult. It can also be a lot of fun. In a healthy community you laugh, build friendships, and learn together. One great memory I have is when I was teaching the Intermediate 2 class. I came into the room, and the students informed me that Andre had to sing a song before we started class. Everyone was laughing and giggling, cheering Andre on to sing. Once he began singing “What a Wonderful World”, everyone went silent and listened intently while recording the performance on their phones. This was good-hearted fun, and everyone was sharing and bonding through English music.
That’s something I see time and time again in Heartland’s community as well: a bonding that happens between people. Even Teacher Scott mentioned to all of us teachers recently that he considered us his second family. Whether it’s sitting down to lunch with fellow teachers or chatting with students about everything from their hopes and dreams to their weekend plans, our community really does feel like family.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t challenges with people, situations, learning, or technology, but these bonds created within the Heartland community buffer those blows and help everyone to grow and achieve their English goals.
We have a story from Gary about how he got the name Heartland, but I often feel like Heartland is called Heartland because it’s got heart: in the frontline staff, in the teachers, in the students, and even in the building. That’s why it’s a joy to watch everything unfold here every day, and I look forward to seeing what’s next.