Ola Termanini, a 17 year-old Syrian who studies early childhood education at Al Abrar Vocational institute, is one of the participants who enrolled in the elementary level VTD Pro English classes, which are being provided by the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), in coordination with WAR Child Holland, funded by NUFFIC.
Ola’s English reading and speaking skills were weak and needed improvement, and she always felt left out when any conversation among her friends took place in English. She regularly doubted her ability to make it through the cycle since day one, but with the presence of her teacher who brought all the materials down to a student’s level, Ola started showing progress. Ola has come a long way and showed better academic performance, especially when it comes to reading, in which her spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary improved.
When asked about her plans after the end of the English course, Ola said, “I think that I would be taking another English course, and I want to be working on myself to support myself more, because as a Syrian girl living in Lebanon, my best chance and only hope is education. Also, since I am studying early childhood education, I think that by improving my English skills, I can make a better impact on the children I will be teaching in the future”. Other than in the classroom, the course also helped Ola on many levels, as a result of various life skills discussions done in class. Ola learned how to better deal with her siblings at home, as well as help her brother with his assignments, something she could not do before.
Ola’s father, Ahmad Termanini and his wife Abir expressed how happy and grateful they are for this project that has changed their daughter’s life and personality. Ola’s father speaking about his daughter’s experience said, “first of all, I can honestly say that this project and the courses were of great impact and benefit. When Ola first decided to join the classes, she was hesitant and of little to no background on the major she is about to choose. To be honest, I was not confident either, and I doubted that she would succeed. However, a few weeks through the course, I was surprised by how much Ola changed, her idea of a future has changed, and her ambition and self-esteem skyrocketed. Seeing this huge change, I started motivating Ola more and more every day, and I wished that we have known about this project a long time ago, but better late than never. I also would like to point out that the idea of parent-school coordination, and creating a sense of “friendship” between school and parents is a great initiative, because it pushes everyone involved forward, and thank you for your efforts with my daughter and other students”.
Ola is among the many participants who benefitted from the VTD pro English classes, in which not only did she improve her English language, but also gained many useful life skills.
