English Professor in Panama City Helps Families, Schools

English Professor in Panama City Helps Families, Schools

Every Friday afternoon, Joel Alvarez gets his disco lights and music ready. When he turns on the Zoom¹ camera at 6 o'clock, he is surrounded by blue lighting², or lights of some other color. Sometimes, he adds a hat or a special piece of clothing. Then, he is ready for the party.

But 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.

During 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 specialty³, says university student Linda Bermudez.

"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."

At 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.

Yet, that is still only part of the story. Alvarez has a whole other life in humanitarian⁴ causes. In the past several months, that has taken the form of helping⁵ needy⁶ families and schoolchildren around Panama City.

Helping families in need

During 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.

"I try to identify where is the real need...where there is impact."

Alvarez 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.

Francisco Santamaria is one of Alvarez's friends and a donor⁷. 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."

Alvarez says that the number of people willing to help his aid operation keeps growing.

"Every month, more friends are joining to the group."

In 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.

Along with providing basic necessities, Alvarez volunteers as an English teacher for children in low-income neighborhoods.

In 2019, Alvarez was a volunteer English teacher for a local elementary school. Because of the pandemic, he now teaches the students online through video calls.

In 2019, Alvarez was a volunteer English teacher for a local elementary school. Because of the pandemic, he now teaches the students online through video calls.

The 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.

Alvarez says changes in Panama's education system has left the country without a "strong reading culture." So now, he is gathering⁸ 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.

More than a teacher

Alvarez has done humanitarian work for a long time. His service includes eight years in the U.S. Peace Corps⁹ in Panama as Program Director for Teaching English, Leadership and Life Skills.

Back in the virtual classroom, university students Linda Bermudez and Daniel Gonzalez help Professor Alvarez prepare games for their weekly grammar parties.

Gonzalez 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.

"Professor Alvarez is not only a good professor but he is a very, very, very good person."

Gonzalez says that, to him and others, Alvarez is a guide – showing them the way to be better people, not just better students.

Words in This Story

disco (lights) – n. special lights that are meant to look like lights in a nightclub

D.J. – n. (disc jockey) a person who plays recorded music on the radio or at a party or nightclub

entertain – v. to provide amusement for someone by singing, acting¹⁰ or doing something else

impact – n. a powerful or major influence or effect

bubble – n. a condition in which similar members of a community reinforce their shared experiences

elderly – n. people who are old or rather old

low-income – n. people who earn less than, or at least not much more than, the poverty level

style – n. a particular way in which something is done, created or performed

1 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

7 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。