Why Choose the English Club?
Well, in the first place, we are the only school outside of town, away from the maddening crowd. In the second place, the founder and director is a Northamerican, who has spent half of his life in Latin American, teaching and learning about the languages and cultures. As a result, he has devised a foolproof method on the approach to learning these languages, which is approved by the Minister of Education of Guatemala, while enjoying a great sucess in practical, classroom application.
Our unique plan offers: four hours of daily study; a private teacher, with the option of changing him or her every week. The instruction is tailored to the level and need of the student. It is not unusual therefore, to have someone who is getting a PdD as a linguist to come to study K'iche with us, as well as someome who wants to learn Spanish in order to travel.
We have a trained faculty staff with seasoned teachers, who are specialists in the Spanish language and the Latin American political and social culture in general.
The director, who is a professor of English at San Carlos University and member of the Mayan Writers Association, has the following books out on the market: A two volume study of the post-Classic Maya; a translation or Recordación Florida by Fuentes y Guzman, and a two volume series of short stories entitled: Latin Stories/Cuentos Latinos. All of this material is used in the class and in later discussed in small groups once a week.
It´s a good way to get to meet the other students and teachers. You can also get together in our coffee house, where we listen to classical music, play chess and enjoy italian and Guatemalan food. Of course it´s all done in the language you are studying: Spanich, Ki´che or Mam, but the director is usually there to offer assistance in English when necesary.
Most of the people at English Club, I.L.S. have been together since it was founded in 1978 and the institute has acquired a respectability of excellence by the local citizens and foreign students alike. It is quite gratifying to see people who are trying to speak Spanish and people who are tring to speak English, locking into each other. One seems to understand the other´s difficulty and an unspoken sympathy evolves, and making the world a little bit smaller.
That´s why we think at English Club, I.L.S. we are differentt and we´re proud of the idea of trying to make a bridge between the Americas.