Introducing a Special Lady--Ines Beron

A few days ago I received an e-mail that warmed my heart. It was from the lady whose name appears in the title of this post. She was informing me that she had just been appointed to a position on the Board of Human Rights for the City of Worcester. She was thanking me for having been her English as a Second Language teacher and having encouraged her to believe in herself. Ines couldn't have known it, but her e-mail came at a very good time for me which may become clear as time goes on. I gave a copy of that e-mail to another person whom I think of as sort of special in this community. But let me tell you about Ines...
I first met Ines when I was teaching Level 3 ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) at the Worcester Adult Learning Center back in 2004. Ines is from Montevideo, Uruguay. At the time I was just beginning to experiment with what is known as "blogging" with adult students. My idea was simple. I felt if I could get the student to write on the computer, I could learn a lot. First I could learn what grammar I had to teach. Secondly, I could correct their writing using capital letters for corrections, Then I would give the corrected version back to the student along with the original. Comparisons could be made, and that is how learning takes place: Trial and error, write and rewrite. It wasn't easy, but it was rewarding when it worked. What I say today (2009)is, give me some laptops, a wifi room, a bunch of students, and get out of my way!
Ines was a great student and took to blogging really well. If I remember right, she taught me things about the computer! I remember one day that she wanted to teach the class something about Uruguayan culture. Well, she brought in a drink similar to coffee that everyone drinks in her country that is called EL MATE. Well, if you are a man, and you don't have any hair on your chest and you want to grow some, just take a few drinks of this stuff! Wow, is it strong!!! I drank it, but you have to get used to it. It is hard to describe except to say it is stronger than any coffee you have EVER tasted.
Ines Beron has been involved very much in the Worcester community. She belongs to a group called Women Together. This group formed when one of its members sons was killed in gang violence. They work to improve neighborhoods. Through hard work and sheer determination they took the empty lot on which stood the old Winslow Street School and caused the Peace Park to stand there today. I was told that on another day this group cleaned Pleasant Street from Harrington Corner to Park Avenue! Now, with that kind of record of community service, is it any wonder this lady was chosen to be a member of the Human Rights Commission??
But how did our relationship continue for five years? After all, I had not yet become the Level 4 teacher then and Level 3 was the end of the line. Well, after Ines left the school, she continued to communicate with me by e-mail and became a blogger with a penname in 2005. Most students chose to write as "bloggers" using a penname and that was fine with me as long as I could keep them straight. Ines would write, I would correct it, and that would be it. Then she dropped off for quite a few months.
Now I am going to skip ahead to the fall of 2007. I had already left (under circumstances that were less than desirable) the Adult Learning Center and I had a commitment to make a presentation at the Network 2007 Adult Education Conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Coalition of Adult Educators (MCAE) of which I am a member which was being held at a hotel in Marlboro. The title of my presentation was "Blogging with ESOL Student". My problem was, I was an unemployed teacher without a class and I desperately needed an up to date blog from a student to demonstrate to the audience of administrators and teachers. I put the word out to former students of my plight and who but Ines answered my need. She wrote a story for me so that I could demonstrate the technique to the assembled audience. Ines wrote under her penname and I let on to nobody that the badge that I wore telling where I worked was a FAKE. (I wrote a blog about this which is in the archives.)
Later I wrote an e-mail to Ines and told her how she saved me because I had no posts at all to demonstrate until she came through for me. Whew! In appreciation, I told her that she could write on my blog FOREVER, and I would correct whatever she wrote as long as she wished.
Ines Beron is uniquely qualified for a position such as being a member of a board for Human Rights. She is extremely sensitive on that subject. Just mention Cinco De Mayo to her and you will soon know what I mean. Her country and those nearby suffered terribly at the hands of very bad dictatorships and the ladies in white kerchiefs have become famous.
I could write on forever about this gem of a lady but I hope I have said enough so that those who may read this will know that our city has a fine citizen serving on one of its boards!