School’s out for Hilary!

School’s out for summer for our English language students – but school’s out forever for long-serving volunteer teacher, Hilary Bennison. She’s finally retiring from her role as a Language & Learning teacher after 11 years of dedicated service. The photograph above is from an end of year trip with some of her students. We caught up with her before she said goodbye…

How did you first get involved with Action Foundation?

It all began with a fortuitous meeting with a friend in Newcastle Airport. We were both waiting to board the same flight to Prague and got chatting. She said she had recently retired from teaching and had started volunteering at Action Foundation and was really enjoying it. I was still working full-time (at the Open University) but retirement was only six months away so I was already beginning to think about what I would do in my spare time. I got in touch and asked if I could come in and find out more – and the rest is history. I started as a Teaching Assistant one month after I retired.

What have been your highlights in that time?

After 18 months as a Teaching Assistant and supporting a number of different teachers, I decided I would like to train as a teacher myself. Action Language (now Language & Learning) staff were very supportive, and as soon as I had completed the CELTA at Newcastle College, I was given my own class.

I have really enjoyed meeting students from so many different countries. They have taught me a huge amount – about different cultures and languages, about how to adapt to a strange country where you can’t understand the language, about priorities in times of change, and above all about the strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity. So many of the students have experienced unimaginable ordeals.

Are there any students you’ve taught who stand out in your memory?

Too many to mention individually, but I remember being very impressed by a class I taught at Byker library which was largely made up of Afghans who had arrived in the UK via the Afghan Resettlement Scheme after the fall of Kabul in 2021. I was particularly struck by their determination to give something back to the community where they were living in the East End of Newcastle. One student took his young family on litter-picking outings every Sunday and encouraged his neighbours to join him, others were volunteering at local food banks and at their children’s primary school.

Then there was the young Ukrainian woman who had brought her two daughters to Newcastle leaving her husband behind to fight the Russians. They knew nobody when they arrived, but were eventually housed in a small attic room with a shared kitchen and bathroom . Despite the difficulties they faced, she showed huge determination to get her children settled into schools, to come to English classes herself and eventually to improve her language skills enough to get a job. The last time I saw her she said her eldest daughter had got into university here.

What would you say to anyone who was thinking of volunteering their time as an English Teaching Assistant/Teacher?

Being able to speak the language is absolutely vital for our students if they want to get a job or navigate their way through the bureaucracy necessary to remain in this country. I would tell anyone considering becoming a volunteer that it is a hugely enjoyable and worthwhile thing to do, and that they will find their lives are enriched in many different ways.

Tell us about the amazing fundraising feat you completed for Action Foundation

I had never done a physical challenge before, but remember reading about someone who had swum the equivalent distance of crossing the English channel from England to France (21 miles) but in their local swimming pool. I am not a particularly strong swimmer, but enjoyed ploughing up and down my local pool a couple of times a week, and thought this might be quite an appropriate and challenging way to raise money for Action Foundation. I said that I would do it within 12 weeks, and had metaphorically swum far enough to catch sight of the French coastline when Covid happened and the baths were immediately closed. I did go on to complete the swim when the baths reopened, but felt disappointed that I hadn’t been able to complete with the time restraint. (Editor’s note: Hilary raised more than £1,000 to help asylum seekers and refugees).

What are you most looking forward to now you’re properly retiring?

I am in the process of downsizing into a smaller house so my immediate plans are all to do with decluttering – but once settled in our new home I will definitely be looking for something else to do with my time – but not something that requires as much preparation! It will be good to have more freedom to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Scotland, and to spend more time in my beloved allotment.