In the month of March, Houstonians are focused on one thing - the Rodeo! Unofficially beginning with Go Texan Day, which was on February 27 this year, the Houston Rodeo brings music, excitement, and the spirit of competition to town.
Our ESL students had the opportunity to learn roping and line dancing, eat a traditional BBQ lunch, and even visit the Houston Rodeo last Friday evening! All the fun began in early March, when our ESL students met on the lawn of the Anderson-Clarke Center after class to learn how to rope like a cowboy.
The roping teacher set up a fake bull with two large horns as the target, and it took some practice before they were able to successfully loop around one of the horns. The activity was definitely harder than it looked, but each student had a lot of fun learning and getting a small preview of some of the events that are held at the Rodeo!
A few weeks later, our students got the opportunity to line dance - an annual tradition at the Anderson-Clarke Center! Each year, we invite volunteers from the Houston Rodeo to show us the steps in many popular line-dancing songs, which is always a hit with students. This time, it was also the first day of the spring session, so students were able to begin their studies with a bit of fun and excitement after class!
Before the line-dancing began, students sat down for a savory barbeque lunch. With a variety of meats and sides available, it was a great chance for many of the students to try one of Houston’s most popular cuisines. You can’t go wrong with some delicious Texas BBQ!
As always, social activities are a great way to bring our different class levels together in a single place. Since this was the first day of the new session, it also gave students a chance to meet some new friends and get to know their classmates a little better!
Once everyone had eaten their fill of barbeque, the line dancing fun began. One of the volunteers explained some of the history and significance of the Houston Rodeo before inviting all the students and teachers to line up and learn the steps.
Students danced to four popular line-dancing tunes, learning and practicing each step before finally dancing to the whole song. All of the students appreciated the clear and easy directions from the volunteers, and by the end of the event, everyone was line dancing like a professional!
Later that same week, ESL students got the chance to attend the Houston Rodeo. The weather was nice and crisp, which was perfect for seeing the carnival, rides, and cowboy hat shops outdoors. When the stadium gates opened at 6:45, the show began with a variety of rodeo events and led to the Shaboozey concert at the end of the night.
The seats inside NRG Stadium gave each student a sweeping view of the arena and of each competition - from mutton bustin’ to bull riding! Our students found themselves laughing, taking photos and filming each event as the night continued.
Some student favorites were the bull riders, who are always the highlights of the night, but the wagon racers also put on quite a show that had everyone at the edge of their seats. And, of course, the calf scramble provided some laughs and entertainment as the students watched on to see who would bring in a calf first.
At the end of the night, Shaboozey took the stage for a memorable performance, which had all the students dancing in their seats. Even a few former students and teachers joined us for the Rodeo Night, and everyone had a wonderful time getting to participate in this traditional Houston event.
Thank you for reading this social activity recap on our blog. We have even more excitement and social activities coming up soon for our ESL students, so stay tuned for more!
By Hadrian Barbosa