Many of A-B Tech’s English Language Acquisition (ELA) instructors have taught across the globe before landing in Asheville. ELA instructor Dave Shimek has never taught abroad, but he has taught in a world not many teachers have traveled. The 57-year-old California native is a private English language instructor for the Asheville Tourists. When he first began teaching the team last season, classes were held on McCormick Field at picnic tables next to the bullpen.
“The pitchers were warming up right next to us,” Shimek said. “You could see the coaches and manager in the field. The players would look over and say, “There’s my friend!”
Though he made the best of the situation, Shimek admits he was relieved when construction began on the field and classes moved to the players’ West Asheville apartment building. These days, he works in a conference room just steps from the players' front doors.
Fifteen of the team’s 35 players are presently polishing their English skills. Originally from Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, Shimek’s students range in age from 18 to 24 and have been playing baseball for much of their lives. Shimek has been teaching ELA classes at A- B Tech for 12 years and currently teaches one beginner level evening class on campus. A former high school social studies teacher, he realized secondary school wasn’t for him and found his way to teaching ELA through a library volunteer opportunity in Las Vegas, where he and his wife lived in 2002.
Shimek taught ELA at community colleges in Oregon, Seattle, and Nevada, landing a 'Teacher of the Year' award, before moving to Asheville in 2015. He began teaching the Tourists two years ago when a colleague leaving the position asked if he would be interested. “I felt I should try a new challenge,” he said. “I knew it would be very different from classroom work.”
Shimek teaches the Tourists twice a week and tailors his morning lessons to what’s happening on and off the field. One of his greatest challenges is keeping his students’ attention away from their smartphones. Instead of banning them, Shimek decided to incorporate their phones into his 45-minute lessons, starting each class with grammar quizzes and games. “They’re all about games because they’re competitive,” he said.
After 15 minutes of games, Shimek switches to discussing how their last baseball game went. The last 15 minutes are spent on debate, where students practice agreeing or disagreeing about topics related to baseball and their lives. Recent topics include: “I’m responsible for my own mental health”; “Baseball has been very good to me”; and “former players have regrets about their careers”. Shimek credits his A-B Tech colleague Kristin Erhard with sparking the idea for this activity.
“It helps them realize their opinions,” he said, adding. “I want them to think also about life outside of baseball because only one in 50 players make it to the major leagues."
Shimek also coaches the players in self-advocacy. Time is spent on practicing how to approach the personal trainer or team manager with questions. “They learn to ask for what they need to heal their bodies or to ask for more playing time, or more instruction,” Shimek said.
The Tourists gig, Shimek said, comes with many perks. It's great to be around professional ball players who are passionate about what they do. His students are also kind, affectionate, and family-oriented. Many, he said, value spirituality and a relationship with a higher power, some even training to be priests while playing on the team.
Perhaps the worst part of the job, Shimek said, is when a player gets pulled off the team and sent away unexpectedly because he was moved up, down, or released. “I will say, ‘what happened to [so and so] and everyone is very upset and bothered. That’s the reality of their jobs. It’s a business,” Shimek said.
One of Shimek’s favorite parts of teaching ELA classes is that he gets to travel without leaving the classroom. He also enjoys providing a solid home base for his students, who are far from loved ones and often traveling on the road to far-flung American cities.
Kenna Sommer, Director of Transitional Studies, where the ELA program is housed, pointed out that Shimek’s naturally warm personality is perfectly suited for this job: “Dave makes the classroom a welcoming place where students feel at ease.”