Chance encounter

Yesterday I made a quick stop at Holy Land on my way home from work for some groceries. While in the checkout line, I realized that a learner that had previously been in my class was checking out in front of me. She noticed me; we said hello, and then she asked, “Do you remember where I am from?” I answered, “Of course, from school!” Her eyes brightened, and she told me that I had a good memory. The cashier finished ringing her up, we exchanged goodbyes, and she hurried off outside into the snow.

Though the entire exchange lasted under a minute, our brief conversation proved to be thought provoking. Since I only see my students in the context of the classroom, it’s easy to forget that they live and work in my community. It was wonderful to see a familiar face from class in the rhythm of my everyday life. Clearly she had been touched that I remembered her, but the feeling was mutual. I couldn’t help but think about how different community life would be if more people had the chance to interact with immigrant and refugee populations or even just their neighbors in general.

Our class has a few weeks off until the end of the year. While the extra time in my schedule is welcome at this time of the year, I do miss the learners. Happy holidays!

Snow

Today's thick snowfall made me predict that our class would be quite tiny. I was wrong! Although we started with just two students, by an hour into class, ten more had arrived.

I asked the students what they thought of the snow and most gave me a scornful look. Leah, from Sudan, said, "Teacher, the roads are so dirty today!" Samira told me that her van had spun in a circle on a side street near her home. I asked her if she drove to school today, and she replied that she did. "English classes are very important to me, Teacher," she replied, "But I still don't like the snow!" Other learner said that the snow made them homesick for winters in their native countries.

Inspired by their dogged perseverance to attend class, I asked how learning English made them feel. They responded:

• Happy
• Glad that I have good teachers
• Excited but sometimes stressed
• Nervous when I don’t know new words
• Good because I can find a job
• Happy but tired because it is very hard for me

I was happy to see that falling snow and blustery weather wouldn't stop my stalwart students.

Fat in Fast Foods

Susan, the nutritionist from the from the University of Minnesota Simply Good Eating program, returned to our class today, much to the delight of the learners.

Students took a survey about how often they ate fast food. Most rarely ate fast food, though some reported eating it once or twice a week. Susan was impressed; she said one women in another class consumed fast food five times a week or more. Learners stated that price, convenience and flavor influenced them to eat fast food.

Students talked about how some of them had gained weight since coming to the U.S. They brainstormed the following reasons:
• cheap junk food
• eating fast foods
• drinking soda
• too much sitting at work
• driving everywhere instead of walking

The nutritionist told learners that a healthy adult needs about 60 grams of fat a day. She gave examples of foods and variable fat content depending on the method of preparation. For example, a baked potato alone contains zero grams of fat, mashed potatoes with butter have approximately 5 grams of fat, and French fries can have anywhere from 19-30 grams of fat, depending on the portion size.

Students completed a worksheet in which they circling the food in a pair that they believed contained the most fat. One pair tripped up nearly everyone; learners guessed that a taco salad would have less fat than a soft shell bean burrito. In fact, depending on the salad ingredients, taco salad can have anywhere from 600 – 900 calories, whereas a typical soft-shell burrito without cheese and other ingredients can have as few as 300. The nutritionist passed out a handout with healthier options at fast food restaurants with tips such as eating skinless chicken or taco salads without the shell.

Learners analyzed pictures of fast food meals with the nutritional information. Depicted meals were from fast food restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Taco Bell and Burger King and contained various combinations, such as two burgers and a large Coke or one taco with a small side salad. Students had to identify the collective calories and amount of fat in the meal, as well as how many minutes it would take to walk off the meal.

One of the more astounding meals consisted of a quarter-pounder with cheese, medium fries, coke and an apple pie from McDonalds. This combination contained over 1,250 calories and 59 grams of fat – a whole day’s worth. It would take approximately 307 minutes or over 5 hours to walk this meal off! All of the learners were blown away by these statistics. Amira commented, “It’s really very terrible. Thank you, teacher for telling us this information!”

Giving thanks

After explaining some typical traditions surrounding Thanksgiving, learners listed what they were thankful for:

• My family
• Being healthy
• My teachers at school
• My car
• That my children can go to college here
• Food to eat and my children
• My parents and how they took care of me
• My job
• Time off to rest with my family

Everyone was excited that they had the week off from classes next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Teaching grammar

One thing that amazes me about the teacher I work with is her ability to seamlessly incorporate grammar into a contextualized writing lesson that draws from the experience of the students. Today we worked on questions starting with “Do you know how to” and “Would you like to.” My teacher wrote the following simple definitions after introducing questions one at a time:

Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?
Do you know how to = Can you

Would you like to know how to fly an airplane?
Would you like to = Do you want to

Students immediately understood the more complex way of asking the question after seeing the simple definitions. The teacher did not have to launch into a detailed grammatical explanation, but the students understood meaning through the context and practiced different forms of the answer, as they responded to the questions and asked their partner. (Yes, I do know how to ride a motorcycle. No, I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. Yes, she/he does . . . No, she/he doesn’t . . . )

Sometimes grammar can feel very daunting to teach, but doing so in a manner where meaning is emphasized over a strict repetition of grammatical forms seems easier to both teach and understand. My teacher also does this with vocabulary words. Today she defined “ride” as “sit and go.” There was a collective “ohhh” of understanding as all of the learners instantly were able to envision the verb. Through the use of pictures and simplified definitions, my teacher is able to aid learners in grasping new vocabulary and structures of English.

When you were a child . . .

Today learners wrote about things pertaining to their childhood. They seemed to enjoy this topic and became quite animated while sharing their answers.

When you were a child, what was your favorite animal?
• Peacocks
• Birds
• Baby goats
• Cows and calves
• Horses on my farm
• Tigers (though this was hotly contested by some students who said they hated wild cats because they attacked humans)
• Brightly colored fish
• Camels
• Chickens

What did you like to do when you were a child?
• Play with my friends
• Swim in the river
• Help my dad feed the animals
• Cook with my mom
• Play games with my sister

Where did you like to play?
• Under my bed
• In the yard
• At the park
• Near the river
• Under the kitchen table

What did you like to eat?
• Candy
• Mangos and papayas
• Honey and bread
• Cookies and pizza
• Milk
• Spaghetti
• Bananas


I was struck by how many answers were similar between students from vastly different parts of the world. In some respects, children are children the world around.

Studying sugar

Today’s class period focused on healthy beverages and was led by Susan, from the University of Minnesota Simply Good Eating program. Throughout the lesson, the students were highly engaged and asked numerous questions. First, students surveyed their peers to find out the answers to the following questions:

1. What do you drink when you are really thirsty?
2. What is one healthy beverage?
3. Do you drink tap water?

The majority of students said they drank water when they were very thirsty. For question two, answers were varied but most were juices, milk and water. One student answered Sunny Delight and another mentioned coffee. Susan explained the negative effects of caffeine and taught the students how to check labels to discover how much juice beverages contained, the ideal being 100% vegetable or fruit juice.

Most students said that they drank tap water, though some said they didn’t. One student said she didn’t like the taste, and another said she heard that you could get depression from drinking tap water. Susan assured the learners that tap water in this area is good to drink. I’m always glad for these lessons after hearing some of the bizarre misconceptions learners hold.

For the final activity, the students each picked an empty beverage can of differing varieties – fruit cocktails, various sodas, fruit punches, fruit juices, coffee drinks, tomato juice, etc. Their task was to use the label to determine how many grams of sugar and subsequent tablespoons each contained.

Everyone presented their findings to the class. The healthiest drink was V8 tomato juice with only one teaspoon of sugar. The most shocking result was the energy drink AMP made by Mountain Dew – the 24 ounce can had about 87 grams of sugar – nearly 22 teaspoons! Learners were shocked to find out how much sugar was in beverages they regularly consumed.

Ali proudly stated at the end of class, “Well, Coca-Cola is going to be loosing one of its best
customers – me!” He said that he went through multiple cans a day but was planning to quit after learning about the sugar and caffeine content. He emphatically thanked the nutritionist, and everyone in the class said they wanted her to come every week.

Student authors to share their work

School was on break this week, but I wanted to share this upcoming event. It's quite inspiring, and you get the chance to meet and support adult learners!

Journeys Reading
Adult learners from diverse programs throughout Minnesota will come together to share their voices in celebration of MLC's annual publication, Journeys: An Anthology of Adult Student Writings. Honor their dedication and hard work as they read original stories, poems and autobiographical pieces.

Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 pm

Loft Literary Center (Open Book)
Loft Literary Performance Hall
1011 Washington St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415

The public is welcome and no RSVP or registration is required.

Fall Tutoring Kickoff

Interested in meeting other volunteers while improving your tutoring skills? Attend the Minnesota Literacy Council's Fall Tutoring Kickoff! This mini-conference will feature a variety of 45-minute sessions designed to give you fresh activities and ideas.

Saturday, October 17 from 8:30 am - 12 noon

MLC Learning Center - Lake Street
2700 E Lake Street, Second Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55406

FREE

Register online here: www.themlc.org/registrationform

What do you learn in school?

When asked in class today, here were some of the learner's responses:

• Reading, writing and speaking English
• Things about other countries from people in my class
• American culture
• How to look for and work at a job in Minnesota
• Computer skills
• Words to talk to my kid’s teacher
• Pronunciation
• Food safety
• English conversation skills that help me to have more opportunities

Clearly the skills they are aquiring go far beyond the classroom. It was a good reminder of why I volunteer and the impact adult basic education has on the lives of the learners.

Conversation Circles

On occasion, I help out in an English conversation circle at the Saint Paul Arlington Hills library on Thursday nights. This has been a great experience in addition to volunteering at Metro North – the format is casual, as we break into small groups based on language ability and just talk for about an hour. It’s easy to connect with learners on an individual level, and if possible, we encourage the learners to select topics and initiate conversation.

At the conversation circle this week, I met an incredibly inspiring learner. Marco has been in the United States for three years and only began taking English classes this past January. I had split off with a group of three advanced learners, and it was readily apparent that his language skills were the most sophisticated in the room. His passionate drive to learn English seemed to radiate out of him, affecting all those around him.

He told me that his top three goals are to 1) learn English, 2) learn English and 3) learn English. Marco holds two jobs and goes to English classes at two different adult learning centers when his schedule permits, in addition to the English conversation circle. He wakes up at two or three in the morning to deliver newspapers, and then goes to his full time job at a moving company, sometimes in total working up to 16-20 hour days. Marco said he attends English classes as much as he can; he spoke appreciatively of teachers who were willing to give him lessons to take home to study. In spite of his seemingly impossible schedule, Marco did not complain. He simply said that it was all necessary for him to learn English, and that nothing could get in the way of this goal. His family – his wife and two young daughters – live in Guatemala. When he has learned what he has deemed to be enough English, Marco will return to his native country to teach his daughters the language so that they will have more opportunities in life.

Marco asked the other learners in the group about their learning goals. One of the other learners in my group told me that Marco has been instrumental in his English language learning process, saying that when he feels to tired to go to class, he thinks of Marco and all he has sacrificed to learn English. He said that Marco inspires him to continue his education, something that he views as necessary to survive and be successful in the United States. Marco’s tenacious attitude and work ethic obviously inspire those around him, students and teachers alike.

A Lesson in Empathy

On Sunday I returned from a respite from volunteering and work; I was lucky enough to spend the last two weeks in August on an amazing European vacation traveling in France and Italy! While I have previously traveled quite a bit, it was the first time I went to countries where I or someone I was traveling with did not know the language. While nearly everyone we encountered was extremely patient and kind as I struggled to express myself through pantomiming and my hastily assembled handful of French or Italian phrases, I was reminded of my students learning English.

Every small task, from ordering meals to purchasing train tickets, became a potentially exhausting endeavor, often rife with miscommunication. Clearly most of these encounters were not life threatening and provided more laughs than headaches, but I couldn’t help thinking about learners in my class who struggle to use English to make doctor’s appointments, read prescription labels, decipher bank statements, enroll their children in school and perform other essential functions.

I hope to remember the range of feelings that accompany navigating a country in a language foreign to me, especially the challenge, frustration, and at times humiliation of not being able to express myself, acquire information or even just chat with people.

Clearly vacationing in Europe does not even begin to compare to the varying experiences of the immigrants and refugees in my class learning English, and while most Europeans I spoke with knew at least some English, many students’ native tongue is not spoken by, or sometimes has never even been heard of by many United States citizens. However, being immersed in the language barrier challenge for two weeks has given me an even greater admiration for the students’ determination. I suspect the experience will translate into more patience in the classroom.

If we were to travel to your former country . . .

Today we did a writing activity that incorporated new vocabulary words as well as geography. My co-teacher and I wrote questions on the board which the students had to copy and answer in complete sentences. After each question, we did the activity where the students walked around the room asking others the question they had just answered.

These were the questions we answered:

If we were to travel to your former country . . .
• To what continent would we go?
• How would we travel?
• What weather would we expect?
• What type of clothes should we take?
• What languages would we hear?
• What cities would we visit?
• What kinds of houses do people live in?

Continent was a new vocabulary word for many students. Those who had previous schooling quickly realized what the word translated into in their own language and had no problem with the concept. Others were learning the concept of a continent for the first time; it was tricky to explain. One moment that was particularly striking for me occurred while I was working with a learner from Ethiopia who readily participates in class. I asked her what continent she was from, and she was able to pick out Africa from list. I then asked her to show me Africa on the map of the world, and she could not do so.

Volunteering in adult basic education is never without humor – today one learner wrote “air balloon” instead of “airplane” when describing how she traveled from Vietnam to the United States.

Changes

One of the challenging things about volunteering is that it seems learners move up to the next level just as I’ve gotten to know them. Obviously this is a great problem to have and gives me a sense of accomplishment as a volunteer when a learner in my class moves to the next level, but nevertheless there are some learners I miss interacting with each week. Both Mandisa and Aziza moved up to level three!

It’s interesting how the class makeup shifts over time. All classes are multiethnic, but this winter the class I worked in was predominantly composed of Spanish speaking learners, mostly in the 20-35 age range. Today we had 14 students in class and none were Spanish speaking. The majority were African students, many from Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan, as well as Middle Eastern students, mainly from Iraq and Palestine. The average age was much older as well – 40-50 years old, and some much older.

Working with such an experienced teacher has been helpful to observe how she deftly adapts class lessons for the learners she serves. She’s quick to curtail or tweak a lesson if she senses it is too easy or difficult for the learners, and takes into account what counties learners hail from when giving examples.

Calcium - 3 a day!

Calcium was our class topic today. Students guessed how many bones were in Bob the model skeleton, who had the same number as a person. Guesses ranged from 10 to 360 bones as students debated what qualified as a bone. Arturo was declared the winner with his guess of 200 - closest to the correct answer of 206. He won a toothbrush to use on his teeth bones!

We learned that we all need at least three servings of calcium a day to keep our bones strong. Dairy and non-dairy, along with osteoporosis, were new vocabulary words. We discussed that dairy foods are products of cows and goats, and that cheese, milk and yogurt were dairy foods high in calcium.

Each student picked their favorite calcium food from a pile of glossy food pictures. They then had to determine their food's name and if it was a dairy food or not. One by one students came to the front to present.

We ended class by making a delicious, calcium filled treat. Each pair of students was given one line of recipe directions on a slip of paper. As the direction was called out, that pair came forward to perform their task. After a demonstration, we ate string cheese as well, which the students marveled over.

Here’s the recipe we followed for a refreshing Orange Julius. Enjoy!

Orange Julius
Combine in a blender:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 6 ounces frozen orange juice (half a can, preferably calcium fortified)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup powdered milk
Blend until smooth, about one minute.

Attendance Awards

Each month the teachers at Metro North conduct an informal, school-wide attendance awards ceremony. Learners and teachers from all four levels of English classes cram into a classroom, and one teacher presents certificates to the winners, announcing the names one by one in a dramatic fashion. To add to the anticipation, another teacher keeps track of the class each winner belongs to; the class with the most winners at the end lay claim to bragging rights for the next month. Along with a certificate, winners receive some sort of school supply as a prize. Today’s prize: a twelve-pack of pencils.

After being an audience member at a few attendance award ceremonies, I believe that this is an excellent retention activity and way to give students well deserved recognition. Honoring learners in front of their peers reinforces the fact that good attendance is crucial to learning English.

Some students shyly accept their awards but not Mandisa. Today she whooped and cheered as her name was announced and did an impromptu victory dance to the front of the room to collect her prize. The room erupted in laughter; everyone loves Mandisa.

5 Senses

Today’s worksheet involved ruminating about each of the five senses. Here in the United States, it seems that children learn about the five senses at quite a young age. Many of the adult learners in my class had not learned then in a group like they are taught here. The hardest to explain in English was the sense of touch. Because the statement on the worksheet used the word “feel,” many students initially wrote emotions instead of reporting tactile responses.

Learners had to finish each of these sentences. Here is a sample of their answers:

Something that looks pretty
• my children
• the ocean
• stars in the sky
• peacocks

Something that tastes delicious
• pizza
• fried chicken
• rice and beef
• ice cream sundaes
• papayas and mangos

Something that sounds beautiful
• lions
• Gospel singing
• accordions, guitars and trumpets
• owls

Something that feels nice
• my baby’s head
• goat fur
• a cool breeze
• healthy body
• blankets

Something that smells good
• rain
• perfume
• flower gardens
• deodorant

After completing the worksheets, the learners each wrote their answers to each question on the white board. Then, the whole class would ask the person, “____. what looks pretty?” That person would read their question, and the other students would repeat it. This proved to the an effective way to share new vocabulary words, work on pronunciation and allow learners to get to know each other.

Journey to Minnesota

Today was the final lesson of the grid activity series; the questions revolved around their journey to Minnesota. All of the students were quite candid in their responses, and I felt like I was able to connect with some on a deeper level as they relayed their stories to me.

The first question asked how they got to Minnesota. We explained the word “route” and had the students list all of the cities they traveled to before finally arriving in Minnesota. No student had journeyed through less than three cities prior to reaching Minneapolis. Faizah had gone to nine cities, starting in Mogadishu, Somalia and traveling to Nairobi, Kenya by bus, and then by plane to New Delhi, India to Bangkok, Thailand to Taipei, Taiwan to Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois to Washington, D.C. then finally to Minneapolis! Maria wrote that she had walked and taken a bus all the way from Ecuador to Guatemala to Mexico to the United States. Fareeza had come from Iraq to Syria to France to New York to Minneapolis.

They then wrote about when they arrived in Minnesota. The length of time varied from three months to forty years. Juan arrived in 1970 and worked on a cattle ranch in Texas. Bekele, from Ethiopia, came in January 2009. I was shocked to find out how long some of the students had been here because the length of time in the country did not correspond to their English level in many cases.

They wrote about who traveled with them to the United States. Many said siblings, family members or friends. Makda came with her five children ten years ago and told me that now one of her children has graduated from college with a business degree and the other four are currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota.

I was surprised by the amount of detail each person recalled about their trip to the United States. Their stories were as varied as their backgrounds. People reported being sick, tired, happy and depressed about what they were leaving behind. One student recalled hating the airplane food and another said they liked watching the movies on the plane.

We ran out of time before doing the final question, which was a shame because it asked about what they brought with them to the United States. I think their responses would have been fascinating.

Spring energy

Today my students seemed to have a case of spring fever. The staff teacher in my classroom had to ask students repeatedly to put their pencils down while she was talking. She firmly explained that when the teacher is talking, it is time to listen. All of the students nodded and said things like, “Yes, teacher. Sorry!”

We also do an activity where everyone stands up, mingles, and asks other people a question we have just worked on answering. The expectation is clear that all students need to stand up and continue asking people until a teacher tells them it is time to move on to the next question. Some people need to be told to stand up when the activity starts, and many times people sit down before it is over. Today the staff teacher stopped the class to explain the importance of speaking practice.

Clearly not everyone in the class was acting this way, and the people who were doing it didn't do it in a defiant manner. On the contrary, students are overwhelmingly positive, grateful and respectful to other students and teachers. It seems the impeding spring weather is making everyone, students and teachers alike, a bit antsy. It would have been nice to have done an activity where we could have gone outside, though that is not possible logistically for our class.

Caves versus graves

Geography was woven into the grid activity again this week. We talked about caves, a new vocabulary word for all of the students. After showing a picture from an encyclopedia, some students said they had seen caves while others had not. One woman asked if caves and graves were the same thing. I explained what a grave is used for, which she knew, and then said that graves were only for deceased people. I told her living people like to explore caves, but it was hard to explain that caves could also be used as graves.

We talked about mountains, valleys and deserts and learners had varying options on whether they liked these regions. Many people said they did not like deserts because of the dry climate and snakes. Aziza, the brave one of the group, said she would like to go because she enjoys seeing new places. This brought to mind the time when we were talking about flying airplanes, and everyone in the class decided they’d be too scared to be a pilot, except for Aziza!

Where in the world

Today’s topic was traveling. The questions alternated between "have you" and "would you like to":
• Have you been to South America?
• Would you like to travel to Antarctica?
• Have you seen the Pacific Ocean?

We used the globe to point out various countries and continents. Nearly everyone decided they wouldn’t like to visit Antarctica expect for Aziza and me. Many cited the cold weather as their reason, but Aziza was determined to see the wildlife. It was interesting because sometimes the students didn’t grasp the concept of imagining, in that they thought that they had to answer based on if they had the financial means to travel to that place at this time. I had to explain to them that we were only thinking in theory and that it didn’t matter if we literally were able to go to those places.

One thing that impacted me was when the students were asked if the weather in the north and south poles was hot or cold. Some students repeatedly answered hot for one of the poles. It was a good reminder of the disparate previous educational backgrounds of the students in my class.

Speaking of Minnesota

There were eighteen students in the class today, along with three new students, so it was a bit challenging to get around to correct everyone’s work. We did the grid activity again; the questions invoked their opinion of Minnesota - comparing and contrasting it to their home countries.

First the students wrote about what they liked about Minnesota. Their list included the rule of the government, social service programs, care for the elderly, free education, free English classes and the weather in the spring and summer. Makda said she liked the fact that Minnesota was multicultural.

When asked what they didn’t enjoy about Minnesota, students emphasized the cold weather and snow first and foremost, followed by tornados, floods and speeding tickets. Not surprisingly, many students didn’t know the word “flood” or “tornado,” and so I attempted a poor drawing/pantomiming act that they found hilarious.

We talked about what they missed about their home countries. Students gave passionate answers, and many of the shyer students who rarely speak up contributed. Their list was varied: family members, friends, homes, farms, food, oceans, neighborhoods and mosques or churches. Fareeza, from Iraq, spoke about her daughter she hadn’t seen in years. Aziza spoke longingly of the mountains near her home town in Somalia. Paco reminisced about his favorite dishes he would eat in his home in Mexico. The mood in the room became somber for a moment as the class, which typically as a whole is extremely upbeat and positive, reflected on things they had left behind.

The next question asked them to think of things that are the same in Minnesota and their home country. At first, many people looked at me blankly and some laughed. “Teacher, nothing is the same!” Ayanna said. I challenged them that surely something was similar. Aziza was to the first to answer. “People,” she said. “People are the same where ever you go.” Other people chimed in with answers such as furniture, freeways, flowers, animals, trees, newspapers, sunshine and the weather. Many students began heatedly debating with one another about whether an answer was true for their country. Mya, from Laos, wrote “McDonalds.”

At the end of class, we discussed the differences, and not surprisingly, the list was large: free education, food, culture, time zone, calendar, language, music and clothing. On a side note, we discussed the difference between wild animals, farm animals and pets. When explaining the difference, the students gave examples of each category. I learned that camels are considered farm animals in many countries.

Budget cuts threaten much needed ESL classes

This post is not directly tied to the adult basic education center that I work at, but it pertains to the field as a whole. The Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC) has five learning centers in the Twin Cities area.

As you may know, Saint Paul is dealing with a major budget deficit which is now threatening the MLC Learning Center – Rondo Library. A current proposal (due for a City Council vote on March 23) would close the Rondo Library at 7:30 p.m. each evening, making it next to impossible for the coordinator and her fabulous team of volunteers to provide much-needed ESL classes to Midway residents. So far this year alone, the MLC Learning Center at Rondo has served more than 80 students for more than 1400 hours during evening library hours. Will you join me in voicing your concern about these cuts to local officials?

Here’s what we can do:
Call:
• the Governor’s office (telephone: 651-296-3391 or email tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us)
•the Mayor’s office (651)266-8510
• your state senator and state congressperson (find them here: http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts)
• and your district council representative (find your district rep here: http://www.stpaul.gov/index.asp?nid=1180 )

Tell them that you are a constituent/partner and that libraries are important to you! Express that cutting Rondo Library’s evening hours would make it impossible for MLC to continue to provide free English classes to the members of our community who need them the most.

Challenging English

Although my students have a base vocabulary and comprehension level that is higher than the very beginning students, I find myself unable to explain something coherently at least once every time I go. Adults ask extremely engaging and thoughtful questions and are generally quick to speak up when they don’t understand something.

I also teach Spanish classes to native English speakers at Fridley Community Education Center, and whereas I get to tell them that Spanish is a phonetic language, I’m constantly reminded that the same is not true for English. Today Aziza was very hung up on the difference between “no” and “know,” as she was trying to hear the difference in pronunciation. After assuring her that there wasn’t any, she looked at me and asked why we would have the same word sound exactly the same. I had no answer for her.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Today there were four new students in our class of fourteen. One had moved up from the beginning class, and the others were new students to the school. Today we continued talking about what things were like when the students were children. It was an excellent way to incorporate past tense verbs, and we used the chart mentioned in the previous posts.

One of the most interesting questions the learners answered was what they had wanted to be when they grew up. We compiled quite a diverse list of professions: artist, teacher, cook, seamstress, writer, doctor, doorman, tailor, soldier, dancer, disk jockey, etc. Ayanna said she had wanted to be a mechanic or an electrician. Faizah said that she had wanted to be a nurse, but instead she was now a cook. The new student from the beginning class, Lina, said she had wanted to be a police woman. Aziza insisted that she had wanted to be a soldier or a business woman. Makda said that she had wanted to be a teacher and that in Ethiopia, she had taught young children at the mosque near her home. She said it made her sad that she was not currently teaching here in the United States. I can just picture her teaching young children, and she seems like she would be a patient and wonderful teacher. We didn’t talk about what they were doing now, but it would have been an interesting discussion about what opportunities they feel they have here.

Rules

This week we talked about childhood using the grid activity to practice past tense. One question that yielded really interesting results explored the rules parents had for the learners when they were children.

The teacher wrote the question on the board, and then asked the group to list the classroom rules. At this, the students became very animated and produced quite a list:

• Speak English in class.
• Sit next to someone who doesn’t speak your language if possible.
• Call if you are going to be absent.
• Don’t stand around in the halls at break time.
• No cell phones in class.
• Sign in and out on the computer when you come to class.
• Don’t park in the marked spots in the lot.
• Bring a pencil and notebook to class.
• Be on time for class.
• Have respect for everyone.

I was quite surprised at how quick and eager they were to rattle off the rules. After completing this list, the teacher asked the students to name some family rules from childhood. I realized that this had been an excellent teaching technique in that if she had just asked the question right away, many students wouldn’t have grasped the concept of rules. Now after practicing with the school rules, the students launched into a list that included:

• No hitting or bothering people
• Come home after school
• No stealing things from other people
• No watching bad movies
• No smoking or drinking alcohol
• Don’t fight with your friends
• Use good manners and say kind things to others
• Do your schoolwork before going out to play

It struck me that every one of the rules on the list had been a rule my parents had for me when I was a child. Everyone in the room, regardless of nationality, seemed to be nodding in agreement as the rules were shouted out. I think everyone in the classroom was surprised to discover that in spite of cultural differences, more familial rules were similar than different; they seemed to have a universal quality.

Shopping debates

Today’s topic for the grid activity was shopping. At first I doubted if it would be a topic that would fill up the entire class time, but I was definitely wrong! We had a lively discussion regarding the prices at Cub, Sam’s Club, Rainbow and Target. When asked what they liked to shop for, some students listed foods or clothes, while other students listed dream purchases like homes and fancy cars. Next time, it would be interesting to ask how shopping is different than in their home countries.

One student came back to class today after a long absence. Mandisa has been in our class since I started over a year ago. She was home sick for nearly a month which was troublesome as she is probably over seventy years old. The class nearly erupted in applause when she entered the room today! Unfettered by her age, Mandisa brings an energy and joy into the classroom with her stories and sharp wit. She came to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo more than ten years ago and worked as a seamstress. She and her husband have retired and live near the school in Columbia Heights. I asked her once why she was interested in learning English, and she said with a smile that she never wanted to stop learning until the day she died. Her slow progress never seems to blunt her enthusiasm to learn English as well as other languages. As we’ve discovered, Mandisa also dabbles in other languages, much to the delight of the Spanish speakers in the class. When she walks into the room, she often yells greetings in Spanish to other students, who really seem to get a kick out of it.

Fun with foods

Metro North has a partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension Simply Good Eating program. Every month, a dynamic representative comes to class to teach about an aspect of nutrition. It is always interactive, with fake food, real store ads to examine, food containers, food related prizes to take home and a snack at the end. Today’s topic was food safety. Learners had to take colorful pictures of various food items and stick them to the white board in the refrigerator, cupboard, freezer or counter section. Most students did pretty well, but others made some severe errors, such as leaving meat on the counter. It really made me realize the value of the activity, as clearly all of the students have had different experiences with food depending on their cultural background, education level and other factors.

By the end of the class period, all of the students seemed much more confidant in food safety and storage. Each student received a thermometer to take home and test the temperature of their refrigerator and freezer to make sure they were within safe ranges for food storage. It was quite a challenge to explain how the thermometer worked to some students, as some had never seen one before. Even many students who were familiar with a thermometer were baffled by the measurements. It was exciting to observe their enthusiasm to go home and practice what they had learned.

What do you think of the weather?

We began an ongoing activity in class today that simultaneously focuses on grammar points, discussing certain topics and following concrete directions. Each student has a grid with two squares horizontally and five squares vertically. To the left side of the grid, there are lines. The students have to number the lines corresponding with five grid spots. They then write their name in the first square on the top. They have to ask their partner how to spell their name and write it in the top right square.

The activity revolves around asking and answering questions about a certain topic. Today’s topic was the weather. I wrote a question on the board, and they would have to copy it in the correct spot on their paper. We would then discuss how they would begin to answer the question, and how they would answer the question according to what their partner said, using he/she. One question was: do you like the weather in Minnesota during the winter? We would brainstorm how to answer the question: I do/don’t like the weather in Minnesota during the winter. He/she does/doesn’t like the weather in Minnesota during the winter. Another question was: what was the weather like in your country during January? The weather in _______ during January is ________.

The learners would then write the answer to the question in the square under their name, across from the question. After filling in their answer, they had to ask their partner, and transcribe their partner’s answer in the square next to their answer, under their partner’s name. It sounds confusing, and a few of the learners were perplexed at first, but it was good practice for following directions for things like forms or applications. During this time, I circulated the room, helping people and making corrections. After most people were finished, everyone in the room stood up and had to ask many different people the question. After everyone had talked with others, they returned to their seats and the process was repeated with a different weather related question. We’ll continue using this same grid with other topics in the weeks to come.

Participating in history

After class today, Aziza, one of the particularly inquisitive students called me over to her desk. She was holding a printed out copy of Obama’s presidential inaugural address and was attempting to read it. Clearly most of the vocabulary was far above her current level, but it was evident that she was doggedly plowing through it, as many sentences were underlined and notes were written in Somali in the margins. She asked me to define inaugural and a few other related terms, and then proudly told me she wanted to read the speech for herself, since she didn’t catch all of the words when she watched it on television yesterday. The image of her working so diligently to understand the declarations of our new president really made me appreciate the respect she has for her new country. While not abandoning her own culture and language, Aziza strives to be engaged and informed to positively contribute to her community. I’ve had that same experience with most of the students I’ve worked with, which I think contradicts many stereotypes people have about immigrants and refugees.

Back from break

There were only about ten students in class, which is quite low as we usually have over twenty. It was amazing to see how much more we were able to help students in-depth with fewer students in the class. It was nice to be able to spend more that a few seconds with each student before moving onto the next one. Today we worked on an activity in which there is a picture of an old man sitting on a chair, and in pairs, students get to make up a story from the prompts given about the old man. The worksheet called it a poem, and many of the students were unfamiliar with this word. I had a hard time describing what a poem using the limited vocabulary words they know.

Another thing that was difficult for the students was the concept of making things up. They kept motioning me over and asking me questions about the man. I had to tell them repeatedly that they were able to create the man’s story. After a while, they seemed to get the hang of it, and some of the answers were quite amusing. Each class period, the teacher and I try to encourage them to utilize words they don’t know in the class exercises. A picture dictionary is provided for this purpose. At the end of the class period, students read their poems to the class.