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.