Immigrants unlocking English
ESL classes at Bain 50+ Center draw participants of all ages to work with volunteer tutors
“Salam.” “Merhaba.” “Anyoung haseyo.”
“Guten tag.” “Hola.”
Step into the Bain 50+ Center in Columbia on a Wednesday morning, and you can hear “hello” in Farsi, Turkish, Korean, German, Spanish and other languages.
Residents gather to practice weekly at Howard County’s largest 50+ center to improve their English skills through the center’s English as a Second Language class. The class is one of the programs at the center not limited to senior citizens, and is the county’s only ESL class offered at one of its 50+ centers.
Free to attend and run by volunteer tutors, the classes are aimed at helping residents improve their English through conversation and activities. There is no set curriculum or mandatory attendance. Organizer Maggie Greif said the program has approximately 30 students.
Center director Linda Ethridge said there has been an increase in class participants in the past few years, largely due to the positive word of mouth.
June Soon Han said the classes provide a comfortable environment for her to improve her English skills; through the class she’s read an English newspaper for the first time. She has high praise for Dall Lee, a former ESL teacher at Howard Community College who serves as tutor.
“He opened my eyes and my ears,” said Soon. “I’m not afraid here.”
Lee is one of the program’s nine tutors, many of whom have a background in education. The program is coordinated by Greif, a former elementary school teacher who became involved in the program seven years ago and has stayed active because of the bonds she’s formed with students.
“It’s so much more than just being a tutor; it’s so much more than English. You become a friend,” Greif said. “It’s giving direction to new residents, as somebody who has experience in the community, and can empathize and listen, and can understand and just be there.”
The classes put tutors and students together in small groups, allowing for intimate instruction. Activities vary from one table to the next as tutors choose what activities work best for their students, Greif said. She said that for many of the students, the challenge is in learning to apply the English they know in real life situations, such as when talking on the phone.
While there is no specific training or certification necessary to volunteer as a tutor, Greif said tutors work together to share resources and knowledge. She said tutors with more experience are paired with students in need of more intensive instruction.
At one recent class, students ranged from recent high schoolers to age 93. Each table, seated with three to four students and a tutor, was engaged in a different activity: some filled out crossword puzzles to help learn vocabulary words associated with weather, while others read news stories aloud to the group.
Robert Slattery, who said he became involved as a tutor a few months ago and is “having more fun than [I] can count,” said the focus is on engaging everyone in conversation and helping them open up about their experience adjusting to life in the United States.
Many of the students, such as South Korean native Clara Kim, have lived in the country for years, but only recently decided to begin attending classes. Kim has lived in America 25 years, said she started attending the classes in hope of improving her writing skills.
Myungja Yim, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea 32 years ago, attends the classes with her son, Ben. Yim said the classes offer both a chance to improve her English skills and to socialize with friends.
“I want to talk about something and listen,” Yim said. “Korean, English, it doesn’t matter, I just want to talk.”
One student is Peter Han, a Korean immigrant who came to the UnitedStates in 1970. Han said he decided to attend the class because he wants to be able to talk more with his three granddaughters.
Liz Pearce, a retired clinical social worker who has volunteered for the past two years as a tutor, said she finds the program “intellectually and emotionally stimulating” — and a way to support those who immigrate to the U.S.
“It amazes me, the courage it takes to move to a new country and relearn everything,” Pearce said. kmagill@baltsun.com
“Guten tag.” “Hola.”
Step into the Bain 50+ Center in Columbia on a Wednesday morning, and you can hear “hello” in Farsi, Turkish, Korean, German, Spanish and other languages.
Residents gather to practice weekly at Howard County’s largest 50+ center to improve their English skills through the center’s English as a Second Language class. The class is one of the programs at the center not limited to senior citizens, and is the county’s only ESL class offered at one of its 50+ centers.
Free to attend and run by volunteer tutors, the classes are aimed at helping residents improve their English through conversation and activities. There is no set curriculum or mandatory attendance. Organizer Maggie Greif said the program has approximately 30 students.
Center director Linda Ethridge said there has been an increase in class participants in the past few years, largely due to the positive word of mouth.
June Soon Han said the classes provide a comfortable environment for her to improve her English skills; through the class she’s read an English newspaper for the first time. She has high praise for Dall Lee, a former ESL teacher at Howard Community College who serves as tutor.
“He opened my eyes and my ears,” said Soon. “I’m not afraid here.”
Lee is one of the program’s nine tutors, many of whom have a background in education. The program is coordinated by Greif, a former elementary school teacher who became involved in the program seven years ago and has stayed active because of the bonds she’s formed with students.
“It’s so much more than just being a tutor; it’s so much more than English. You become a friend,” Greif said. “It’s giving direction to new residents, as somebody who has experience in the community, and can empathize and listen, and can understand and just be there.”
The classes put tutors and students together in small groups, allowing for intimate instruction. Activities vary from one table to the next as tutors choose what activities work best for their students, Greif said. She said that for many of the students, the challenge is in learning to apply the English they know in real life situations, such as when talking on the phone.
While there is no specific training or certification necessary to volunteer as a tutor, Greif said tutors work together to share resources and knowledge. She said tutors with more experience are paired with students in need of more intensive instruction.
At one recent class, students ranged from recent high schoolers to age 93. Each table, seated with three to four students and a tutor, was engaged in a different activity: some filled out crossword puzzles to help learn vocabulary words associated with weather, while others read news stories aloud to the group.
Robert Slattery, who said he became involved as a tutor a few months ago and is “having more fun than [I] can count,” said the focus is on engaging everyone in conversation and helping them open up about their experience adjusting to life in the United States.
Many of the students, such as South Korean native Clara Kim, have lived in the country for years, but only recently decided to begin attending classes. Kim has lived in America 25 years, said she started attending the classes in hope of improving her writing skills.
Myungja Yim, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea 32 years ago, attends the classes with her son, Ben. Yim said the classes offer both a chance to improve her English skills and to socialize with friends.
“I want to talk about something and listen,” Yim said. “Korean, English, it doesn’t matter, I just want to talk.”
One student is Peter Han, a Korean immigrant who came to the UnitedStates in 1970. Han said he decided to attend the class because he wants to be able to talk more with his three granddaughters.
Liz Pearce, a retired clinical social worker who has volunteered for the past two years as a tutor, said she finds the program “intellectually and emotionally stimulating” — and a way to support those who immigrate to the U.S.
“It amazes me, the courage it takes to move to a new country and relearn everything,” Pearce said. kmagill@baltsun.com
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