LCI instructors have partnered with the Coalition for
Refugee Resettlement to teach English to local refugees.
By Kama Weatherholt Wagner
Instructors from the Virginia Tech Language and Culture
Institute are stepping out of the classroom to teach English language learners
in Southwest Virginia. Beginning in
January 2012, LCI teachers Susan Neu and Jason Lovelace spent two hours each
Monday and Wednesday afternoon in Roanoke working with the Coalition for
Refugee Resettlement. The CRR, a project
of VT Engage, unites local students and professionals with the aim of assisting
refugees who have resettled in the area.
Susan Neu and Jason Lovelace |
Surrounded by colleges and universities, the CRR has access
to many resources, including instructors at the LCI. From January to May, Neu and Lovelace taught
an adult ESL class for four hours each week.
The students in their classes were primarily women in their 40s and 50s,
mothers and housewives with young children.
The children often accompanied their parents to class, where they worked
independently on their own homework and even helped their parents with their
studies. The adults were frustrated when
they saw how quickly their children were learning because they wanted to
develop their skills at the same speed.
Unique obstacles sometimes slowed the process. Some refugees, already fluent in their native
languages and French, were learning to speak English as a third language. On the other hand, many were not literate in any
language and had to first work on understanding the concepts of words, letters,
and writing.
For Lovelace and Neu, the experience was challenging but
rewarding. “I was able to focus more on
the student side of teaching,” Lovelace said.
Neu agreed, adding that she found great value in teaching this
particular group of students. “It was important to scale our goals down,” she
explained, “and to realize that tiny baby steps are enough.”
Progress was slow but steady, and both instructors believe
that the experience was ultimately beneficial to the students. Lovelace looks to the future for evidence of
his students’ success – “I hope that one day they’ll be out in public,
something will click and the light bulb will go off, I learned that!"
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