Literacy – Spanning the US :: Nassau Co NY :: St Paul MN :: Plymouth MI

Literacy: Spanning the US

@LiteracyNassau

From 'pig' to 'tornado': Inside LI Adult ESL Class

Newsday: 4.29.2019 by Brittany Bernstein

“Tornado — like tomato.”

Seven adults are gathered around two folding tables in the children’s room of a library in Valley Stream working on pronouncing the word “tornado.”

After sounding out the word and playing around with different stresses on syllables — like “tor-naah-do” — it clicked.

The adults are all immigrants to the U.S. Some left behind established careers in finance, engineering and other industries, as well as family members. Now they’re students in a new country, working with their teacher to learn English.

The students represent six countries — Chile, Russia, Colombia, China, Ecuador and Haiti — and speak four languages natively — Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Haitian Creole. The free English as a second language (ESL) class, run by the nonprofit Literacy Nassau, gathers twice a week for two hours in Henry Waldinger Memorial Library.  READ MORE >>

@mnliteracy

30th Anniversary Journeys Readings

Minnesota Monthly: 4.2019

The Minnesota Literacy Council welcomes the public to join in celebrating the release of the 30th annual edition of JOURNEYS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF ADULT STUDENT WRITING on Tuesday, April 30 at the Minnesota History Center.

This free event will showcase dozens of writers who are students in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs across Minnesota. These writers— sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents, immigrants, refugees, inmates, business owners, workers, job seekers and much more—will be reading their original, published pieces from JOURNEYS.

A personal reflection from Jorge, a recently published student writer: “To be able to tell my story means a lot. It means learning. It means a lot of people are going to learn from my story and I am learning from other people’s stories.”  READ MORE >>

Community Literacy
Council

Canton’s English Language Learners Find Support and Community with Local Nonprofit

WDET: 4.29.2019

A group of people from Albania, Japan and Taiwan are reading grocery ads from a newspaper with the help of a tutor.

“Buy one, get one of equal or lesser value 50 percent off. Fruit-pa-loo-za,” reads one of them aloud.

@CantonLibrary

This is the beginner’s table at an English language learners meet up. Immigrants living in the Canton area come here to practice their English and learn how to navigate life in America. This particular session takes place at the Canton Public Library every Friday.

Andrea Hug is the Executive Director of the non-profit hosting the event — the Plymouth Canton Community Literacy Council. She says it’s important for immigrants in the area to have free English language support.

“Because it’s Michigan and the automotive industry is in this particular area, a lot of businesses transfer their employees here from overseas,” explains Hug.

She says 20 percent of Canton’s population speak English as a second language.

“That’s huge. One in every five people that you meet is from a different country,” says Hug. “So, if we want our community to be better, we want to welcome those people because they are part of our community.”

In addition to conversation meet ups, the Plymouth Canton Community Literacy Council also runs book clubs and provides free tutors who are available for one-on-one sessions and in English as a Second Language classes for adults who are taught by Plymouth Canton Community Schools.  LISTEN 05:14