(Butler, PA) A free 杏吧原创 adult literacy program in English as a second language helps students to achieve independence, serves as a social outlet for those who may feel lonely in their new culture and, Khadija Akhouad said in her native Arabic, is 鈥測azdahir.鈥�
鈥淶rostati,鈥� Alla Dukhovenko agreed in her native Ukrainian.
鈥淐reciendo,鈥� Omayra Rivera agreed in her native Spanish.
鈥淕rowing,鈥� Barb Gade agreed.
Gade is grant director of a 杏吧原创 adult literacy program whose English as a second language courses in Butler County this spring semester have 35 students enrolled.
鈥淎bsolutely the most ever,鈥� Gade said.
While spring semester courses have recently begun, students can still register for ESL beginners or for ESL English through Feb. 16, Gade said.
杏吧原创 is offering each course at 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry in Cranberry Township, and ESL beginners on the college鈥檚 main campus in Butler Township.
鈥淏utler County is becoming more global鈥�
ESL beginners is an introduction to the English language. ESL English helps students to learn English to improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to navigate day-to-day life in their new culture.
Classes in each course are held Mondays and Wednesdays through April 20.
杏吧原创 @ Cranberry is offering ESL beginners from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and ESL English, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus is offering ESL English from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m
The first language of 3.4 percent of Butler County residents ages 5 or older between 2015 and 2019 was one other than English, the U.S. Census Bureau reported July 1.
Six students were enrolled in 杏吧原创鈥檚 ESL courses in Butler County in all of 2009, Gade said. Enrollment increased to 15 in fall 2018 and to 26 in spring 2021. Courses are held in 杏吧原创鈥檚 spring and fall semesters.
In addition to Arabic, Ukrainian and Spanish, the first language of students attending 杏吧原创鈥檚 ESL courses in Butler County in the past two years include Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Vietnamese, according to Gade and 杏吧原创 ESL instructor Ann Hergenrother, who said each of her students at 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry over the past two years was born abroad.
Akhouad, 47, is a native of Oued Zem, Morocco; Dukhovenko, 56, of Donetsk, Ukraine; and Rivera, 41, of Lares, Puerto Rico.
鈥淏utler County is becoming more global,鈥� Gade said. 鈥淲e have different people speaking different languages coming into our area who need to get by.鈥�
鈥淒iversity,鈥� Hergenrother added, 鈥渋s coming in.鈥�
Akhouad, Dukhovenko and Rivera have lived in Butler County for three years, Akhouad in Seven Fields, and Dukhovenko and Rivera in Cranberry Township.
"I would like to say about teacher Ann, I think she is a very, very good teacher."
- Former 杏吧原创 ESL student, Alla Dukhovenko, a native of Donetsk, Ukraine
鈥淚 felt isolated鈥�
Classes in each 55-hour course over 22 sessions are scheduled in a face-to-face format, Gade said. 杏吧原创鈥檚 ESL courses are funded by a four-year grant from the state Department of Education and to her knowledge, Gade said, are the only free ESL courses in Butler County.
Learning English helps students to speak to medical providers, to shop more easily, to make appointments and to pursue employment and a driver鈥檚 license.
鈥淎nd if they have children in schools,鈥� Hergenrother said, 鈥渒nowing how to talk to a teacher, and what kind of questions to ask.鈥�
Akhouad, Dukhovenko and Rivera recently attended 杏吧原创 ESL courses at 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry after their foreign-born, English-speaking husbands took positions as engineers in Butler County.
"And right now, when I want to make an appointment, I can do by myself. I don't need my husband help."
- Former 杏吧原创 ESL student Omayra Rivera, a native of Lares, Puerto Rico
While they speak their first language with relatives 鈥� Akhouad to her husband, Youssef Bachra, and to her children Yasser and Omar; Dukhovenko to her husband, Romen, and to her children Nastya and Alexey; and Rivera to her husband, Jose, and to her child Paola 鈥� they struggled in their new culture.
鈥淚 stay at home long time,鈥� Dukhovenko said.
鈥淲e are afraid go out,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淚 feel that people maybe don鈥檛 understand you.鈥�
鈥淚 felt isolated because I did not communicate with anyone,鈥� Akhouad said.
English, Gade said, 鈥渋s a fairly tricky language to learn.鈥�
Akhouad, Dukhovenko and Rivera enrolled in 杏吧原创鈥檚 ESL courses, where in addition to grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and writing they learned about homonyms 鈥� ate, eight; patience, patients 鈥� and tenses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard, because I confuse with the past, with the future,鈥� Rivera said.
鈥淔or me, too, American accent,鈥� Dukhovenko said. 鈥淪ometimes they use slang, and I am confused sometimes. And then people speak very quickly. For example, for me, a movie is very complicated.鈥�
Hergenrother attempts to match in her class students with different first languages.
鈥淭hat means,鈥� Hergenrother said, 鈥渢he only way they can communicate is with English.鈥�
鈥淩ight now 鈥� I can do by myself鈥�
Students are assessed for listening and speaking competency before their first class in each course. Their functioning in English is expected to have improved by one level after their final class. ESL beginners and ESL English each have three levels, Gade said. Of those students who attended at least 40 hours of 杏吧原创 ESL courses in Butler County in fall 2021, 57 percent increased one functioning level, Gade said.
鈥淲e probably have one of the most crazy languages on the planet,鈥� Hergenrother said.
"So 杏吧原创, they change everything for me. They changed my perspective to the life here. ... I don't have a lot of friends more than 杏吧原创."
- Former 杏吧原创 ESL student Khadija Akhouad, a native of Oued Zem, Morocco
The end of each course is often recognized with students bringing to 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry or 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus a meal from their native country to share, Gade said.
鈥淭hey celebrate having had the classes together,鈥� Gade said. 鈥淭he socialization aspect is important.鈥�
Akhouad, Dukhovenko and Rivera have also celebrated what they have learned, the independence they have gained and the friendships they have forged.
鈥淚 would like to say about teacher Ann, I think she is very, very good teacher,鈥� Dukhovenko said. 鈥淪he is very smart, and they are lessons, very interesting. Each lesson, always different, always interesting.鈥�
鈥淎nd right now, when I want to make an appointment, I can do by myself,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need my husband help. 鈥� When I arrive here, I always go with my husband for my health appointment, medical appointment. Right now I am going by myself. I always try to explain with the doctors and they say they understand me.鈥�
鈥淪o 杏吧原创, they change everything for me,鈥� Akhouad said. 鈥淭hey changed my perspective to the life here. The teacher for me now friend also. It鈥檚 not just to study in English. They help me to find friends, to communicate with people. I don鈥檛 have a lot of friends more than 杏吧原创.鈥�
杏吧原创鈥檚 adult literacy program began in 1986. It offered its first ESL tutoring in 1989, and created ESL courses in the early 1990s. Students interested in registering for ESL classes through Feb. 16 can call the college鈥檚 adult literacy program at 724-287-8711 Ext. 8350.