Thursday, November 05, 2009

English Learners Gain Confidence

By David Steinberg
Journal Staff Writer
       Woo Jung Lee and Lorena Ponce de Leon were two of about 15 students flipping through the Journal's classified section in a recent drop-in adult literacy class.
    Lee, an Albuquerque resident who emigrated from South Korea, said she has limited ability to read, write and speak in English.
    "I need English because I want to have American friends," she said.
    Lee recently started learning English one-on-one with a tutor.
    Ponce de Leon, a native of Mexico who lives in Rio Rancho, has been attending the group class for three weeks, and on her own watches a DVD to better her conversational English.
    Cathryn Varney, the teacher in the group class, figured the classified section was a practical aid to help the students improve their reading and speaking. Most, if not all, of the students are studying English as a second language.
    Both Varney's Wednesday morning drop-in class (one of three group classes) and a number of one-on-one tutorials are sponsored by ReadWest Inc., a Rio Rancho-based adult literacy organization.
    ReadWest has recently added ESL group classes for parents of students at Puesta del Sol and Colinas del Norte elementaries in Rio Rancho, said Will Steinsiek, ReadWest's part-time executive director.
    "And we're going to start two more for parents at two other elementaries," Steinsiek said.
    Varney began tutoring after moving to New Mexico more than 10 years ago.
    "I had been in sales. When I moved here I didn't know anybody. I saw a teeny ad by ReadWest in the paper saying they needed volunteers," she said.
    "I took training for basic literacy. A month later I took separate training for ESL, which I like better. ... I think I found my niche. Instead of selling floor covering, I sell English.
    "This is very rewarding," Varney said.
    Her satisfaction comes when she sees her students reach their goals.
    For example, Varney began helping a man one-on-one whose English was fairly good but not sophisticated enough for a job interview.
    His English had improved to the point where he was hired by a local television station.
    "He felt confident in the interview, and that's why he got the job. That would make anyone feel good," she said.
    Varney also travels around the state training tutors for the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy.
    She said ReadWest is always seeking volunteers and community support such as donations of computer paper.
    "If someone had donated toner, we would have had the copy machine working last week," she said in a recent interview.
    Varney also said ReadWest needs more public spaces for one-on-one tutoring. That tutoring is done mostly in public libraries and in churches.

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