{"id":26439,"date":"2016-01-27T14:43:06","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T20:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=26439"},"modified":"2016-01-27T14:43:06","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T20:43:06","slug":"literacy-program-helps-immigrants-overcome-language-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/literacy-program-helps-immigrants-overcome-language-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"Literacy program helps immigrants overcome language barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Shanshan Wang<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zubeda Begum, who came to the United States from Pakistan 15 years ago, believes that practice makes perfect. That is why the 67-year-old has just passed examinations and graduated from the ESL (English as a Second Language) program at the Indo-American Center<\/a> in West Rogers Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learn so many things,\u201d Begum said. \u201cI can speak easily now.\u201d Begum added that sometimes she can be very shy but improving her English has given her much more confidence.<\/p>\n

At the Indo-American Center, the ESL program is offered free at four different levels to immigrants from 34 countries representing 36 languages, including refugees from Iraq, Syria, Burma and Nepal. It currently has about 100 registered students.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of them want better everyday inclusion and interaction outside their homes to feel comfortable talking to another person at the grocery store or to their kids\u2019 teacher,\u201d said Laura Smith, literacy volunteer coordinator, who has been an instructor since 2008 and became full-time in 2013.<\/p>\n

Lack of English proficiency doesn\u2019t seem to be the biggest problem since these immigrants can use their native language at home and their children, who are fluent in English, can help with language translation or interpretation.<\/p>\n

Still, that doesn\u2019t mean that these immigrants don\u2019t want to have more language proficiency to help them communicate more easily with their children and neighbors. Some also hope clearer English will lead to a better job, as well as facilitate their social adjustment and integration into a new society.<\/p>\n

Maria Gasca, 60, from Mexico, said she came to the center to study English for herself. Although she has been living in the United States for nearly 30 years and all of her children speak fluent English, the language is still a barrier for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went to the doctor, nobody went with me,\u201d Gasca said, adding that situations like this one are why she is taking the English classes at the center. Gasca came to IAC after the last school she attended closed due to state budget cuts that also impacted IAC programs.<\/p>\n

Like many other English language students, speaking and writing English is challenging. \u201cThey can understand more than they can express themselves,\u201d Smith said. So she suggests they immerse themselves in the language by listening to English songs, radio programs or watching television shows.<\/p>\n

For beginners, one of the difficulties is grasping the subtle differences between words that share similar pronunciations and spellings. \u201cLike today, they have some trouble understanding \u2018curve\u2019 and \u2018carve\u2019,\u201d said Sama Pateo, a freshman at Adler University who has been volunteering as an English instructor at IAC for five months.<\/p>\n

Outside the classrooms, some students write down new words or phrases they encounter daily and will consult their teachers later. Some get help from family members and classmates. Two students from Puerto Rico and India have become friends and often text each other after class to practice English, Smith said.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Pateo said this is not just an issue about students equipping themselves with the ability to speak a different language. \u201cIt helps with their self-esteem as well,\u201d Pateo said. \u201cWhen I was teaching the beginners class, they were very proud of themselves when they got even the simplest words like \u2018clock\u2019, \u2018family\u2019, or the difference between \u2018daughter\u2019 and \u2018son\u2019. I could see from their faces how happy they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: A quote from Nelson Mandela on the wall of a classroom at the Indo-American Center reminds people of the importance of education. (Shanshan Wang\/Medill)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shanshan Wang Zubeda Begum, who came to the United States from Pakistan 15 years ago, believes that practice makes perfect. That is why the 67-year-old has just passed examinations and graduated from the ESL (English as a Second Language) program at the Indo-American Center in West Rogers Park. \u201cI learn so many things,\u201d Begum […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":272,"featured_media":26471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[585],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2016"],"yoast_head":"\nLiteracy program helps immigrants overcome language barriers - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/literacy-program-helps-immigrants-overcome-language-barriers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Literacy program helps immigrants overcome language barriers - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Shanshan Wang Zubeda Begum, who came to the United States from Pakistan 15 years ago, believes that practice makes perfect. 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