Jeanette Price going over a lesson with her students.
Coronado Adult Education is taking advantage of new state money to upgrade and expand its English as a Second Language (ESL) program by offering two levels of instruction, beginner and intermediate/advanced, for free. In the past, ESL cost $20 a semester and there was only one class for all students at Coronado High School.
The beginning class emphases English skills needed in everyday situations, such as understanding directions, communicating with a doctor about health or a banker about finances. The second course, for intermediate and advanced students, focuses on literacy and fluency, including expressing and understanding complex concepts and ideas.
Besides offering two levels of instruction at the high school, the district is also exploring the possibility of offering classes at business and organizations that employ a large number of people with limited English, such as the Hotel del Coronado and Sharp Coronado Hospital.
The money to expand the program comes from AB86, a $25 million allocation to improve the quality of adult education throughout the state. Money can be used for technical training, apprenticeships, and high school degree programs as well as ESL. Funds are distributed through consortia set up in community college districts. Southwestern College consortium has been allotted $1.9, which will be shared by Coronado Unified and Sweetwater Union School Districts.
Coronado felt it could do the most good by spending its share to improve the level and quality of communication in the community by expanding its ESL program.
“Coronado doesn’t have a lot of non-English speakers living here, but we do have a lot working here,” said Tiffany Bouchard, Director of Adult Education here. “It will be more convenient for many of them to take classes here after work instead of having to go all the way home.”
You don’t have to live in Coronado to take adult education classes here. This is true for all adult education classes, not just ESL. It is also true for all school districts, not just Coronado Unified.
English fluency has clear advantages for people living and working here. In many respects, it is a social justice issue.
“Literacy is an inherent part to participating in society, advocating for one’s self, and communicating. What makes this a social justice issue is that this [adult ESL] equips those who may not have to ability to advocate for themselves or have the resources to learn otherwise ” said Jeanette Price, who teaches ESL at the adult school.
Speaking English well is obviously important at work where employees need to communicate effectively with co-workers and the public. “It also important for parents with children in school to be able to support their child’s learning. “[Immigrants] are often nervous about speaking at parent-teacher conferences or about writing to a school official,” Price said.
“Children have to go to school [where they learn English], however parents often do not have the ability to do so. This leaves a generational learning gap,” she added.
Price believes that teachers can help bridge this gap by letting these parents know about new adult ESL classes.
“They know which students who don’t speak English at home,” she said. “Those teachers can help identify and reach out to those parents.”
Teachers are not the only ones who can spread the word. People who employ immigrants as nannies, housekeepers or gardeners can tell them about the classes and encourage them to join. “It will benefit both,” Price said.
Price has been teaching ELS at adult school for two years. All of her students have been Coronado residents and most have been from Mexico, but not all. Some have hailed from Peru, Columbia, India, Japan and Syria.
This year she has a student from China. Xian Hua Huang has been here for four months. She is married to a nurse at Sharp Coronado who she meet on the Internet. Huang studied English in China, but doesn’t speak well enough to communicate easily with others. “It’s not the same,” said Price, as anyone who’s tried to use their high school Spanish in Mexico — or worse, their high school French in Paris — can attest.
While Huang’s background is unique, her desire to speak English better is typical of all of Price’s students. “Each student has a personal reason for taking the class, however it’s always from a desire to self-improve,” she said.
Xian Hua Huang (right) and Laura Munoz (left)
There many not be a better place to learn. The classes are small. So far there are three people in the beginning class and seven in the intermediate/advance. This gives each student ample opportunity to speak and participate. And the small class size allows Price to individualize her lesson plans and instruction.
Classes are held at Coronado High School on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for beginners and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for intermediate/advanced students. Even though classes began last week, there is still plenty of time to enroll. Class catalogs and registration forms are available at the high school, the library and online.
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
