Need For English Unites Students Language Classes Are Called ‘A Microcosm Of America’

Students at a north Spokane school brought gifts from home to class this week - chocolates from Russia, Christmas music from Ukraine, food from Laos and Vietnam.

Dozens of countries are represented at the Adult Education Center, a branch of the Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning.

While most people know this as the place to get a General Equivalency Diploma or brush up on computer basics, few realize that a world of cultures exists in this renovated old grocery store - in a dozen different classes taught to hundreds of refugees and immigrants every year.

“This is a microcosm of America,” said Michael Wallace, the English as a Second Language Program coordinator, at the center. “These people are linked by a bond - the need for language.”

Since the 1970s, the center has provided free English instruction to people who are new to this country. Last year, more than 1,200 students participated in the Institute’s ESL program, which includes sites in the Valley, Hillyard, Pullman and Colville.

The state provides funding for ESL because, like reading or getting a GED, learning the language is part of a basic education, Wallace said. In order for these new residents to succeed and get jobs, they must first learn English.

That’s the case with Yuri Perelekhov, who started taking English classes last October. A scientist for 15 years in his native Ukraine, Perelekhov wants to improve his English so he can get a better job. He doesn’t know if he could return to science here, but he aspires to do more than his current work as a machine operator.

For Svetlana Sharkevich, a mother of three, learning English is part of surviving in America. Now that she can speak English thanks to the free ESL classes, she can shop for groceries and get around town by herself, she said.

“I live here,” said Sharkevich, also of the Ukraine. “It’s important I know how to speak English.”

On Thursday, Sharkevich, Perelekhov and about 20 advanced ESL students celebrated the last day of the semester with a Christmas party, complete with treats and a gift exchange. It’s been a tough quarter, they said - much of it spent mired in vocabulary, grammar and other challenging aspects of the language that most English speakers take for granted.

Last week, for example, students in an advanced course had to tackle modals - should, would, could, might have. Although the class is taught completely in English, students occasionally break into Russian or Vietnamese to explain the grammar to each other.

Taught by ESL instructor Molly Popchock, the class includes many immigrants from Vietnam and the former Soviet Union, as well as a few from Cuba, Peru, Bosnia and other countries.

“I want to read and speak,” said Lee Xiong, an advanced student who is Hmong and who immigrated from Laos five years ago. “I want to live here, so I must learn.”

Depending on their level of English and how long they’ve been in the United States, students are placed in different classes. Some pick up the language quickly and get through the six levels of ESL classes in a year. Most take longer, an average of about three years, Popchock said.

At some point, students learn vocabulary that will help them get jobs or promotions, and eventually pass the citizenship test.

Those who are enrolled at the Adult Basic Education Center are referred to the program by World Relief, the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program and other organizations that help refugees and immigrants. Many are people displaced by war or persecution in countries such as Eritrea, Afghanistan and Vietnam, Wallace said.

Some of the refugees and other immigrants also are assisted by programs managed by the Department of Social and Health Services. About one-fifth of the students each quarter are in the Limited English Proficient Pathway, which means they must attend ESL classes and participate in employment activities in order to get their welfare checks, Wallace said.

“The LEP is the state’s attempt to empower students with language deficiencies,” he said. “It enables them to find work and empower them with language.”

But sometimes, students can’t always come to class because of work or an illness in their families. Nearly all the students enrolled this quarter work at least part time, said Popchock, who has worked at the center for eight years.

Because of their schedules, some students can’t come to class four to five times a week for four hours each day. A few come late or sometimes leave early.

But they come when they can, many students say. They often form friendships with their teachers.

Being in class also helps them feel more confident in speaking, said Ianka Ruseva, who moved to Spokane from Bulgaria nine months ago. Within two weeks of her arrival, Ruseva was enrolled in an ESL class and is now an advanced student.

“When you know English, you can communicate with other people,” said Felipe Lores, a native of Cuba. “You can be part of the conversation.”