Arcadia Branch recently received congratulations from the AAUW Executive Director for selection at the AAUW Taste of Success event at the national convention in June for our English Conversation Class for Non-Native Speakers, a collaborative effort of Arcadia Public Library, branch and community volunteers under the direction of Arcadia Branch members.
Our mission-based project enabled us to provide classes open to residents in the community who can read English but want to improve their speaking ability. Class membership is generally 100% Chinese/Taiwanese ethnicity. The class numbers about 80 students and meets weekly in the library’s auditorium. Women make up about 80% of the class. Students meet in small groups with tutors. The class coordinator and her assistant are past presidents of the Arcadia Branch. Other AAUW members are involved, along with volunteers from the community.
The library helps to defray the nominal cost of the students’ reading materials and provides a welcoming atmosphere for all. The Class Coordinator states, “The focus of the class is not to teach grammar or spelling, but to teach understandable speaking and to promote the self-confidence to speak English.”
One of the Branch’s goals is to promote the diversity and goodwill that many communities are trying to achieve in this “global village.” Another goal is to help the women gain more proficiency in spoken English so they are better able to compete in the business world and to handle everyday affairs. A corollary of these goals is that the Branch has been able to gain and retain more Chinese-American members.
We help the women in the class to break through barriers in several ways. As the Chinese-speaking students become more proficient in speaking English, they are able to express themselves more confidently and correctly at work, at home with their children, and in everyday situations. They set a good example for their daughters who see their mothers as role models who are working to achieve a goal. Also, those women who have young children can more easily help their children with their homework.
Two fine examples of breaking through barriers are these: one of the women in the class has become an American citizen, thanks to the help that she received from her tutors; another women who was a registered nurse in China gained enough English facility to pass the required test for nurses in California. In doing so, she was able to advance from a low-paying job at a convalescent hospital to an RN’s position at a comprehensive hospital. For many of these people, language is no longer a barrier but rather a road to success.
The class coordinator and her assistant, as well as two of the tutors, are long-time AAUW members. But two other Branch members who volunteer are bilingual in Chinese and English. One is the head registrar of the class and the other is a group leader. Both attend AAUW meetings and have encouraged other Chinese-American women to join our Branch.
The class helps immigrant women feel welcome and accepted when they settle in a new community. On a larger scale, it encourages an understanding of our political system. For example, during the General Election last November, the class learned about the Presidential candidates and then held a mock election. Before that, some had registered to vote in an actual election. The English Conversation Class acts as a source of empowerment for women who want to improve their reading comprehension and their speaking ability so they can make a difference at home and throughout the community.
Our mission-based project enabled us to provide classes open to residents in the community who can read English but want to improve their speaking ability. Class membership is generally 100% Chinese/Taiwanese ethnicity. The class numbers about 80 students and meets weekly in the library’s auditorium. Women make up about 80% of the class. Students meet in small groups with tutors. The class coordinator and her assistant are past presidents of the Arcadia Branch. Other AAUW members are involved, along with volunteers from the community.
The library helps to defray the nominal cost of the students’ reading materials and provides a welcoming atmosphere for all. The Class Coordinator states, “The focus of the class is not to teach grammar or spelling, but to teach understandable speaking and to promote the self-confidence to speak English.”
One of the Branch’s goals is to promote the diversity and goodwill that many communities are trying to achieve in this “global village.” Another goal is to help the women gain more proficiency in spoken English so they are better able to compete in the business world and to handle everyday affairs. A corollary of these goals is that the Branch has been able to gain and retain more Chinese-American members.
We help the women in the class to break through barriers in several ways. As the Chinese-speaking students become more proficient in speaking English, they are able to express themselves more confidently and correctly at work, at home with their children, and in everyday situations. They set a good example for their daughters who see their mothers as role models who are working to achieve a goal. Also, those women who have young children can more easily help their children with their homework.
Two fine examples of breaking through barriers are these: one of the women in the class has become an American citizen, thanks to the help that she received from her tutors; another women who was a registered nurse in China gained enough English facility to pass the required test for nurses in California. In doing so, she was able to advance from a low-paying job at a convalescent hospital to an RN’s position at a comprehensive hospital. For many of these people, language is no longer a barrier but rather a road to success.
The class coordinator and her assistant, as well as two of the tutors, are long-time AAUW members. But two other Branch members who volunteer are bilingual in Chinese and English. One is the head registrar of the class and the other is a group leader. Both attend AAUW meetings and have encouraged other Chinese-American women to join our Branch.
The class helps immigrant women feel welcome and accepted when they settle in a new community. On a larger scale, it encourages an understanding of our political system. For example, during the General Election last November, the class learned about the Presidential candidates and then held a mock election. Before that, some had registered to vote in an actual election. The English Conversation Class acts as a source of empowerment for women who want to improve their reading comprehension and their speaking ability so they can make a difference at home and throughout the community.
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