#New Beginnings
Last month, in the Center for Adult Learning, several students celebrated their unofficial “graduation” from Level 5, the Library's highest English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class.
While no official certificates were awarded at this event, no one left empty-handed. First, many of the students had contributed to New Beginnings, a collection of essays by Florida’s Adult Learners published annually by the Florida Literacy Coalition. These newly-published authors were also able to leave with physical copies of the book.
More importantly, each student walked away with new skills, new friends and a lifelong connection to their public library.
#More than an English Class
Melanie Pelchat left a promising career, family and friends to move to the United States with her husband and two young sons. On top of that, she did not speak the language. “Frustration, sadness, fear and insecurity filled me,” she writes. “Many tears flowed the first few weeks.” One morning, she decided to roll up her sleeves and stop feeling sorry for herself.
“With shaking hands, I grabbed the phone and made an appointment with the library.”
When Melanie got home from her first ESOL class, she was smiling and happy. “I felt light. I had just communicated with people who were living in the same reality as me. For the first time, I felt in my place.” Over the years, she’s made friends and learned alongside neurosurgeons, lawyers, accountants, journalists, teachers and adult learners from countries all over the world.
“ESOL has been more than an English class; it is the family that I don’t have in this country.”
#Listen to Melanie's Full Story
#Do you, a family member, or a friend need help to learn English?
Melanie hopes that her story will inspire others to make the same phone call she did.
For more information about ESOL classes at the Library, call the Center for Adult Learning at (904) 255-6135 to speak with our trained instructors. They'll find the course level that's right for each student. There's no guesswork required! You can also schedule a new student appointment online.
#More practice speaking English
The Library can be a lifeline for new or struggling English speakers. And the relationships built during ESOL classes at the Center for Adult Learning do not have to end after Level 5.
Currently-enrolled ESOL students and graduates have the opportunity to join regular, ongoing “Conversation Essentials” sessions. Facilitated by a native speaker, they provide even more opportunities to practice speaking English outside of a "traditional" classroom setting. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced groups.
