What Are We Teachers Thankful For?

As we prepared for time with family and friends this past week, consuming the proverbial turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, I thought about my gratitude for my job and my students. I am so thankful to be a teacher of Adult English Learners at the LSS Center for New Americans. I am thankful for our students who consistently awe me with their strength, persistence, and determination. I asked my fellow teachers to share what they are thankful for.  Here is what they shared:

I am thankful for my students’ unique perspectives and life experience, their willingness to help one another, and their energy and enthusiasm.

~Kate

I’m thankful for our students’ patience when we have technical issues.  They are so understanding and gracious!  I’m also thankful for our great coworkers – they are my friends as well as coworkers.  I guess LSS attracts nice people!

~Amy

I appreciate our students’ eagerness both to learn about English and American culture, and also their willingness to share about their own language and culture.

~Sarah

I am grateful that our students want to be in classes, and want to work hard to learn! It is so wonderful to teach students like that!  I am grateful we have a way to have class with both in-person students and Zoom students.  I’m grateful for the times we laugh and have fun in class!

~Susan

I am thankful for the courage, persistence and strengths our students show every day.  I am thankful for the upgrade in technology which allowed the teachers to better serve the students.  I am thankful for the awesome co-workers at the Center for New Americans.

~Diana

I’m thankful for the laughter I get to share with the students. It’s the best thing that accelerates our learning.  I’m thankful for people I get to work with. They are my teachers! Because of them, I can be a better person and keep growing as a citizen of the world.  Thank you for letting me share!

~Rihoko

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor & Volunteer Coordinator Assistant
300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103
1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

Volunteer of the Year: 2021

Karen: LSS 2021 Volunteer of the Year

The English classrooms at the Center for New Americans rely heavily on the support and expertise of volunteers. Volunteers aid the teacher in classroom management (both online and in person), assist one-on-one tutoring, lead classroom and small group activities, and provide support to the teachers in numerous ways.

Each year the Education Program has the opportunity to honor one of our hardworking volunteers and nominate them for the Distinguished Volunteer of the Year Award for LSS of SD. This past week, our nominee, Karen Kraus, was recognized at the 2021 Distinguished Volunteer of the Year.

Here’s her nomination:
Karen Kraus started volunteering at the LSS Center for New Americans on 12/14/2016. Since her first day she has provided 460 hours of ESL classroom help for our adult Refugee and Immigrant students.

She has worked with all the English class levels and has also tutored one-to-one a student who had no prior literacy with the challenging task of learning to decode. Karen has been an amazing volunteer – flexible and consistent – in supporting the Education Program at LSS.

When the pandemic closed our in-person classrooms, she reached out to her assigned teacher to see how she could still help. While volunteers typically work once a week for two hours, she joined the online students in Zoom every day until other volunteers could be trained. At the training meetings, she was able to speak with the other volunteers, answering their questions about how it felt to assist in Zoom. She encouraged them to jump in and continue to help out even if they could not see the student due to technology challenges. She spoke about how the students still needed their volunteers more than ever in the Zoom Classrooms.

Karen brings amazing qualities and skills to our English Language Classes at LSS. Patient, insightful and collaborative – Karen communicates clearly and effectively with true beginners. She is a talented co-teacher in any classroom and a treasured partner in the team effort that is equipping our adult English learners with knowledge of the language, literacy and the content they need to communicate and succeed as new residents of South Dakota.

Here are a few of Karen’s insights about volunteering at LSS Center for New Americans.

What are some of your favorite memories from working with a student/in class?
I especially have enjoyed the following experiences:

o Assisting a student who just sounded out a word and seeing the big smile on their face!

o I love it when a joke is shared and understood even through our language barriers!

o The students call all of us “Teacher.” I can tell it is a term of honor by the way they say it.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering at CNA?
For me, it feels like an honor to be a small part of an English Language Learners’ journey. I strongly encourage anyone who might be interested to give this a try. The classroom teachers will first ask you to observe, then will give you direction on how to work directly with students. It’s a chance to meet people from other cultures, right here in Sioux Falls. I learn so much. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it allows me to volunteer in a meaningful way.

Would YOU like to join our team as a classroom volunteer?
Contact diana.streleck@lsssd.org
Apply Here
https://lsssd.org/what-we-do/center-for-new-americans/volunteerapplication.html

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor
300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103
1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

Bring It On! Hybrid Classes: Making it Work

The OWL allows students to see, hear, and communicate during hybrid classes.

For the past several weeks, students have been slowly filling our hallways and classrooms again. Yet, it is a quiet transition, with only a few in-house spots available while the majority of students remain online.

This hybrid design was proposed to help students remain in English classes while still allowing for social distance and safety. Currently students are given the option of in-house or online attendance.

Creativity has made this model work for our students. Online students attend classes via Zoom while in-house students are able to see and communicate with the online students via OWL and projector. Additionally our volunteers are also still able to assist in the classroom via Zoom and are happy to help in any way.

“The hybrid model has been a learning curve for sure, but the students are engaged and we are happy that we can accommodate their need for both in-person and online instruction.”
-Kate Harris: Adult ESL Instructor and Career Navigator

There are benefits for both the online and the in-house model. Online classes provide students who otherwise could not attend due to health issues, child care issues, work schedule issues, etc., the ability to still receive quality instruction. The in-house model gives the benefit of a more traditional classroom, face-to-face instruction, interaction, and no need to rely on technology. Regardless, opening up the hybrid classes has added a new and exciting dynamic to our classrooms.

The hybrid class is challenging but we say, bring it on!

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor
300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103
1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

The Problem with Stress

Photo by Errin Casano on Pexels.com

Today we had the vocabulary word, “defect.”  This is a simple enough word, commonly used in both written and spoken English.  It means of course that is something is not quite right; an item is not quite perfect.  It is defective. 

However, that same word takes on a whole new meaning with a different pronunciation.  A simple change of stress from the first syllable to the second, and now we have “to defect,” i.e. to leave one’s country in order to live in a competitor country.

Word stress can completely change the meaning.  It is this simple misplacement of stress that can confuse many people, and it is also one of the many challenges that my English learners encounter in the classroom.  Typically nouns in English stress the first syllable and the same word as a verb will stress the second syllable, but of course there are always exceptions and variables that students work on learning. 

Here a list of some of the most common multi-syllabic homographs in English:

the desert vs to desert

a minute vs something minute

refuse vs to refuse

a project vs to project

an object vs to object

As an English speaker, I follow the stress-timed rhythm of English to clarify and understand what is being communicated.  I naturally open my mouth wider, speak longer and louder, clearer, and change my pitch to stress the correct syllable of each word. 

Unfortunately word stress cannot be learned overnight.  In the past seven months of teaching intermediate English speakers, my class has had a daily warm-up to recognize both the number of syllables and the stressed syllable in words.  This seemingly simple activity has been eagerly embraced and practiced by the students.  My students want to speak “good English” and to be understood by everyone, and being able to both recognize and produce words with correct stress is an important step towards their goal.

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor

300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103

1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

Success in the Online Classroom

In the past couple of weeks I have been given the privilege to say goodbye to four of my students.  Yes, certainly this is a sad day for me, but it is a wonderful day for my students, and it is an overwhelmingly proud day for both of us.  Although I was saying goodbye to my students, they were saying hello to a new teacher, a new classroom.  They were saying “I can do it!”  “I did it!”  “I’m so excited!” as they graduated out of my level and on to the next level.  My students’ smiles filled the Zoom screen and their repeated “Thank you Teacher” filled my ears.  Their eagerness to take on another challenge was undeniable. 

As we all know, we have been forced to be creative and dedicated in new ways during this pandemic.  LSS has worked to redesign English Classes into an online program.  The teachers have been successful, and more importantly, our students are successful, learning to master the English language. 

There are definite advantages for the students with the online format.  Smaller classes and the ability to have a lot of one-on-one with volunteers give the students more personalized attention in the classroom.  Additionally some students that would not otherwise be able to leave their homes due to childcare responsibilities or tight work schedules are now able to attend classes.  Students are also relaxed, eagerly ask questions, and talk with each other and the instructors. 

And honestly, it is the little things that I often celebrate the most in my class such as the illiterate student who could never find the right page now proudly displays it with, “Teacher, this one?!”  The “ah-ha” moment when a student realizes we are talking about birthday parties, the delight on my students’ faces when they learn to use a Meeting ID for the first time.  There are so many successful moments, and they are the ones I hold dear to my heart.

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor

300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103

1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

Citizenship in the Time of Covid

In spite of being in the Time of Covid, many immigrants are still making the decision to become American citizens.  Over the past year, this process has changed to incorporate Covid-safe practices during the interview process.  I spoke with our lawyer, Dana Boroos, to get some insight on changes that have been instituted.

From the mid March, 2020, until the end of July, 2020, there were no citizenship interviews or oath ceremonies as coronavirus protocols were implemented. 

Now that interviewing has resumed, the following requirements are in place:

• The officer and applicant must wear a mask.  If an attorney or guardian is present, they are also required to wear masks.
• Temperatures are taken before proceeding from the waiting area into the interview room.
• A Plexiglas barrier separates the applicant from the officer. 
• Only up to three people are allowed into the office at one time.  If both an attorney and a guardian present, they will take turns in the interview office as needed. 
• Attorneys and interpreters may also appear at the citizenship interview via telephone. 
• Finally if an applicant has any symptoms of Covid-19, an outstanding test, or known exposure within the last 2 weeks, the interview will be rescheduled.

Additionally, the Oath Ceremonies look different at this time.  There have been various adaptations for the Oath Ceremony. 

• Some applicants may receive their certificates of naturalization the same day as the interview if traveling to Omaha, NE, or Minneapolis, MN.  These are “administrative ceremonies” without a judge.
• In Sioux Falls, the USCIS office has been holding Oath Ceremonies for 5 to 10 applicants at a time with several ceremonies scheduled in one day about once a month.  Some of these ceremonies are administrative as well.
• The judge will attend the ceremony via Zoom when needed for name changes. 
• The ceremony is very short, no singing or speeches.
• All attendees are required to wear masks and socially distance. 
• Friends and family are not allowed to be present. 
• Again, if the applicant has any symptoms of Covid-19, an outstanding test, or known exposure to coronavirus within the last 2 weeks, they are asked to reschedule.

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor

300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103

1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

What we like about winter…

 

This past month we have been discussing seasons, especially winter as the snow has come to visit us in South Dakota.  Of course with this topic comes winter safety and winter driving and all the reasons we don’t like winter.  However, I asked my students to tell me three things they like about winter weather.  Here are a few of their answers:

 

The Beautiful View of the Big Sioux River in December

• I like winter because my children love to play in the snow. They make snowmen and throw snowballs. They build snow forts every winter.  Snow can be a lot of fun.
• I like winter because snow falls down. All places are very white. Some people don’t like snow because snow is too cold, but small kids need snow because they like sledding.
• I like the snow. It is white. I like the winter.  My kids like it a lot and play.  My kids make snowmen, snow forts, and they like sledding.  For this reason, I like winter because my kids get excited to play in the snow.
• I like cold because it’s good for my health. I like to play with my nephews outside because it’s so fun. In the season of winter, we celebrate Christmas and New Year’s.
• I like wintertime because I get my tax return. I need money for my family. In wintertime, there are many holidays.  I like to be off and stay at home and rest from work.
• Staying at home is good because I take time to relax and drink hot chocolate and watch movies.

 

 

• In winter, I like reading a book in front of the window, watching the snow fall down. It feels good. I like to take pictures to remember that I was frozen and it was fun!  I like to spend time at home with my family.  It feels comfortable and warm.
• It is fun to see the white stuff fall from the sky. The ice and snow beautify the city.
• I like winter because I can eat a lot of food. I like to sleep at night, but it is freezing cold!
• I like winter because it is Christmas time and I can have fun with my family.
• I stay home all day most of the time talking together with family. We make tea, coffee, and see the outside view. I like a white Christmas.  I want Christmas time to have a lot of snow.

 

Here is wishing you have time to appreciate the beautiful snow, build snowmen, have snowball fights, stay warm, and drink lots of hot chocolate this winter!

 

 

Have a wonderful Christmas

this week

from all of us

here at the

Center for New Americans! 

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!

 

Written by Heather Glidewell | LSS Center for New Americans | Adult ESL Instructor

300 East 6th Street, Suite 100 | Sioux Falls, SD 57103

1-866-242-2447 toll free | 605-731-2059 fax

 

Why English? From the Mouth of a Student

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, a total of 22,491 refugees came to the United States in 2018, and the largest number of refugees came from the countries of Congo, Myanmar, Ukraine, Bhutan, and Eritrea.  It goes without saying that the main languages of these countries are not English but rather Congolese, French, Kayah, Ukrainian, Russian, Tigrinya, Kunama, and a handful of other tribal languages.  For these grateful refugees, it becomes a matter of extreme importance to learn English once they reach the United States.  To simply navigate a grocery store or secure employment or pay a bill, refugees must have a basic working knowledge of English.  That’s where the instructors at LSS step in, providing a hand up to help get over the mountain.  We are so very proud of our students’ accomplishments and dedication.

Recently one such enthusiastic student spoke about the importance of learning the English language.  Here is what he passionately told all the other students here at the Center for New Americans:

“So this is my first time talking in public.  I’m nervous.  I’m pretty sure I will have too many mistakes, but that’s okay because that is the reason we are here.

We are here for to learn.  We are hear for to learn speak, for to learn write, for to learn read, for to learn listen.  There are four skills.  Everybody we need learn that.

I know it’s no easy.  But nothing is easy in this life.  So I think if you work hard, if you work with discipline and consistency, you can get it.

So almost everybody here in this room, we have something in common.  We are here to this beautiful country, finding something.  Finding a best life.  But we have a problem because this beautiful country have [a lot of] opportunities, but almost everybody speak English here.  So that is the main reason because we need to learn this language, everybody.  We need to work hard for get it good.  I think so.  No we need to work hard just for living.  We need to work hard for make difference.  We need to make difference and help another people, every day.  So for that we need dreams.  We need dreams, but no just dreams, we need dreams with goals because dreams without goals are just dreams.  We need to say life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals, every day.  And we need work hard.  So I believe in everybody.  I believe in me.  I think so, you just, we need to keep going and get it.  So I think so, that’s it.”

 

Written by Heather Glidewell, ESL Instructor