English As a Second Lanugage - Unlocking the Mystery of English
Ask any of our refugee parishioners and they'll tell you that learning English is key to getting a job, going through their mail, communicating with their children's teachers, making a doctor's appointment, understanding directions, talking with their landlords, buying a car, and knowing which bus to take. They need to be able to speak and understand English in just about every area of their lives. For many who have had very little formal education or can't read or write in their native tongue, it's an almost impossible task.
In response to this need, St. Leo's offers opportunities to increase their English proficiency by providing an English as a Second Language (ESL) group each week.
The large group then is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced English speakers. If there are enough volunteers, they will try to provide the beginners with one-on-one English lessons on alphabet, phonetics, vocabulary, and simple sentence construction. The intermediate group typically works in small groups of 2 or 3, expanding their vocabulary, learning more complex verb tenses, and building confidence in their speaking abilities. The advanced speakers work as one group on more technical grammar and conversational skills (this is an interesting group to sit in on, as they are able and willing to hold more in-depth conversations).
As in so many other areas of ministry here at St. Leo's, God provides what we need as we need it - and we are very grateful.