Isidro Perez, is one of the more punctual and applied students for the English As A Second Language Program (ESL by its abbreviation in English), for many this has nothing special, but Mr. Isidro is 50 years of age, and assists his English classes accompanied by his wife and two of his children.
“In Mexico I only studied elementary school and I didn’t have the opportunity to learn English, I see the need here to know the language. There’s a lot of Americans at my job and when they speak to me I don’t know what to say to them”, says Mr. Isidro convinced of his decision to study English.
Mrs. Leticia Molina, is his wife, she was the one who convinced her sons to study English, “all of my family needs to know English, because if not it becomes a problem to go to the doctor, to buy, it’s necessary to know the language for everything.”
According to Imelda Luna-Crinklaw, this is just one of the cases and one of the stories that she has amongst her ESL students and the Education Program for adults that take place at Bethel Wesley Church of Moline.
“I’ve been living in the United States for 13 years and I struggle with English, I was encouraged to learn formally because my children are growing and speaking more English than Spanish and I don’t want to lose communication with them”, says Estela Zavala, another program student.
This is one of the few programs that include a whole family, and it’s not limited to just learning English, but it goes far beyond that, students learn to get by in this country learning the culture and the history of the United States.
“We teach our students how to get by in this country, how to use coupons and even how to take advantage of sales at stores, these are experience classes, practical and of course English is present at every moment” assures Professor Imelda.
But that’s not all, parents assist a class and they can leave their children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years old in daycare where they are taken care of by staff experienced in child care and even children ages 3 and 4 participate in the special Pre-K Program.
“I come to study because I’m able to bring my little one year old son if there was no child care I wouldn’t be able to come”, Isabel Mojica tells us, while she takes classes to prepare for her High School diploma exam, with this certification she can study nursing as that’s her desire.
English, nutrition, computer classes, even a game program for parents and children (PACT) and much more is what numerous Hispanics in the Quad Cities who decided to give education a primordial place in their lives and their families’ receive.
This program is possible thanks to the generosity of Target foundation, the Moline foundation and the Doris and Victor Day foundation. Aside from the donations of the Bethel Wesley congregation that give to the Community Learning Center to keep the child care program.
If you would like to be a part of this program you can call (309) 912-0952 or go personally to Bethel Wesley United Methodist Church from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to 1201 13 St., in Moline.
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