Adult Students Learning English in Community Life ESL Classes

Community Life ESL is off to a great start! A total of 43 adult students are registered for the Tuesday night classes at which they learn conversational English from Warsaw Community Schools teachers and WCC coaches. A total of 33 students who speak Creole, Hindi, Mongolian or Spanish are registered at Harrison Elementary, while another 10 Spanish-speaking students are registered at Eisenhower Elementary. Eight teachers from Warsaw Community Schools, along with eight WCC conversation coaches and five WCC childcare workers volunteer their time to make the classes possible.

“The classroom is a picture of intercultural beauty,” said Sam Peña, WCC’s pastor of Hispanic ministries and ESL program coordinator, referring to the Sept. 5 class at Harrison. “The students may not know what they’re doing, but the class is doing something right. I can tell by the smiles around the tables.”

Students at both schools, who are comprised of individuals, couples, siblings and entire families, represent the countries of Haiti, India, Mongolia, Puerto Rico, and five Latin American countries—Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and Venezuela.

“Launching the class each fall is a daunting task, and it takes a lot of energy because we don’t know what to expect,” Sam added. “But it fills me with joy every time I see WCC’s coaches and childcare volunteers—many who do not speak another language—give 90 minutes of their time each week for 10 weeks to pour into complete strangers who are trying to learn a new language while living in a new community. I have learned to trust God where ESL is concerned, and He has not failed to provide the schools and volunteers we need to offer the program each fall for the past three years.”