Workers Education Program paves way for better life

Source: SouthCoastToday.com
By PAMELA MAREAN
Standard-Times correspondent
April 01, 2007 6:00 AM

For those who don't speak English or haven't graduated from high school, the American dream might seem out of reach.
Sixty adult students have recently been able to improve their chances for success by enrolling in classes at the UMass Dartmouth Workers' Education Program in New Bedford. The supplemental classes are made possible by a $100,000 funding boost in the 2006 Massachusetts Economic Stimulus bill.
Students who otherwise would have had to spend two years on a waiting list for openings in the WEP classes are now studying English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and General Educational Development (GED).
WEP Director Lisa Jochim estimated about 350 people are waiting for evening ESOL classes. There are now 12 evening classes in ESOL instead of eight. With about 15 students per class, the increased funding allowed capacity to jump by 40 percent. If WEP could offer still more classes, they would be filled, too, Mrs. Jochim said.
Even with the additional classes, it's hard for Mrs. Jochim to say whether the waiting period for evening ESOL classes will be shorter.
Fernando and Judite Teixeira are a Portuguese couple who spent two years waiting to study ESOL at night. They came to the United States in 1997 and struggled to learn the language on their own. They live in Fairhaven, where both work as cooks at Gene's Famous Seafoods.
Mastering English verbs is their greatest challenge, the Teixeiras agreed. They still stumble through constructing sentences when nervous, though they say they understand the language better than they speak it. They no longer need interpreters when they visit the doctor, dentist or their daughter's school.
The Teixeiras have been taking ESOL classes at WEP for three years now, building their reading, speaking, writing and computer skills. Last year, they became U.S. citizens when they passed verbal and written tests in English on their knowledge of American history and the Constitution. They has already exercised their new rights to vote in this country, they said.
The Teixeiras' story is not unusual, but it doesn't typify the ESOL student body either.
"Years ago, the typical students might have been a 45-year-old Portuguese stitcher working in a factory during the day and taking classes at night," Mrs. Jochim said. "The economy in New Bedford has changed a lot, and the typical student no longer exists. We have students from 15 different countries and all different ages from 16 to 70. Most are fairly young adults who want to improve their skills."
Arlindo "AJ" Correia only waited four months to get into ESOL classes.
After he came to the United States from Portugal in 2000, he washed floors for Stop & Shop at night because he couldn't speak English. In school in Portugal, he had studied French instead of English.
Two years ago, once he had picked up enough English to get by, Mr. Correia started his own cleaning company. But when it came to writing business proposals, he had to ask other people to do it for him, he said.
After only one month in ESOL, Mr. Correia approached UMass Dartmouth to clean the downtown New Bedford building where the WEP classes are held. He wrote that proposal himself and was awarded the contract.
His biggest challenge was to learn not to speak "backwards," as Mr. Correia called it. He explained that in both Portuguese and French the adjective comes after the noun it modifies. Instead of saying "White House," the ESOL student would say "House White."
Mr. Carreira has been told by his ESOL teachers that he'll be ready to take his GED exam within the next six months.
Mrs. Jochim said that she often hears business owners complain that they can't find qualified employees. "The students in these programs are doing their part," she said.
Both ESOL and GED classes are provided by WEP free of charge. For more information, call (508) 999-4047.