Downey Adult School offers take-home ESL class

DOWNEY – English as a Second Language students Lady Guaman and Rosa Ramos are learning English from home as part of Downey Adult School’s ESL/Distance Learning Program, in which students can check out a DVD and homework packet, then return a week later for the test. The program charges a nominal fee for quarterly enrollment.

Guaman and Ramos are mothers of young children, so they are unable to attend a structured ESL class on a daily basis. They meet with a teacher weekly to check their test, and have the opportunity to speak English and ask any questions they may have.

Both women said they are motivated to learn English so they can help their children in school when they become old enough to attend.

Ramos does the bookkeeping for her husband’s business, so she is also taking an online course called Business Soft Skills. She is one of 12 ESL Advanced students chosen to try the online program “as she has excellent computer skills and wants to learn the English needed to send and respond to business emails,” school officials said.

Both women are part of a growing number of female ESL students who are pursuing careers or employment in the U.S., but want to increase their employability by learning English first.

The class is “a common-sense solution to meet a growing need for English-language acquisition among the immigrant population,” officials said.

Interested students can enroll anytime in room L-71 at Downey Adult School, or call (562) 940-6238.

**********

Published: June 5, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 08