PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Painesville City Local Schools has opened its classrooms for the tenth year in a row to adults looking to learn English.
Painesville has a 24.3% Hispanic population. The school district's total Hispanic population is 57%.
“We are here to help families in any way that we can. Some of our families have experienced a lot of barriers. We understand that affects our kids' success in school. We are trying to fill those gaps to try to help the families as much as we can,” Painesville City Local Schools Family Resource Center Coordinator Maribel Young said.
The school district offers two 8-week English Speaking Language courses: one in the spring and another in the fall.
Seventy-four people have signed up for this year’s fall session.
“You have to memorize things. You have to practice. You have to expose yourself, and you have to not be afraid. That's probably the hardest part for people,” Painesville City Local Schools English Language Development Director Ruth Haines explained. “We have a lot of families from Puerto Rico. We have families from all places in Central and South America: Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela.”
Haines added that the class has also welcomed students from other backgrounds, such as Vietnamese and Chinese. A majority of the students are from Mexico.
The course is offered on various levels, from entry to advanced.
“We have an introductory level for people who have arrived here recently or who are still learning English. We start with intro and then we have level one, level two, level three and level four students. Those are a little bit more conversational, but we really want to work on refining their grammar skills and writing skills,” Haines said. “It makes me feel great. I think this population has enhanced the community here. The students are so eager to learn.”
The fall course is offered during Hispanic Heritage Month every year. Haines said the school district offered it during that period to encourage the celebration of differences further.
“It's a good way to learn more about people and bring people together,” she added.
Young described being part of the program as a privilege. She said her family crossed over to the States from Puerto Rico when she was a child.
“I was in the same situation that many of our students are. We came here and we didn't know any English. It is an absolute privilege for me to now be in a position where we can provide assistance to our families to learn English because it is important not only for them to communicate with the schools and people in the community, but it also opens doors to better opportunities. And at the end of the day, that's what we all want. We just want a better life and more opportunities for our families,” Young stated.
For those involved in the program, free transportation is provided by the Salvation Army. According to Young, the school district also offers free childcare.
Registration is free. Student books are also free due to the district's partnership with the Salvation Army.
For more information about the course, CLICK HERE.
