It hit me the moment I walked into West Bloomfield Adult Education’s English Language Learner (ELL) building: the hush of peaceful energy.
Dawn Hanford, the program’s coordinator, knows what I’m talking about.
“It’s intentional,” Dawn says. “We help people from over 38 nations learn English, and many of them are here because of dire circumstances. So the space is very purposefully comfortable, warm, open.”
All three levels of classes – beginner, intermediate and advanced – are in session when I’m there. Viktoriia Shkolnyk, a Level 2 (intermediate) student, came to Michigan from Ukraine.
“I like this school. I love this teacher,” Viktoria says. “We understand her very good because she talks so you'll understand. She talks slowly. She explains.”
Before ELL, Viktoriia couldn’t even ask questions in a grocery store. “I would point,” she admits.
She’s relieved to know English now. “It’s better for life,” Viktoriia adds. “You can live and it’s comfortable.”
Dawn says classes range from ten to 25 students; everyone’s tested for their English proficiency when they start.
“Some students have never been to school, so they don’t even know the alphabet in their own language,” Dawn reveals. “But I find it’s actually easier to teach those students, because they’re a clean slate.”
Dawn says their teachers only teach in English.
“This is an immersion program,” Dawn explains. “We use the Oxford Picture Dictionary, which was created for adults. And we build our lessons around themes.”
For example, if the theme were fall in Michigan, the teacher would bring cider, apples and donuts while discussing the state’s geography. “We have a good time with it,” Dawn acknowledges.
Enrollment is almost all through word of mouth.
“Japanese families, for example, go back home and tell people, ‘If you’re coming to Michigan, go here,’” Dawn shares. “We’re very proud of that reputation.”
Down the hall, Kimberly Liddell-Love, assistant principal at Cass Tech, is leading the advanced class. I ask her students what brought them to West Bloomfield Adult Ed. One woman encourages another to speak; it’s apparent the two are friendly.
The second woman, Engely Hernandez, finally says, “I heard the music and that started it.”
The music of the English language? I ask.
“Pop music,” Engely responds, and now that I understand her, I laugh. “I would try to understand the words,” Engely continues, “and now, ‘Oh my god, this is what they say!” Engely’s from Venezuela.
I note to Dawn the friendliness I observed in Ms. Liddell-Love’s class.
“People come here for the social aspect,” Dawn agrees. “They like the community. We do all kinds of fun things. One day I got a myplate.gov recipe, brought in a crockpot and taught them how to use American measurements. So we had creole chicken and rice that night.”
Dawn recalls a former student coming in to register a friend.
“He said, ‘I love this school. I learned English in this school, and now I can talk to the people in this country. And I love this country.’
“I asked what he loved about America. ‘I come from Gaza,” he said. ‘In my country, I don’t know if I’m going to wake up in the morning. I don’t know what’s going to come in the day. Here, I have a house with Chaldean neighbor on one side, and on other side I have Jewish neighbor, and we are friends, and we barbecue together. Nowhere else could this happen. I love this country.”
Then Dawn tells me her own inspiring story of a second language learner: her father, an immigrant from Iraq.
“He had a party store and it burned down,” Dawn recalls. “For a year, he was completely depressed. One day he walked in and said, ‘I know what I’m going to do. I’m going back to school. I’m going to learn better English. And then I’m going to sell insurance.’ That was very inspirational to me. He was excited again, and happy. He had a path.”
Dawn’s been at West Bloomfield Adult Ed for 30 years.
“I’m thankful because I learn way more from them than I’m sure I ever teach them,” Dawn smiles. “I’ve stayed this long because these people here really need what we do. As long as they’re here, I will stay here.”
I ask if there’s anything else she wants a potential student to know.
“Observe a class,” Dawn responds. “See what we do here. Come anytime to watch. We’re very patient. And if you have difficulties, whether it’s food, housing – anything that prevents you from learning – we try to find solutions.
“A lot of people don’t like the word ‘assimilation,’” Dawn concludes, “but I believe everyone wants to belong.”
To get started learning English, visit West Bloomfield Adult Ed’s English Language Learner program by calling (248) 539-2390.