English Shared

For Leidy Carolina Baron, Springs Learning Center’s annual June celebration of the attendance and achievements of English as a Second Language (ESL) students was bittersweet.

The next day would mark her last class as a student at the Springs Learning Center, where she has gone every week for tutoring for the past decade – – almost as long as the center, which teaches practical English skills in free one-on-one lessons to about 112 students a year, has been open.

Baron, who emigrated to New Haven from Colombia, spoke Monday evening about her experience learning English alongside 20 other learners in the basement of the Saint Rosa of Lima Church, which is next door to the learning center.

“I am sad but also excited,” she said to the crowd of 75 eating a potluck that was, like its learners, from across the world – – Ecuador, Mexico, India, Brazil, Iran.

Learners shared their successes in speeches using their new English skills. One had opened a bakery. Others had improved conversational skills, better communicated with children’s teachers at schools, gotten rid of shyness, studied to earn a GED, passed a citizenship test, and told passengers the bus fares.

Baron could count another success for her list: ​“I just did my interview in English,” she told her tutor of ten years proudly. Though she will complete all of the Center’s workbooks today, Baron hopes to continue to practice on her own.

When one book closes, another reopens. After coming from Mexico thirteen years ago, Blanca Carrera attended tutoring for seven years, took a break for two, and is now back for more. She said she hopes to learn to communicate to customers more easily at the New Haven take-out restaurant La Caretta she runs with her husband. (The tamales they brought disappeared immediately.) In addition to helping customers, she also wants to help her sons – – Brian, Brandon, and Brady – – with their homework. ​“As the kids start growing, they need more help,” her husband Jorge Carrera said, who attended tutoring for one year. They learned about the program from attending Sunday services at the Church.

Zia Schrab and Nasrin Taami were two of seven learners at Springs this year to obtain US citizenship. The couple fled from Iran to the States nine years ago, seeking freedom from religious persecution. The certificate service in the Church preceding the evening’s dinner was the first time they had seen Christian prayer. Nine months ago they heard about the Springs Learning Center at a workshop for immigrants; six months later they passed their citizenship test.

“We wish to have a world full of peace and friendly,” Nasrin said.