ELA 2/3 PM

Cochise College Adult Education

Sierra Vista

I am in my second week teaching ELA at Cochise College Adult Education. Every day I am amazed and excited by my students. They come from Thailand, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Russia, Panama. These are women and men who have already accomplished much more than I. (If it had been up to me, my family would still be farming rocks in Sweden.) My students are thrilled to be learning English with all its twists and oddities. They jump right into English grammar that can be both boring and confounding. They cope gamely with technology that can help them so much and tie their brains and fingers into knots. They eagerly tackle the reading and writing that can open worlds to them and their worlds to others. My students’ enthusiasm spurs me to my own clarity of expression, creativity in class projects and assignments and ever increasing efforts to make class enjoyable. I want them, need them, to keep coming back for more.

C. Gilles-Brown

Below are several of my students’ stories.

I think the English program is very necessary because we need communication in the hospital, at work, in families, recreation, schools, stores, police, with people and everything.

Arturo Grijalva

I want to go to school to learn English because I need to improve my life. In my country, Mexico, I received a degree in Accounting, and I have a lot of experience. But here in the USA, I need more English to do this profession. Now I work too hard cleaning houses because I don’t speak, read and write much English. I appreciate Cochise College giving me the opportunity for growing.

Gloria E. Vazquez

If I have a problem, I cannot go out alone, and I don’t know how to make an urgent phone call. Also, at some places I need to fill out forms or papers, so I want to write better English. Next year I need to become an American citizen. I am also hoping to make American friends.

Sung Hui Nagayama

I want to learn how to read and write, so I can get a better job. I work at Fort Huachuca, AZ. My job is cooking and serving food for the soldiers. I need to speak, write and read better English to get a better job. I am proud to be a U.S. citizen. During my spare time, I force myself to read English books. I watch television and I do housework. I shop for food and clothes and take my twelve-year-old daughter to the zoo in Tucson on weekends.

Abeba Taylor

Before I moved to the USA, I lived in Russia in Khabarovsk city. I worked in a big electric company as an accountant. In my city we went to the sauna and traveled to different places on weekends. I was a judge of yacht races. I had a good time, when the boats raced in the wind and on the waves of the Sea of Japan.

Now I live in Sierra Vista, cook Russian borscht for my husband, water my flowers, go to the evening English class. I really miss the sea and boat races. Very often we go to the different museums and little cities near Sierra Vista. I like Bisbee and Tombstone very much.

In my future I want to finish my English class. I will have a good job in my new city. I will work in newspapers doing photography with Ed Honda. I will travel in the USA and the entire world with my camera. I will have exhibitions of my photographs in many cities in America and Russia.

Natalia Filimonova

Hi, my name is Mikyong. I’m from Korea. I like to learn English for reading and writing because I need a job for me and my family. Thank you for the English classes. Now I am learning to read and getting around by myself. I’m learning day by day. Thank you.

Mikyong Davis