At this well attended professional development meeting, our presenters were two professional Adult ESL teachers from Hampton. They donated their time to share activities that are great for our volunteers to use in one-on-one tutoring situations.

There also was access to the computer lab at the Adult Learning Center: one Advisory Board member, Terri Simon, demonstrated for us the utilization of several useful ESL websites. Then everyone got to actually use the computers ourselves to become more familiar with these websites. Best of all, the group of tutors all had time together to share ideas and their wonderful stories about "their" own refugees.

Another member of the ESL Advisory Board has done a study of the demographics of the current volunteer base. Jim Day spent two days in the Hampton office collecting this biographic data and developing it into a convienient spreadsheet. This resource now makes communication much more efficient. The ESL Advisory Board will now begin looking at that data to determine future outreach plans. The group will also use this volunteer database to develop a new team-leader approach to improve communication among our tutors.

Tammy Trietch and Marisol Morales are planning the next event, an off-site Volunteer Appreciation Open House activity in May. Trista Soave is putting together ideas for an ESL e-newsletter or communication blog for the HRIS volunteers to use for solving problems together.

ESL Advisory Board member Terri Simon is one of the many dedicated volunteers who continue to give back to the community. This Newport News resident has devoted her time to work with HRIS. She volunteers with the education coordinator assisting with various tasks that help area refugees learn English. She volunteers as a consultant to new projects. Terri is also an ESL teacher for the Hampton Adult Learning Program. Because there are about 70 volunteers to tutor our refugee families, Terri's experience comes at a time of great need as she works hand-in-hand to help the other volunteer tutors who may have little or no teaching experience.

Terri also assists with the three-week Intensive English classes offered at the office for newly arriving immigrants as they try to transition into their new culture. The focus of this 30 hour class is to familiarize them with basic things such as their address, telling time, money and job applications. After the three weeks are over, the students are then assigned tutors who work with them on a one-on-one basis about twice a week with the goal of re-enforcing what they have learned and allow them to become self-supportive and employable.

According to Terri, the main challenge in teaching ESL has to do with the large range of proficiency levels among the adult refugee students. Some speak a little English, while others have no English at all. Having them come all together in one Intensive ESL classroom can present difficulties at times. Despite these obstacles, when asked how she feels about teaching, Terri does not hesitate: "Teaching ESL is my passion," she answers emphatically.

Sara Mawa is a student at Norfolk State University and an RIS Intern
Suzi Smith is Education Coordinator for Hampton Roads RIS