W&L ESOL Newsletter 2020

English for Speakers of Other Languages WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1

ESOL’S 18TH ANNIVERSARY ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. Over 18 years ago, an ESL group was founded under the Nabors Service League at Washington and Lee University. Today, ESOL is a successful student volunteer organization making a great impact on the community. Each semester, eager Washington and Lee students with an interest in international cultures, teaching, collaboration, and service help to facilitate communications in Lexington and the Rockbridge County. ◗ English tutoring in school, after school, and for families

ALUMNI CORNER

Kathryn McEvoy ’19 and Lorena Hernández Bárcena ’19, former ESOL Co-Presidents

◗ Community English Class every Monday night ◗ Youth mentors, especially for navigating school and learning about college access ◗ Interpretations ◗ Translations ◗ Tutoring in other languages per request ◗ Community events such as panels, dinners, and films

2019-20 ESOL Leadership

What did you learn from your experience tutoring in ESOL? KM: My experience in ESOL was divided into two different roles: English tutor and Co-President of the organization. As a tutor, I learned about the value of relationships and community. Language learning is a vulnerable journey, and it is impossible to succeed without first developing a foundation of trust. As Co-President of the organization, I learned about the value of delegation and teamwork. I was so lucky to be part of an incredible team of fellow leaders, without whom the organization would not exist.

What is your fondest ESOL memory?

KM: My favorite ESOL memory was the quinceañera I attended in 2018 for a girl whom I had tutored for two years. Six months before the party, she asked for my help to find “chambelanes”, dance partners who perform the waltz with the birthday girl and several of her friends and family members. I requested the help of eight W&L men who diligently practiced for several months and attended the quinceañera along with me. It was so lovely to see two communities come together and share in a tradition like that. I think this memory really embodies what ESOL is all about — bridging language and cultural divides and creating community.

ESOL Co-Presidents Edwin Castellanos Campos ’20 Hannah Denham ’20 Community Coordinator Curry Sherard ’21 Translations Coordinator Garrett Allen ’20 Interpretations Coordinator Edwin Castellanos Campos ’20 Family Tutoring Coordinator Jacqueline Tamez ’22 International Projects Coordinators Abby Hinrichs ’20 Lizzie Figueiras ’21 School Tutoring Coordinator Caroline Rivers ’20 Communications/Community Director David Gálvez ’22 THANK YOU TO THESE EXCELLENT LEADERS!

ESOL Undergrad & Law School ESOL and the W&L Law School often work together. ESOL volunteers provide information about the Law School clinics, often help to translate legal documents, and occasionally serve as interpreters for legal appointments. We are proud to collaborate with the W&L Law School Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Tax Clinic.

APRIL 2020

back of the classroom quietly when you are upset ­— you have to push forward and carry your students with you.

What advice do you have for people interested in continuing their ESOL work after graduation?

KM: Look for an opportunity to live/work in a country where you can learn a new language! Living in Spain and learning Spanish has certainly made me a better language teacher. I now have a firsthand understanding of what it feels like to not speak a language fluently and to not fully understand a culture. Moreover, I have learned so much about the economy of words. Language learning and language teaching make me more intentional with my words — what they mean in my context versus a language — learner’s context and which words are necessary versus which are merely filling empty space. Take the opportunity to put yourself in your students’ shoes.

ESOL Alums Shine For example, you can find an ESOL alum in any one of these sectors: ◗ Fulbright Research and ETA ◗ Teach for America and many other teaching arenas ◗ Law (many in immigration law) ◗ Peace Corps ◗ Business/Accounting ◗ Journalism ◗ Non-Governmental Organizations ◗ Medical professions

What advice do you have for ESOL tutors who are learning to become teachers?

KM: Having now had the experience as a language teacher here in Spain, I can say that I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I had to learn about teaching through ESOL. I learned so much about understanding my students, finding creative ways to present new information, and developing foundations of trust.

However, I would also tell aspiring teachers that your first year as a teacher in a classroom alone with 16 pairs of eyes staring at you is going to be hard no matter how much experience or preparation you have. The best thing you can do as a new teacher is take each day in stride. If one lesson absolutely flops, leave it behind you as you go into the next day. As a teacher, you do not have the luxury of sitting in the

mayocke@wlu.edu • esol.academic.wlu.edu ESOL • Washington and Lee University • Lexington, VA

STAYING IN TOUCH We would love to hear more about our alums.

Please feel free to contact the ESOL Adviser, Professor Ellen Mayock, mayocke@wlu.edu.

Leader Reflections

NOTEWORTHY

ESOL IN THE W&L CURRICULUM ESOL continues to appear in the W&L curriculum through community-based learning initiatives in Spanish courses.

This winter, 18 students (including many active ESOL volunteers and leaders) are taking “Vivir en comunidad: Migración en las Américas” with Professor Mayock. For this upper-level conversation course, all students work at least one hour a week in an ESOL placement — with the ESOL Monday night community class, the Lexington City Schools, Project Horizon, the Rockbridge County Schools, translating Edwin Castellanos Campos’ Tiempo de cambio, and/or working with the W&L Immigrant Rights Clinic.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Hannah Denham ’20 and Professor Mayock presented “Building Bridges in the Community” at the 2019 Virginia TESOL (VATESOL) conference in Charlottesville. ESOL students’ related proposal was accepted for the big TESOL conference, which was cancelled. This was a big deal, as TESOL does not often accept proposals from undergraduate students.

Hannah Denham and David Gálvez ’22 were to present the wonderful work of W&L’s ESOL. We are now mobilizing for the Fall, 2020, Southeastern TESOL conference.

ESOL COLLABORATION ON INTERNATIONAL BOOK PALS PROJECT: W&L ESOL alum Kathryn McEvoy (’19) is currently on a Fulbright scholarship in Asturias, Spain. In typical Kathryn fashion, she has reached back out to ESOL to invite us to collaborate on an international “shared reading” project.

Sixteen people in Lexington are paired with 16 students in Asturias to read books and talk about them via Skype. This project aids in ESOL’s objective to encourage enhanced literacy in our area and beyond.

ESOL COLLABORATION ON INTERNATIONAL TEACHING INTERNSHIP: ESOL is fortunate to collaborate with Fran Elrod of the Shepherd Program and Jim Casey of the Economics Department and GenDev on a teaching internship in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. This spring and summer, eight W&L students were to teach English in the sole high school of Puerto Morelos and contribute to summer literacy programs. Nice to see ESOL on the road, as well as in our local community!

From l.r.: David Gálvez ’22, Hannah Denham ’20, Curry Sherard ’21, Caroline Rivers ’20, Edwin Castellanos Campos ’20, Jacqueline Tamez ’22, ESOL Leadership Missing from photo: Abby Hinrichs, Garrett Allen, Lizzie Figueiras

Meet ESOL’s Co-Presidents Describe your role with ESOL: EC: My role for ESOL consists of interpretations, translations, international projects, and community events. This year, I helped train new interpreters to ensure they could help the Immigrant Rights Clinic. I also reviewed all translations once they were completed and formatted them to reflect the original copies. My favorite part of the year, however, was organizing community events that brought everyone together.

HD: As the co-president overseeing tutoring and communications this year, I coordinated resources for the in/afterschool tutoring chair and family tutoring chair with Professor Mayock. I also oversaw scheduling and communication between community partners and the three tutoring chairs. Professor Mayock, Edwin, and I met every week to plan for events, distribute and order tutoring resources, and address other needs and scheduling, and we led meetings with the whole ESOL leadership team every other week. I helped coordinate tutoring workshops and worked with Edwin to plan and lead other all-volunteer meetings. A big part of my role is communication, including emails and reminders about leadership and all-volunteer meetings and events, as well as brainstorming and writing the research proposals for VATESOL and TESOL.

volunteers to ensure that community members feel and understand that they too belong in our community.

HD: I started tutoring during the Monday night group classes during the fall of my sophomore year and loved the chance to get to know community members and talk with them each week. I’ve continued tutoring during the group classes through my senior year and am grateful for the chance to build community through language and relationships. But being co-president has shown me just how many ways ESOL is plugged into the community and holistically seeks to meet the needs of and bridge relationships between and among our neighbors.

Meet Two More ESOL Leaders “In/After-School Volunteer Coordinator is the primary liaison between ESOL and the Rockbridge County and Lexington city schools. I work closely with our community contacts in order to gauge community needs, hammer out placement details, and find ESOL volunteers. Additionally, I work in tandem with the Family Tutoring Coordinator, as the two areas of tutoring often overlap as needs arise in the community.”

— Caroline Rivers ‘20

“As Community Coordinator, my job includes staying connected with community members and organizations to facilitate relationships and participate in events between ESOL and the Rockbridge community. This involves reaching out to different organizations and raising awareness on campus of upcoming events in Lexington. One of my main responsibilities is leading a community tutoring class in English on Monday nights, with the help of other ESOL tutors.”

What have you learned from your experiences as an ESOL volunteer and leader?

EC: Throughout the past four years, I’ve learned the value of relationship-building.

ESOL demonstrates the importance of taking time to listen to community members to establish trust and better serve their needs. Growth has come from the voice of those we work with along with the commitment and hard work of

mayocke@wlu.edu • esol.academic.wlu.edu ESOL • Washington and Lee University • Lexington, VA

— Curry Sherard ‘21

DONATING TO ESOL One of our most challenging tasks continues to be raising enough funds for our yearly operating budget.

Nevertheless, we are thrilled to announce that ESOL will finally have space on campus for teaching and tutoring, meetings, reading hours, and community classes. If you are considering giving to W&L, please keep ESOL in mind.

Thank you!