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In This Issue:
HOGAR STAFF
Education Services:
Lisa Ehm Waller Hope Adair Brooke Hammond Pérez Danny Quinn Bill Kelly Krupskaya Elliot
Michelle Sardone Mike Elliot
Social Services: Martha Michael
Hogar Immigrant Services |
 It may seem odd since it is nearly February, but this is the first opportunity we at Hogar have had to wish you a “Happy New Year!”. Hopefully, this issue of our monthly newsletter finds you enjoying all of the promise and optimism that the new year can bring.Sadly, though, 2011 is gearing up to be a tough one for “the stranger among us”. In addition to suffering disproportionately the effects of a lingering economic downturn, many immigrants face the prospect of new local, state, and federal legislation that singles them out and inhibits their ability to live with dignity—the dignity of the human person which is grounded in our faith and reflected in natural law. To wit, “opposing harmful aspects of potential measures aimed at immigrants (e.g., provisions impacting services that charities provide)” is one of the many items on the 2011 legislative agenda for the VA Catholic Conference (www.vacatholic.org). Sobering indeed! Among the stories below is one that highlights specific immigrant-related legislation being proposed here in Virginia this legislative season. I urge each of you to educate yourself and to stay informed throughout the current legislative session. In the meantime, though, focus on the things that you can affect locally. If you are one of our army of dedicated teachers, resolve yourself to approach each class with the attitude that you may transform the life of one of your students during that lesson. If you are a “natz” volunteer, resolve to come to one extra workshop this year (we have increased our frequency to one per month, so we can always use an extra set of hands). If you are a donor, please resolve to be as generous as possible to those who are helping immigrants become more self-sufficient members of this community. With resolutions such as these, we can counter the prevailing negativity and make this a positive year for the deserving immigrant families we serve. On behalf of the entire Hogar team, I want to say that we are firmly resolved—in partnership with our volunteers, partners, and donors—to welcome the stranger anew in 2011! Education Updates
Upcoming
Volunteers Needed!
New Legislative Session Signals a Difficult Year Ahead for Virginia Immigrants Two weeks ago, on January 18, over 100 immigrants’ rights advocates gathered in Richmond for Virginia Immigrant Advocacy Day. Although organizers from the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) reported that the day was a success (icy weather notwithstanding), 2011 is shaping up to be a challenging year for immigrants and those of us who work with Virginia’s immigrant communities. Members of the state legislature have already introduced bills that would severely restrict the rights of Virginia immigrants. On the table, for example, is a bill that that would require every public K-12 school in Virginia to track the immigration status of students’ parents, and then report that data to the state. Also at play is a bill that would completely bar undocumented students (including students brought to the United States as children) from attending public Virginia universities. Current policies vary by school but many Virginia universities permit undocumented students to attend if they meet academic requirements and can pay out of state tuition. Other legislators are proposing legislation similar to Arizona’s controversial SB1070 law, or measures that would deputize all Virginia law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws. Although immigrants’ rights groups like VACOLAO are speaking out against such measures, there is real concern in the community that some of these proposals could be enacted into law, possibly making the lives of the individuals we work with even more precarious. For example, victims of crimes and domestic violence would likely be less willing to call the police to report crime if they fear that their immigration status will be questioned. And children of immigrant families in Virginia schools—whether documented or not—could be singled-out for bullying or discrimination if their parents are unable to furnish proof of legal status. Whatever the outcome of such proposals, it is likely that 2011 will bring about some changes for Virginia immigrants. Keep your eyes on the news for further developments. Hogar will be hosting our next Citizenship application workshop on Saturday, January 29 in partnership with Arlington County’s Department of Human Services. The workshop will be held at the Department of Human Services’ office at 2100 Washington Boulevard (Sequoia Plaza), Arlington, Virginia. Registration opens at 10:00 am. Staff attorneys and trained volunteers will be on hand to assist lawful permanent residents in completing their applications to become U.S. citizens. Interested applicants should call 703 534-9805 x250 to pre-register and find out what they need to bring to the workshop. Thanks in part to our new grant from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, applicants will only have to pay a $30 fee to attend the workshop. WRO CHRISTMAS MEAL DISTRIBUTION 2011
This month, Hogar would like to highlight our dedicated and energetic Education Services volunteer, Chris Schrader! Chris has been volunteering with us since last September. Before coming to Hogar, Chris taught ESL classes to children and adults in Vietnam. Here at Hogar, Chris teaches our new Transitions class in Falls Church, which is held on Friday evenings. Hogar initiated this class last semester, with Chris’ help and expertise, to be able to meet student demand and requests for help with finding jobs and developing their careers. Transitions is offered to High-Intermediate and Advanced level students and helps them with practical skills such as writing resumes, cover letters, and/or college admission essays, looking for jobs, and preparing for job interviews. Chris teaches this class every Friday, which receives excellent turnout by his equally dedicated students. Honestly, it was my inspiration to teach that got me interested in volunteering at Hogar. When I first got the opportunity to teach in Vietnam, I loved it! It was amazing to see the smiles on the students’ faces and to witness their excitement and hunger for learning. They were literally so eager to learn and hungry for every bit of information I was giving them. And I wanted to teach here at Hogar for that same reason. I wanted to be able to teach immigrants English and impact their lives. Before coming to Hogar, you were teaching ESL in Vietnam. Tell us a little more about that experience. I went to Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon, to get my TESOL certificate. As soon as I got that, the organization I got the certificate with provided me with an opportunity to teach at the elementary level, so I started teaching elementary school children. After a while, the organization told me they wanted me to teach university classes. So I began teaching English to college students who had an Intermediate-level of English. I worked with them a lot on their pronunciation and we often recorded their speech and played it back to them, so that they could hear how they sounded. They were very excited to see an American, as most of them previously had received British English instruction. There was no air conditioning in the school, but they were super eager to learn. I even had students from other classes out in the hallway peeping into the windows of my class, wanting to learn English as well. It was the best experience of my life. It was absolutely amazing, and I loved every bit of it. You currently teach Hogar’s new Transitions class. Can you tell us a little more about what a typical Friday evening in Transitions class looks like and entails? The students all speak very well and professionally. The class is really about transitioning Advanced-level students out of Hogar and into the real world, and empowering them to create their own futures. Whether it be learning about how to save money, learning about jobs and employment in the area, exploring what their dreams and hopes are in this new country, or entrepreneurship, the class covers it all. The Transitions class is very important so that students get assistance in finding a job or making themselves more marketable for their dream jobs. The class also stresses the importance of having a career goal, writing resumes and cover letters, and being a part of the business community, in whatever profession they choose. What are the most rewarding aspects of volunteering at Hogar for you? . After being married to a US citizen and living in the United States for 10 years, Deborah, a Hogar legal client from Congo and a mother of two young children, finally became a lawful permanent resident in October 2010. Deborah was referred to Hogar by another immigration attorney who had represented her husband Benjamin in his family petition for Deborah. Although Benjamin had filed most of the necessary paperwork for Deborah’s adjustment of status, he found ways to sabotage her chances of success with Immigration. He hid important financial documents from her and took her passport and visa and told her that they were lost. On the day of her greencard interview, knowing that his attendance was mandatory, he refused to accompany her saying he had a job interview. Benjamin kept his business dealings and financial affairs secret from his wife, but Deborah knew it was impossible that he had a job interview that day. Although the bishop of Deborah’s church convinced Benjamin to go to the USCIS interview, once there Benjamin refused to be place under oath and did not answer the questions asked of him. It was then that Deborah and her attorney realized the need for her to complete the process alone, without relying on Benjamin. Benjamin had mistreated Deborah throughout their marriage. The difficulties Deborah had endured ranged from his violent yelling and screaming at her and the children to him forcing her to have sexual intercourse with him even when she stated her desire not to do so. He grabbed her by the neck and tried to strangle her on two occasions. Her coworkers once called police when he went to her workplace and harassed them about her whereabouts. Deborah is a nurse and has always worked hard to support her children and pay the rent for the whole family. Benjamin was hardly employed in recent years of their marriage and although Deborah worked long hours, he never took care of the children (sometimes he left them alone in the middle of the night while she worked) and never gave her a ride to work. Her son was born premature and has had chronic respiratory problems, requiring frequent trips to the doctor and even to the emergency room. Benjamin was never the one to take him for treatment. Deborah became the sole caretaker of the family, and she and the children were forced to walk on eggshells around Benjamin, who was prone to having violent reactions to the slightest upset. Deborah is a dedicated member of her church, and if it weren’t for her faith and the support of members of her faith community, who helped her with childcare and rides to work, she surely would have been destitute and without hope. Hogar’s legal representatives assisted Deborah in submitting her greencard application according to provisions of the Violence Against Women Act. This legislation allows a person who is battered by or suffers extreme cruelty at the hands of a US citizen or legal permanent resident spouse has the right to petition for himself/herself and gain immigration benefit equal to that which the spouse could solicit for him/her. By submitting evidence of the abuse she had suffered, and documentary proof that her marriage was entered into in good faith and not merely for immigration benefit, Deborah was able to petition for permanent resident status on her own behalf. Upon approval of her self-petition, Deborah attended her adjustment of status interview at USCIS. She was granted permanent residency as there was an immigrant visa immediately available to her as the self-petitioning spouse of a US citizen. When Deborah finally came to pick up her greencard at Hogar’s office, she was beaming. She gave hugs to all the staff members and could not stop saying her thank-yous and God-bless-yous. She has found work as a home healthcare provider and has gotten her own apartment for herself and her children. We congratulate Deborah and wish her all the best in her new, empowered life here.
Personalizing Classroom Instruction to Keep Your Students Interested Experience tells us that people like talking about themselves. And your students should be no different. This is why personalizing your classroom instruction and using student-centered examples to supplement instruction from the book is very important. Personalizing classroom instruction involves using students in your examples to make the language and lesson content relevant and meaningful to the learners’ lives and experiences. As a result, the English language should be better retained. Your textbooks often use examples of imaginary people in an attempt to make things more realistic for the student. For example, there may be a picture in the book of a couple that says “This is Bob and Sue. They take the bus to go to English class.” While going over these examples in the book are important, supplementing them with real examples from students’ lives will help keep your students’ attention and make learning more relevant for them. So instead of just moving on after using the example in the book of Bob and Sue, you could have students in your class talk or write about themselves and say “My name is Juan. I ride my bike to English class,” or “His name is Micale. He drives his car to English class.” You can also personalize classroom dialogues. Oftentimes, textbooks include dialogues between Speaker A & Speaker B that tend to be very generic. You can have students tweak dialogues and answer the questions asked in the dialogue according to their own lives and experiences. This makes the dialogues both more engaging and more practical, so that students retain the material and, in turn, use similar dialogues in real-life situations. So why is personalizing instruction so important again?
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