Tutors needed for program that prepares international students for future

Tutors needed for program that prepares international students for future

The Continuing
Studies English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is looking
for Rice students and staff members to meet weekly with
international students who want to practice conversational
English.

Conversation
Partners is a joint project of the School of Continuing
Studies and the Community Involvement Center (CIC), explained
Shelley Errington, assistant director of the center.

“The benefits
are endless,” Errington said. “Both the tutors
and the learners use the program to strengthen their second
language skills and to meet new people.”
The program also provides an opportunity to glimpse life
from another culture’s viewpoint.

“Being
a conversation partner allows you to learn more about a
different culture and a little bit of a different language,”
said Amy Tang, student coordinator for CIC’s ESL Tutoring
Program. “And at the same time, it’s a great opportunity
to share your own culture while helping someone else improve
their English-speaking skills.”

About 180 international
students are enrolled in the Continuing Studies intensive
seven-week session, said Kathleen Sayers, associate dean
of Continuing Studies and director of Language Programs.
The students are in class 20 hours a week, learning English
to prepare for university study or a professional career.
The program has hosted students from more than 40 countries
since its inception in 1978.

Gabriel Florez
of Colombia has been studying English through Continuing
Studies for about seven months and wants to extend his education
outside the classroom.
“I want to practice English, to speak it and listen
to different persons,” Florez said. “I talk with
other classmates; they speak like me. The real world would
be different.”

Angelica Lopez
of Mexico said she has attempted conversation when going
out with her cousin’s friends, but that can be difficult
for a new English speaker.

“They speak
very quickly and speak topics I don’t know. It is not
that easy to practice,” she said.

“I want
to improve speaking, not just learn reading and writing,”
said Karina Lacayo of Chile. “I am here for one month,
and I’ve improved my English a lot. Before, I spoke
a little English. I want to express my ideas. I like to
talk.”

Lacayo, Lopez
and Florez agreed that learning English was important for
them to secure employment in their home countries.

“It is
not an advantage (to speak English), it’s a requirement,” Lopez said.

The number of
English learners is outpacing the supply of English-speaking
partners, said Heather Theisen-Gandara, Continuing Studies
ESL services coordinator. “Our first orientation meeting
was packed, but we have only matched up 20 of the 50 students
requesting partners. We need more people from the Rice community.”

Knowledge of
a foreign language is not required to be an English-tutoring
partner. Time commitments can be a little as one hour per
week.

For more information
about Conversation Partners call the Community Involvement
Center at (713) 348-4970 or Theisen-Gandara at the Continuing
Studies Language Programs, (713) 348-4019.