Transportation, child care biggest obstacles to attending English classes

By Meg McIntyre, Granite State News Collaborative

All photos by Allegra Boverman, for Granite State News Collaborative

If you ask the students of Keene Community Education's English program what was most challenging about moving to New Hampshire, most offer the same answers: The cold, and the isolation. 

The long winters are something the students have more or less gotten used to. But the feeling of being alone in a brand new place can take longer to overcome, especially since, in the students' experience, locals are sometimes slow to warm up to newcomers.

For many of them, finding Keene Community Education was a turning point.

"I was feeling isolated until I joined here, and I knew nobody [else] from outside of the country," said Keene resident Tossie Ruffle, who is from Japan. "So I was feeling pressured to speak well in English. But once I came here, I realized it's OK that we make mistakes."

Across the Granite State, adult education centers like the one in Keene offer free English classes for speakers of other languages. The programs are supported by the state education department's Bureau of Adult Education, and focus on helping students improve their speaking, listening, reading and writing. They're also a way for participants to learn about American culture and civic life, and even prepare for the U.S. citizenship test.

Much like Ruffle, Keene resident Vidhya Sreenath said joining the Elm City's English program helped her find a community who understood the unique experience of being an immigrant in New Hampshire.

"When I joined here, [now] I have a big circle. Now everywhere I go, I can say I have

a Japanese friend, I have an Algerian friend," Sreenath said. "It feels great that I know [people from] every part of the world and learn a lot about their culture, too."

The Keene center provides three levels of English courses — beginner, intermediate and advanced — and students often continue to attend for years, even after their English has significantly improved, according to instructor Julie Moulton. The enrollment is consistently diverse, with roughly 18 countries represented last year.

"What's interesting is that every year it's very different," Moulton said. "So we've had some years, in fact, most years, I think, where it was just a very broad mix."

The courses focus on practical speaking and writing skills, as well as basic grammar and American-specific pronunciation. But the benefits don't stop there — students can also participate in the annual Keene International Festival, which the center helped found, and work with instructors and counselors to get help with things like cover letters, resumes and job applications. 

"They have the best way to take out from you what your interest is, which field you're in," Sreenath said. "They were super good with guiding us in every way." 

Ruffle's favorite aspect of the program is "that I can ask for help if I have issues with my English, or culturally." 

Though students love the services, barriers still keep some from accessing them. In rural areas like the Monadnock Region, transportation is a particular concern, since public bus options are limited and participants may not have access to a car or even a license, depending on their visa status. 

That's why it took LiQin Hong about a decade to start coming to Keene Community Education, even though she'd heard about the English program shortly after moving to Peterborough. With no driver's license, she had no way to get to Keene for the classes.

"After I got my driver's license, I came here," said Hong, who emigrated from China. She's now been attending for several years, and said the instruction has helped her communicate more easily with customers at her family's restaurant.

Another challenge for students is finding child care, Moulton said. It's an obstacle that's likely been exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has lengthened waiting lists in an industry where spots were already difficult to secure before the health crisis.

"I know that there are some adult ed centers that have in-house child care, and they tend to have better attendance than we do," Moulton said. "When students don't show up, it's most of the time because their kid is home sick. Most of our students are mothers, and a lot of them are from cultures where the mother doesn't leave their kids with anyone else."

Beyond these challenges, Keene Community Education's biggest hurdle is making sure area residents know the English classes are available at no cost. The center's director, Vicki Farrington, spends a lot of time hanging up fliers and meeting with area schools to share information about the program. 

But most students come to the center through word of mouth, and the staff know they're not reaching everyone they could be. Moulton and her colleague in the English program, Lisa Abohatab, want area English learners to know that Keene Community Education is there and ready to help however it can.

"My experience with people I come in contact with is that people are not aware," Abohatab said. "It's really — I kind of call it one of those best kept secrets, which is too bad."

To learn more about Keene Community Education's course offerings, visit keenecommunityed.org.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative as part of our Race and Equity Initiative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.