Host Joy Walczak speaks with Carol Hallas, teacher, Kent ISD Adult Ed ESL, Luz Hernandez, Kent ISD Adult Ed ESL student, and Karla Ambrose, former Kent ISD Adult Ed ESL student and Luz’s daughter.
Full Audio Transcript:
Joy Walczak: Welcome to the Your Dream is Our Dream Podcast where we celebrate student success, one dream at a time. This program is made possible by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU. I'm Joy Walczak. I have with me today Luz Hernandez, a student from Kent ISD’s Adult Education and ESL program learning English as a second language. Also joining me in studio is Karla Ambrose, a former Kent ISD student and Luz’s daughter, and Kent ISD Adult Education ESL teacher Carol Hallas. Thanks so much to all of you for joining me in studio today.
All Guests: So happy to be here and thank you for having us, thank you.
JW: You are so welcome. Let’s get the conversation started. So, Carol, I'd love to begin with you. In your classroom, you meet people from all over the world and help them learn skills that will enable them to succeed and reach their dreams. Can you tell us about the program that you teach and also about meeting Luz?
Carol Hallas: Well, Luz has been with our ESL program for about 5 years and every year she returns and she is welcomed by our family of teachers and all the friends she's made in that time. She's in our more advanced level where we learn functional habits to survive to enable them to thrive in American society and that enables our students to succeed without struggle. So things like going to the grocery store, post office, filling out medical forms, understanding pay stubs or how to navigate their city logistically and just how to ask for help in any situation. But of course, we also teach an enormous amount of grammar using the 4 components of efficient language acquisition - reading, writing, listening and speaking - and we have a ton of fun doing it. Luz is always leading the laughter with your sense of humor. We all have lots of laughs, lots of real-life stories to apply to our lessons and many moments of humility recognizing that we all struggle regardless of our cultural backgrounds.
Joy W: That's right. We do. And we learn together, which is a terrific thing that the Adult Ed program at Kent ISD really demonstrates in so many ways. Luz, you and your family came here from Venezuela, including your daughter, Karla, and you soon started taking classes at Kent ISD to help improve your English language skills. Can you tell me what your goal was when you got started?
Luz Hernandez: I come from Venezuela. In my county we speak Spanish and when I arrived here in America, I felt that I need to take English because I wanted to be able to communicate with others. It was frustrating to not be able to explain myself and do easy tasks like order a pizza, buy the cell phone. My first goal was to learn English and be able to talk to anyone around without an interpreter or other type of person. I want to be able to find a good job.
JW: That's a terrific goal. All of those are great goals. And Karla, you must be really proud of your mom. And the program has also helped you. Can you tell me a little bit about your role and how you participated in this program and why?
Karla Ambrose: Yeah, I participated in this program because I would like to improve my English, too, when we came here to America. And I think during time I got a lot from this program. So I chose to not only improve my English. I made a lot of friends too, from all over the world. So thanks to this I was able even to find a job that I still have. And I I'm still with them since I came into this job with them and also I’ve been able to communicate with everybody and even in an emergency, I’m able to and get all of the information and be able to understand everything. So it is your power tool that we have when we can communicate with others.
Joy W: Absolutely. And you did encounter an emergency that was unexpected and quite frightening. Last year, Luz, your studies were interrupted with COVID. Can you tell me a little bit about what happened?
Luz H: I got COVID and every day it was worse. I thought I could be okay because I was vaccinated. But unfortunately, I ended up in ICU in a coma, intubated, for six weeks. It’s a miracle that I am alive today. Doctors say they saved my life and I was intubated for a very long time. After many physical therapy at Mary Free Bed, I was able to come back to my life and my activities, regular activities, and my classes.
Joy W: Wonderful. We're so glad you're able to return and made that miraculous recovery. And Karla, this must have been terrifying for your family. I know recovery can take a long time. What part do you think returning to school played in your mother's role through this?
Karla A: I think that coming back to the classroom was something that really helped her, especially with her memory, you know, because her memory was getting bad after being intubated and in a coma for so long, your brain starts to play with you. Before she was in the hospital, in ICU, I remember her English was very good and she was improving. And after everything that happened in the hospital and through physical therapy, I thought, oh, my God, all that effort is lost because her memory was a mess, even in Spanish. So when she started again and in came back to the school, it’s like everything came back. So that was for me like another miracle. We were really happy in my family that and she's getting everything back. So.
Joy W: That's wonderful news. And, Luz, how has your teacher, Carol Hallas here really helped inspire you and help you reach your dreams?
Luz H: My teacher Carol is a woman with a vocation to teach other people a new language. She’s the best teacher I ever had through all these years. After being unconscious for a long time, my brain forgot many things and I am learning again. And she recognized my confusions and she encouraged me so I don’t feel like I can not make it, with love, a lot. She corrects me many times, several times, so that I can pronounce it correctly. She is the best. The program in this country for people from another country to have the possibility of learning this language for me, it is amazing. Because if only for the, the personality of the teacher to get me in this country the materials for me it’s amazing. I love gift this country gives to me.
Joy W: That's wonderful. And Carol, when you hear Luz and Karla reflect on their experiences with school and in your classroom, does it influence the way you teach ?
Carol H: Well, first and foremost, my students are my friends, and it's more important to me to initiate conversations with them about their transition to the U.S. and the hows and the whys of how they got here. And this enables a good solid foundation of trust and makes me wiser and more sensitive to the hardships that they endure. And with that trust, they know they're safe and they know they're surrounded by friends. They have their community and it helps them let go of it. It helps them relax in the classroom and the lessons to sink in. I take each day slowly. I go with the flow because I know that at any time at any given time, any one of my students, is probably experiencing a fair amount of pain, frustration, hardship, and I have to be sensitive to that. So maybe the lesson plan stops and we have a conversation. Luz’s experiences help me solidify my belief in my students, resilience and determination. And we all learn from Luz. I mean, her faith, her generosity and her wisdom are incredible. And we love Luz and I was so happy when she returned to the classroom.
Joy W: And the ability to help inspire her dreams - that must make you feel wonderful, too, about what you're doing, the teaching that you're able to impart.
Carol H: Its everything. It's everything. I love every part of it. Yes, I'm very proud of Luz.
Joy W: That’s terrific. Overall, do you feel that it's important to ask students about their dreams? And if so, what do teachers learn when they do that?
Carol H: Well, thankfully, we have significant resources to help our students achieve their dreams. And so I take each student individually and I navigate their course. And they are so thrilled to know that someone is looking out for them and that they have the resources they need to reach their goals. I will sit down with each and every student address where they're at where they came from and where they want to be. And we map out a plan and that is absolutely gratifying. Even if it doesn't work, even if it takes a lot of time. But it is the best part of the job.
Joy W: It's wonderful. It sounds like a true vocation. And Karla, you have achieved some of your dreams after taking these programs with a wonderful job that you still have. Luz, how will you know, when your dreams come true?
Luz: Be able to speak English fluently. Be an example for other people from other countries who think that they are too old to learn a new language. I want to tell them that it’s never too late, it’s never too late.
Joy W: It's never too late to learn and it’s never too late to reach toward your dreams. And we really appreciate having all of you here today to share those messages with us and our audience. I want to thank you for taking the time and of course, for dreaming big. It's been a pleasure to have you with us.
Carol, Luz and Karla: Thank you to you and thank you.
Joy W: And thank you so much to everyone who's listening today, too. If you know a student who dreams big, we would love to share their story. You can share your ideas and hear more dream stories at KentISD.org/yourdream. The Your Dream is Our Dream Podcast is presented by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU.
