E.S.L. in America

I´m not much in the habit of blogging about the news these days, but I was glancing at the New York Times webpage and this article on the state of E.S.L. instruction in America caught my eye. Seems that while I´m here teaching English in Central America it´s important to be reminded that there is a strong demand (based on a strong need) for English instruction in the States. When I return, I think I´d like to volunteer weekly at community centers that assist immigrants with their English. It seems like a little something I can do to help give someone the practical skills they need to succeed in America.

As a side note, I find myself identifying a lot with immigrants these days. For one thing, my own parents were immigrants to America. And, personally, I think that spending so much of my time during the last four years living in foreign countries has made me sympathetic to the dislocations, uncertainty, and angst that those who pick up and move their whole lives to a new place face. (Plus, wasn´t there a ¨West Wing¨ episode where C.J. passionately reminded the President that to be an immigrant to the United States meant simply to search out a brighter future?)