In an increasingly diversified Estevan, communication is key.
The Estevan and Area Literacy Group has been on the forefront for a number of years in ensuring the language barrier around Estevan is manageable for both newcomers and long-time residents.
The advanced English speaking Talk Time classes were on hiatus through July but began once again on Aug. 5. Kathryn Roberton, literacy group program co-ordinator, noted they are working on some grant applications and are expecting to see some changes for their evening classes later this fall. The program does require registration, which may be done at any time, and she said there is a brief interview prior to the class to ensure language skills are at an appropriate level for this class or whether the student should be placed in a more elementary program.
There are usually about 10 students who attend each class.
"Our advanced students have been dedicated," said Roberton. "The reason the advanced class exists is because a group of about seven or eight students initially approached me and felt they had gone beyond the classes we have in the evening and wanted something more advanced.
"Most of them started out as temporary foreign workers and a lot of them have progressed so that they now have their permanent residency. They really want to improve their English for specific reasons to meet long-term employment goals. A lot of them have university degrees in chemistry or pharmacy, lots of different sciences or social sciences, and while they realize they may not be able to get the same position here that they had in their home countries, they want to see if they can get something a little bit closer to what their skills and education are."
Roberton said the classes aren't necessarily university-level programs, but she has taken things she used to teach in first-year English. The main difference is that in these classes, the students don't do a lot of writing.
"We tend to do a lot of Canadian history and culture, get some local Saskatchewan stuff. We did a really interesting reading from Prairies North here about really interesting restaurants in Saskatchewan that the students found fascinating. We try to get through not just the Canadian information, but more advanced vocabulary that they may not be getting otherwise.
"They often come with questions where there's a point of grammar they don't understand as well, and they'd like us to cover that more. The most fun is when they come up with some of our colloquialisms that we don't even think about. At first you have to figure out from their repeating what was actually said and then find ways to explain it," said Roberton.
She stressed these language programs aren't only valuable for the student but that they are also beneficial to employers, and that may become a greater focus of the classes.
"We'd like to make the evening program more workplace oriented. A lot of the students who attend that do tend to be temporary foreign workers, and we've found there are a few challenges. There are a lot of people in Estevan who really need and want English classes," she said, noting a number of people have asked why classes aren't every week and at a particular time.
"The reality is that we're on that cusp where there are a lot of people who need that stuff but not a large enough group who need the same thing at the same time for us to be able to offer everything that's needed. We're hoping that by focusing more on the workplace and possibly on having six-week sessions on very specific types of workplaces, like say, the restaurant business or the retail business, and trying to target language that people in those workplaces really need, that we will be able to address some of the needs we see our students really having."
She said the challenge is being able to rework the classes, tailoring them for the students' needs that seem only to be varying more greatly in the Energy City.
"We're really hoping to be able to not just meet the students' needs but we know from having spoken with various employers that there are certain needs they would like to see met, too. Trying to find ways to bridge that different sets of needs (is difficult)," said Roberton, who said she has also probed the idea of holding a pronunciation class, something that has been held in Saskatoon. Roberton audited the class and was able to speak to some of the students.
"They found it very beneficial because they had high levels of English, but they also had noticeable accents that were going to hold them back in their chosen careers."
Roberton's literacy group also partners with the Southeast Regional College, which holds classes to help non-English natives with more basic language skills. With limited resources in English as a second language programs, it's important that students are placed in appropriate classes with peers of similar fluency.
"Often the challenge we've had is when we get beginner students, we get intermediate students in the same class, and as a teacher that's a very difficult thing. Either the beginner students will feel too much stress and drift away, or the more advanced students will feel not challenged enough and drift away. It's great that the college has been able to offer those classes," said Roberton.
"We have enough educated people coming in to Estevan that we're seeing an increasing need for the more intermediate and advanced levels. That part has definitely grown in the five or six years I've been here," she added.
As communication problems are often followed by frustration, Roberton said these classes are growing more necessary for the community each year as more diversifying languages gain prominence around the Energy City.
"I've had some students who have come in and were feeling they were unable to communicate. I could see how much stress it was causing them, where they had so much that they wanted to say but didn't have the vocabulary or the grammar to express it the way they wanted. Part of it depends on an individual's talent for language," said Roberton. She noted for her, German came easy but she has always struggled with French. Likewise for some immigrants, English will always be a challenge.
