Big demand for English language learning at Vernon Area Library

At Vernon Area Library in suburban Chicago, classes for adults who want to learn English are full to overflowing: about 90 students are currently enrolled and eight more are on waiting lists at the Lincolnshire, Ill., facility. Held every year since at least 2009, this fall an advanced level was added, giving intermediate-level finishers a chance to hone their speaking and comprehension skills in a classroom setting.

The ESL classes are part of Mundelein District 120's Adult Education program, which offers free instruction from certified teachers at ten area libraries and schools. Joan Hornby, who has coordinated the Mundelein-based ESL program since 2000, said there are almost 500 students currently enrolled across all sites. An open enrollment policy means this number will climb as the school year goes on.

At Vernon Area Library, students hail from more than 15 countries including Brazil, China, India and Ukraine. The classes meet twice a week for three hours at a time and attendance is consistently robust: the 24 beginning, 38 intermediate and 27 advanced students take language learning seriously, even while camaraderie among them grows. With the semester just underway, students have already found common ground with each other: break times are filled with conversation and laughter.

The three instructors at the Lincolnshire site - Eleni Adamis, Nancy Campbell and Janel Kovarik - delight in the work and find meaning in it. While chatting after class on a recent Friday, the teachers realized they are all children of immigrants who came to the United States to escape political oppression in their homelands.

The ESL program provides new arrivals with a path to citizenship, employment, advancement and community engagement. The library further supports English learners by offering a conversation group, which meets regularly, as well as books, movies, newspapers and magazines in a variety of world languages including Russian, Chinese and Hindi.

Though the Vernon Area Public Library classes are full, there are openings at other locations. For more information, call Mundelein High School Adult Education at 847-949-2200, ext. 1400, or visit http://www.d120.org/community/adult_education/