For over three decades now, the Malden Public Library has been hosting English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. This ongoing Wednesday tradition has brought people from all over the world to the library’s program room from one to two pm.
Organizing a whole section of books dedicated to ESL speakers, separated by English level and language, Stacy Holder has been working with her students for almost three decades. Holder says she’s learned so much from her students and that her life has been “enriched by learning about different people of different countries.”
Although these weekly classes, organized by eight-week blocks, are targeted towards adults, everyone is welcome to sit in and learn. With so many years of experience, Holder has made many connections and met incredible people from all around the world. She commented that she’s often impressed by her students’ ability to speak more than one language, and she believes that even though English might be difficult for them, they’re able to learn, given all their prior knowledge.
Without a specific class registration, Holder’s students have varying levels of English fluency, meaning that her job also includes ensuring that all her students are learning something new at their own pace. “I think one of the major challenges would be that we have everybody from a beginner to very advanced speakers, so people who are learning ABC, and we have people who are a doctor, or a lawyer, or a politician in their country,” noted Holder.
The inspiration for this program came from the community´s need, given Malden’s diversity, where many people struggle with English. Holder noted that it’s great to have an Immigrant Learning Center in Malden; however, its long waiting list makes it difficult to meet everyone’s demand. With this class in the library, people can practice conversational English without registering.
Even though English is Holder’s first language, after being around so many different languages, she decided to start learning some herself. “I found myself with my own journey, a lot of times, it can be difficult to learn a new language, and people get shy, they get afraid. So I just always want to encourage, encourage, encourage them just to try, and I think that’s super important,” admired Holder.
English fluency would be a great takeaway from these weekly classes; however, Holder knows there are other important lessons her students can learn. “What I want them to take with them is confidence that they can learn the language and that they are always welcome at the Malden Public Library,” shared Holder.
The library also offers two free language learning resources for card-holding members. One is called Mango Languages, which Holder mentions is better for learning pronunciation, while the other app, Pronunciator, is better for vocabulary. Both these apps can help students not only learn English but also a variety of different languages.
To get more information about these apps and the Malden Public Library, head over to their website as well as their instagram page!
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