HCC OFFERS ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSES

Halifax Community College's English as a Second Language Instructor Edgar Chavarria, center, reviews vocabulary and pronunciation with students in Monday and Tuesday evening classes.

Edgar Chavarria loves to teach. He is currently putting that passion to work as the instructor for Halifax Community College's English as a Second Language (ESL) class.

A native of Bogota, Colombia, Chavarria has worked with people from Vietnam, China, India, Peru, Mexico, and Nicaragua. It is easy to enroll in the class. Those interested can simply stop by Building 500, Room 506 each Monday and Tuesday from 6:00-9:00 p.m. during the fall or spring semesters to take part in the free class.

“This is a very flexible class,” said Chavarria. Students come in, fill out papers, take a test and are placed into different levels according to ability, he explained.

Most people in his current ESL class heard about it through church, on the job and word of mouth. Vocabulary is covered with an emphasis placed on word pronunciation. Students have a workbook and concentrate on oral communication and listening exercises.

“Everyone is invited to learn English,” said Chavarria. “This is the only way to close the gap between cultures. We have more things in common than not. We all have dreams and needs.”

Chavarria holds a bachelor's degree in philology and languages from the National University of Colombia in Bogota and has a specialization in pedagogies. He is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and can read Russian.

Participants in the class site their jobs as the reason they want to learn English. Student Mario Martinez, who is originally from Mexico, said he heard about the class through his job. Enrolled since September, he plans to continue the ESL classes.

Likewise, student Doroteo Chacon Bautista values the class. “This is important for my job,” said Bautista. A student in ESL for eight months, he feels that the most important thing he has learned is to write complete sentences in English. He also plans to continue with classes.

For more information on ESL classes, stop by the Building 500 Learning Center or call Tamba Thompson at (252) 536-7235 or Therman Taylor at (252) 536-6362.