Encouraging healthy habits!

One issue that frequently comes up in this program is the need for nutrition education among refugees. When someone has spent years "doing without," the vast array of food in supermarkets here can be overwhelming. There is also a strong tendency to buy foods that are advertised on TV, junk food, and foods with a lot of sugar. Heart disease and diabetes are just two of the health conditions that are soaring among the resettled refugee populations in the Untied States.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has published a nutrition education toolkit that is specifically targeted to the refugee population. The language is simple, the illustrations reflect the population served, and everything in it can be used to teach your food-related lessons! Did I mention it's free?

The materials come in many languages, so if your student is literate, you could work with the materials in English and then provide a translated copy for the student to use at home. Some of the languages available are: Arabic, Amharic, Burmese, Karen, Farsi, French, Kirundi, Somali, Swahili, Russian, Vietnamese. There is even a 16"x20" poster you can reduce to 8"x10" so it will fit on regular paper. The poster shows what a balanced diet looks like.

Other materials (and they are fabulous!) include an eight-page brochure outlining different aspects of healthy eating, the poster, and a flipchart book for teachers to use. You could easily print out the flip book, three-hole punch it, put it in a binder and use it as a teaching tool. The link to download the flip book is right under the picture of it.

To see and download any of the materials, click here.

First wife, second wife, third wife...

From National Public Radio's All things Considered...An engaging story about Muslim polygamy in America. The story looks at this religious and cultural practice among immigrants--mostly African--who know it is not allowed in the U.S., but for a variety of practical and personal reasons, continue to live in plural marriage.

Several in-home tutors have inquired about this topic after realizing that his or her student was one of several wives sharing a husband. Yes, the practice does continue after families resettle in the United States. To find out why and what the women think about it, check out the NPR story by clicking here. The story is available in text format or click the icon on the page to listen.

The New York Times ran a story about African immigrant polygamists last year. You can read it online here.

What you don't know about your brain

When you attended training to be a volunteer in this program, there was a brief discussion about the mechanics of the brain as they relate to learning. There is a new book out--for the layperson, not the medical professional--about understanding the brain's function. The book, which takes you on a guided tour of your brain, also debunks some popular myths about brain function (the 10% rule, for example). Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wong was reviewed on National Public Radio earlier this week.

For a glimpse at some of the brain facts you probably didn't know, listen to the NPR interview by clicking here. It is just under four minutes long and well worth your time. If you're not inclined to listen to the authors' interview, at least munch on this very relevant bit of information that wraps up the story: "Two study sessions with a break between them is twice as effective as a single study session of the same total length."

For the Job Hunters...

Spring Institute is seeking an enthusiastic and outgoing person willing to become “the keeper of the details” and help coordinate their Community ESL program. Please see the attached job announcement for Community ESL Program Coordinator & Lead Teacher at Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning.

This position is directly available. Please send targeted resume by June 13, 2008 to: Chris Tombari, Director of Language Services (1610 Emerson Street, Denver, Colorado 80218; ctombari@springinstitute.org; Tel: 303-863-0188; Fax: 303-863-0178).

For the job description, please click here.

Catching up--in Karen!

If you are working with a Karen student from Burma, there are some materials available online that may be of interest to you. These books, dictionaries and newsletters are all downloadable--most are free. Almost everything is in Karen; few things have been translated. (The Karen Proverbs book has been translated and it is a lot of fun!).

There is a selection of articles and short publications for adults, as well as a collection of children's stories and newsletters. You won't understand it, but if your student has been itching to read something in her own language--or wishing her kids could--this is the place you've been looking for.

Also worth noting, on the left side of the screen, there are downloadable Karen fonts and a Karen keyboard layout for anyone who has a computer but wishes to write in Karen and not English.

For the downloadable materials, go to Drum Publications. To learn more about Drum Publications and their mission, click here.

Want to learn a little Karen language? This part of the Website teaches basic phrases and it uses sound. Enjoy!

Update on Aung San Suu Kyi

On May 26, 2008, the ruling military Junta in Myanmar declared that democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi is to continue being held under house arrest for at least another year. The Nobel Peace Prize winner's current detention has been in place since May 30, 2003. By further detaining Suu Kyi, the Myanmar junta has violated its own law limiting detention in the form of house arrest to no more than five years.

For more information on this story, click here.
(photo copyright 2008 Associated Press)

From the Internet

If you're interested in learning more about the Burmese refugees living in Thailand, I've come across some excellent Websites that have valuable (and interesting) background information. Note that almost every site has a photo gallery, slideshow, or "museum" with pictures! If you have a particular interest in the cultural background of this population, read on...

Cultural Cornerstones: Most of the information on the site was poted in the last three years, so it is more current than most. The documentary, music recording sessions, and photography were all produced in Mae La camp, home to the Karen refugees currently living in Colorado.

There are three photo stories. Let the slide show run and they will sequence automatically.

Outer Voices is a six-part multimedia project devoted to sharing the stories, strategies, and tools of women peace activists from the traditional cultures of the Pacific Islands and the Asian Pacific Rim. Listen to Kawthoolei the stories of Karen women involved in the struggle for freedom--and peace--in one of the most volatile places in Asia.

The Karen Women's Organization - Documenting the struggles of the Burmese people through the eyes of Karen women. Fascinating!

The Karen: This is a very short, very easy overview. Be sure to navigate through the options on the left side of the screen, paying particular attention to "Dress" and "Language."

Karen Folktales. Excellent to adapt to your student's level of English to provide reading in a familiar context!!

Karen Konnection From the Baptist Church. Check the links to the left for lots of news and information. My favorite section, believe it or not, was the slideshow of Karen weavers.

This should be enough to keep you busy for a while!

Support your local refugee development efforts!

Diversity Day 2008
Thursday, May 15
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
1250 Welton St.
Denver
9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Tour the World!

For one day each year, the crossroads of the world are at 12th and Welton Streets. Travel from room to room and visit exotic places you always wanted to see. Our school will be transformed to represent various areas of the world with food, pictures, music, dance, videos, and native dress. Students from these regions are eager to tell you about life in their countries.

Shop in the international market! Sample ethnic food along the way, or stay for a lunch of global cuisine! Enjoy a variety show featuring talent from around the globe! Get first-hand cultural perspectives in the Hall of Nations! Don't miss the dramatic flair of the parade of nations!

Come along for the tour--the world is waiting!

11:30 - 2:30
Sunday, May 18

Augustana Lutheran Church
5200 E. Alameda Ave.
Denver

From Bosnia to Zimbabwe, Global Market is a chance to celebrate, connect and learn from the diverse sights, sounds, smells, tastes and tales of the many cultures of the globe represented in Denver by a variety of refugee, asylee and immigrant communities. Entertainment, food, art, crafts, jewelry, fashion and more.

Latin Music• Hmong Dancers• Nepalese Dancers• AfricanDrumming &Dance
• Jewelry • Beading • Weaving • Handbags • Clothing • Wood Carvings • Batik Wall Hangings • Coffee Products • Henna • Wire Art

Denver Refugees Working to Learn to Earn

ECDC/The African Community Center owns and operates a thrift store near downtown Denver. Safari Seconds is staffed entirely by refugees. The store was started as a response to the need for a "work lab" where adult refugees could get hands-on job training in a newcomer-friendly environment.

A recent column in the Denver Post describes a typical day at the store. Click here to read the article.

Refugees in the news

No tidy answer to labor pinch

Thanks to volunteer Kirsten Wilson for passing along this story. It's from today's Denver Post, and the article discusses the issue of relocating Denver's Karen (Burmese) refugees to the San Luis Valley to take jobs in agricultural work.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_8928935

Suddenly, Aurora!

I guess I should never say "never." Recently, I've received quite a few in-home tutor referrals for women in Aurora. Most live near Havana and Colfax, although there are a few others scattered throughout the east side of town.

If you're waiting for a student, and Aurora appeals to you as a tutoring location, just let me know and I'll get you set up!

Clueless about lesson planning??

In an earlier post I mentioned the excellent Website for Eastside Literacy's ESL Program. If you haven't yet seen their materials, take the time to check it out. Why reinvent the wheel? The site is exceptionally well organized, easy to navigate, and to the point. You will not get lost or overwhelmed as you read and print materials.

This information is everything we just couldn't fit in when you attended training. This is the information you are looking for!!!

• Start with the Lesson Planning reminders
• Check out the short but very useful list of Web resources and books
• Get answers to some commonly perplexing tutoring issues and some issues specific to ESL students
• Curriculum ideas by topic! Be sure to explore the links on the left as well as the helpful information on the right side of the screen. Includes worksheets!!!
• Practical English for every adult, also known as Equipped For the Future.
• All things work-related from looking for a job to moving up and moving on. Includes worksheets!
• Money! Budgeting! Yes! Yes! Lesson plans and support material available here.
• Teaching English using techniques for learning disabilities. Many of the things we do when working with our lowest-level language/literacy learners are the same things we do when addressing the needs of learning disabled students. Good, good material here!
• Look here for more techniques, but scroll down to "Teaching Techniques."

Assessment: Where am I going and how do I know when I'm there? I often field questions about how tutors can assess their students and what, exactly, students should be learning. In our program at school--as in many programs nationwide--we use a competency-based model. The state of Washington has a formalized criteria list for adult ESL (Colorado is working on one). Print out the charts and use them as your guide to lesson sequence and student progress.

• Listening/speaking
• Reading/writing

If you really dig into the materials on Eastside Literacy's site, you'll be an expert ESL tutor before you know it--and your student will be the competent communicator you had both hoped for.

A Bird's-Eye View of Refugee Matters

Google and UNHCR have teamed up to show the world a clearer view of refugee issues around the globe. Google Earth, Google's powerful goespatial mapping program, has been tagged with an extra layer of information detailing some of the places where refugees live. This includes camps, open areas, and urban situations.

Click here for a brief news article about the use of Google Earth to raise awareness of refugee issues: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/08/unitednations.sudan

To view the tour, you need to first download the Google Earth software onto your computer. Click the link to access the download and then click the large green button on the upper right part of the screen. http://earth.google.com/ Next, add the UNHCR layer by clicking here: http://www.unhcr.org/googleearth/UNHCR_Google_Project.kml

If you've never used Google Earth, take a few minutes to use the tutorials. Once you find yourself navigating the globe, activate the UNHC layer and spend some time visiting the world's refugee camps. It's quite educational.

Sorry for the inconvenience

Ouch. Your Volunteer Coordinator is battling through an outbreak of shingles. Who knew the human body could put itself into so much pain?

I'm going to try not to miss any work, especially since I was just out for spring break and then the TESOL conference; however, I'm going to try to do a lot of my work from home and I may be a bit slower than usual in getting things done.

Please bear with me. Thanks.

And, a public service announcement: If you are over 60, please, please get the shingles vaccination. It's not available to anyone under age 60, but if you qualify, just do it! This is a terrible, protracted illness that produces excruciating pain. Trust me, you don't want to come down with shingles.

Take care of yourselves.

Please make a note of it!

The office of Home Tutoring Central will be closed for Spring Break until 11:00 a.m., Monday March 31.

Sharon will be at the TESOL conference in New York City from April 1-6. She will be gone again April 16, 17, and 18 tending to a family matter.

Please be patient and don't leave too many messages or she might not come back.

Never too old!

Wanted: Patient, loving, dedicated volunteer to teach English to an 84-year-old Burmese Karen woman. This grandmother arrived in the U.S. in November and is parenting three grandchildren, ages 6, 10, and 13. Her case manager says she could use the English help as well as some moral support. She is not literate; however, she still would like to learn some spoken English.

This student-to-be lives in Glendale. Call me if you're interested in working with her.

(That's not really her picture, but it is a Burmese Karen grandmother!)

Lesson Planning Links

I've had a lot of questions about lesson planning lately. There are a lot of theories on how best to prepare a syllabus, scope and sequence, and specific lesson material. You can get a very good idea of how to organize your teaching by checking a few of the links here. For more, do a Google search on ESL lesson planning.

Click any link to see the plan.



Lessons for nonliterate adults

Comprehensive plan for Beginning Level

Comprehensive Plan for Intermediate students

For tutors specifically: Eastside Literacy's Curriculum

Handouts to help at any level

The latest from Darfur

Today on NPR's program All Things Considered, one of the feature stories was a lengthy interview with Michael Gaouette, the new head of the UN team overseeing UN and African Union forces in Darfur. The interview is both informative and discouraging.

Once the troops are in Darfur, Gaouette tells Melissa Block, their mandate is "tremendously expansive."

"We've been tasked to look into the human rights situation. We've been tasked to help with building systems for the rule of law. We've been tasked to help in an area they call 'child protection,'" he says. "But the marquee issue in the mandate is 'protection of civilians.'"

Gaouette says he's concerned that there may be an expectation
that the force "would be able to somehow magically step between two warring
parties and stop a war."

"We're not equipped to do so."

You can listen to the entire story online by clicking here.

Population information

Each year, the refugee populations that come into the U.S. change according to conditions overseas. This year, we are expecting to see more Somalis, Burmese (especially Karen), and Nepalese from Bhutan. If you would like to learn about these populations and the circumstances that bring them here, check the links below.

Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal this weekend, their situation went from bad to worse. You can read the UNHCR article here
The Somalis: History and Culture

Burmese Karen and Camp Life

This is an excellent interview with a refugee from Burma. Pay particular attention to the part "Fears about coming to the U.S." Click here

March is in like a lamb...and a lion

Hmmm...75 degrees on Saturday, 20 degrees on Sunday. Does that mean the lion ate the lamb or just chased it away?

I'm not sure what it means other than we live in Colorado. And it's March. And it's time to report your home tutoring hours for February.

Please let me know your hours no later than Friday, March 7. My report is due on Monday, March10.

Thank you kindly.