"Let our Light Shine"

The past two weeks have been ones of growth.  I have personally changed tremendously from my work with iACT.  I have become more confident, more professional, and more aware of the dynamics of my community.  I have become more adept at dealing with challenges and taking on more responsibilities within the agency.

The past two weeks have also been a time of amazing growth for the students in my ESL program.  They have become more confident and comfortable speaking English.  Many of the students in our intermediate class are quite capable of speaking complex English sentences, but often times want to speak to me and the other administrators in their native languages.  Now more and more of them are pushing themselves to speak English.  When we attempt to address these students in their native language, they say, "No, in English, please. I know how to speak English."

My heart is especially touched when students from our low literacy class graduate to our beginner class.  The students in the low literacy class have come to the U.S. with no English literacy and are often non-literate in their native language.  To see them go from a zero-English knowledge base to having them stop me in the hallway and say, "Let our light shine" as they read a banner on the wall, it always feels me with joy.

I am proud of all of our students and the strides they have made.  They are perfect examples of success and greatness.