Bethesda is a diverse location, inhabited by numerous cultures, religions and races, and WJ is no exception. The school’s diversity has made the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, essential to the school’s wide ranged success. For many students, their enrollment in the ESOL program means starting from scratch. Learning conversational English is imperative to not only their social encounters, but their academics as well. For others, such as senior Tamar Gal, basic English was elementary.
Growing up in Israel, Gal began learning the fundamentals of English while in second grade. Upon moving to Bethesda 18 months ago, Gal was in a better position than many incoming foreign students. However, ESOL was still a necessity.
“An ESOL class is basically an English class, but more about the basics,” said Gal. “It’s fun because everyone is going through the same thing, so it’s much easier to make friends.”
The primary languages of Israel are Hebrew, English and Arabic. This indubitably gave Gal an edge. However, adjusting to an entirely new environment was obviously still a challenge.
“I feel that because I had a lot of prior knowledge of English, it didn’t really take long for me to feel comfortable,” said Gal.
Gal was only enrolled in the ESOL program for one year. This past August she began on her journey through senior year and was just recently accepted into the University of Maryland, College Park.
“I was definitely slower than most people at the beginning but I got used to it fast and I don’t feel like the language barrier is holding me back anymore,” she said.
Gal is just one of 107 students enrolled in the ESOL program, coming from 37 countries and speaking 20 languages. Despite the adversity many face, ESOL coordinator, Young Pahk regards students’ transitions as gradual, determined and comfortable.
“They come here and believe, due to many factors, such as friendly staff and the positive attitude of the school and people here, they can actually succeed here regardless of how they had performed before,” said Pahk.
In addition to a helpful, friendly environment, many ESOL students are also greeted by similar material from their previous country in many of their classes.
“Many bring excellent academic skills from the previous country,” said Pahk. “The culture of excellence they buy into when they arrive has a huge influence on them.”
The ESOL program can range anywhere from one to five years, depending on the student. Even so, WJ’s rich culture of success, diversity, acceptance and perseverance accommodates many ESOL student and prepares them for a successful life in America.
