From the Final Grant Report
Briefly give us an overview of the project including how many people were impacted.
The Easton English School at Trinity is a free English-language instruction program and outreach ministry of Trinity Cathedral in Easton, Maryland. The school started in 2023, with a handful of students and two to three teachers. Our school serves non-native English-speaking adults in the community who come from many different countries, though most of them at present are from Latin America. We meet each Wednesday evening throughout the year, with a two-week break in the summer. With the help of the UTO grant in 2024, we have been able to grow the school to include an average of 50-plus students and their children each week, a dozen or so dedicated volunteer teachers, aides and childcare assistants, and approximately 20 volunteers from the congregation and greater community who serve as one-on-one “conversation buddies,” helping students with their language skills outside of class time. We now have four separate classrooms, each outfitted with the materials necessary for instruction, for different skill levels. We have included a light dinner for students who arrive hungry, and a dedicated “Kids Club” for students who require childcare. While language acquisition is our primary purpose, we believe that growing relationships and building community with our immigrant neighbors is the ultimate goal.
Did this grant make a difference in how you see gratitude?
Yes, definitely, and in several ways. Our students, many of whom have lives that are very different from ours, arrive at our doors every Wednesday evening, often weary from a long day’s work and burdened with the stresses of being far from home. Yet they always arrive with a smile and a hug for us, thankful that we are there to teach them, and trusting that we have their best interests at heart. Knowing that we are making a difference in our students’ lives is the most powerful form of gratitude that we can experience.
We’ve also seen gratitude extend beyond the walls of our classrooms: We not only see it in the faces of our students every week, we also see how thankful our congregation is for this outreach ministry. Our parishioners were hungry for ways to serve the community, and they have responded with unwavering and very generous support for the Easton English School. When we articulate a need for our students, the congregation provides abundance. For example, when we were planning a little Christmas party for our students and wanted to ensure that every person received a gift, the Trinity parishioners responded with such generosity that every student was able to receive multiple gifts, and we had some left to spare! Our small congregation (fewer than 100 members) has shown a level of kindness and magnanimity that is humbling and truly gratifying to witness.
Being a tutor in the Easton English School at Trinity (EEST) has afforded me the privilege to work with young women on the basic English skills necessary for success in their jobs and in handling issues for their families. EEST tutoring provides student with a safe place to learn English and to learn about Americans. We talk, we write, we laugh. We write notes. We write biographies. The students share about their lives in their countries of origin. We share life experiences in conversation. Often we go deep. The students are so eager to learn. – Lynn S. Freeburger, Trinity parishioner and EEST tutor
Tell us what you learned…or what advice you would have for others who might want to start a similar project/ministry/program.
For those who might want to launch a similar ESL (English as a second language) program, it is crucial to start by understanding the needs of the community. For example, what are the languages spoken in your area? Are there many recent immigrants or refugees? What are their goals—work, citizenship, daily communication? Start small, with a pilot program first, to figure out what will work and what is sustainable. Understanding that adult learners often have unpredictable schedules due to work or family, we grew our program slowly, adapting as we learned until we arrived at our current model. We decided on an informal approach, with a rolling registration and no minimum attendance requirements. We also committed early on to the goal of building relationships, rather than focusing solely on academics. A welcoming, friendly environment is more important than perfection in curriculum or instruction. The right people are key to making that happen. Finding volunteers who have a heart for our students is more important than finding someone who has teaching experience. Compassion, patience, and a willingness to learn are the qualities we look for in our volunteers. We strive to create an inclusive environment, celebrate cultural diversity, and promote mutual respect. Because our students are members of a vulnerable population, cultivating a climate of trust and safety is paramount.
For our students to be successful, we needed to address practical barriers, including childcare issues and dinner- time conflict, so we added a Kids Club and provided a light supper. Probably the most valuable lesson we learned was that hiring a coordinator provides consistency and sustainability to the program. Overall, however, what we try to remember always is to lead with love. Our goal is to serve and empower people through language, not just teach grammar.
What was the hardest thing that happened as a part of this grant award?
The current political climate has had a very negative effect on our student community. Heightened deportation efforts (or rumors of them) have created an atmosphere of uncertainty and distrust, and our students are afraid. Since January, we have seen inconsistent attendance, heard stories of self-deportation, and watched as our students suffer the stress, anxiety, and worry over what may happen to them or their family members. We have tried to respond in ways that acknowledge their fears without providing false hope. Guest speakers, including a police officer and immigration specialist, have provided information to help them understand their rights and offer guidance. We’ve expanded our program to include the “Sharing Shelf,” a free food pantry for our students and their families who are afraid to access public resources. The shelf is stocked by our very generous congregation, who bring donations every Sunday when they attend church services.
The difficulty going forward is to be as responsive as we can, navigating this new and frightening political landscape, while continuing to provide a safe, supportive, and welcoming atmosphere for our students. We are resolved and prepared to help them in any way we can, perhaps beyond just language classes, for as long as we are able.
The wonderful work being done by the staff at EEST, in my mind, exemplifies the true meaning of what Christ has taught us in a very tangible and timely way. Providing a safe, welcoming, and extremely useful language communication service to the immigrant population of our community is exactly what Christ would have done. Added to that foundational role is the sense of community that is so obvious in the faces of the students and things keep growing, with the recent addition of a food pantry. Where there is a need, EEST continues to rise to the occasion. All with joy in their hearts. Jesus would approve. – from John Bangart, a Trinity parishioner not engaged with the EEST