DOAN BROOK BANK STABILIZATION PROJECT
Restoration works.
Stormwater management projects like stream
restoration, bank stabilization, and dam
removal benefit water quality, improve natural
habitat, and address regional flooding issues.
Learn more about our recommendations for
Horseshoe Lake at neorsd.org/shaker
30 SPRING 2022 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
@ Shaker Library
we discovered listening to books proved
valuable in a different way. Listening
to a variety of readers’ different voices
breathed life into the stories.
At our neighborhood branch,
I downloaded books to my iPad and
listened to thousands of books. I joined
book clubs and learned that sometimes
it was an advantage to hear the different
dialects of the characters. I was at the
Library when I noticed a sign advertising
free classes for English for Language
Learners. I hesitated, knowing that I could
no longer read a text, but I approached
the Volunteer ELL Director Carolyn
Steiner, who immediately offered me the
opportunity to begin a conversation class
for intermediate and advanced students.
That was four years ago, and
throughout the pandemic we have
continued the class on Zoom. Just like my
ELL class at Case, the most interesting
people sat with me at the Library. Some
learners were
research fellows
at Case. Some
were doing an
apprenticeship at
Cleveland Clinic
or University
Hospitals. Some
were spouses of
academics. They
came from China,
Bangladesh, Iran,
France, Russia,
Chile, Venezuela,
Brazil, Argentina,
South Korea,
Turkey, Palestine,
Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Columbia—none of
the languages I knew.
“The difficulty
of teaching
ELL is
having to say
goodbye when
students
return to
their home
countries.
The benefits
of teaching
are the friends
I have made.”
My ELL group has included engineers,
doctors, teachers, scientists, reporters,
and media experts ranging in ages from
20 to 50. I taught lessons about holidays,
historical events, and the lives of famous
people. Sometimes we had less-structured
lessons on child-raising. We had lessons
to demonstrate how to play a sport, play
a game, or make a recipe. We role-played
ordering in restaurants, shopping at
supermarkets, and visiting a doctor’s
office. We held joke exchanges, song
festivals, watched movies, and read and
discussed poetry and short stories. My
job was to teach the lesson, take notes on
what the students said, and then write
notes and lesson plans to share with other
students and tutors. I consulted with
/shaker
/WWW.SHAKER.LIFE