Learning to speak English is about more than nouns and verbs. It’s also learning about and experiencing American culture and traditions.
More than a dozen Black Hawk College English as a Second Language (ESL) students have been involved in a crochet and conversation group called Yarn & 牦牛.
学生 come together to learn how to crochet, practice speaking English, and connect to the larger BHC community in an informal environment. ESL instructors Susan Johnson and Angie Hammond and Optional Education records specialist 艾德里安•科尔 facilitate the group.
Although the ESL students take classes at the college’s Outreach Center in East Moline, for Yarn & 牦牛 they meet at the college’s Quad-Cities Campus in Moline. The goal is to familiarize them with the place where they hopefully will continue their studies.
这学期, the students crocheted and painted ornaments to decorate a tree, Homemade Holiday in My New Homeland, which they donated to 树木节.
纱线 & 牦牛 tree decorators included Caleb Akotoh (Togo), Denise Almeida (Brazil), Ibtissam Assaf (Syria), Sumitra Basnet (Nepal), Yawoa Besse (Togo), 艾德里安·科尔(U).S.),莱西·科尔(美国).S.), Jeanne d’Arc Maukakalisa (Rwanda), Lupe Gutknecht (Mexico), 杰西嘉 (China), Akpedze Koda (Togo), Nian Lung (Myanmar), Levi Mang (Myanmar), 佛朗哥莫拉莱斯 (Mexico) and Alejandra Rodriguez (Mexico).
If you’re visiting the 树木节, be sure to look for Tree 136!