Shortly after 5pm, students begin to arrive at B5. Most have worked a long day, but they take the time to come to class to learn English. B5 has created a more robust English program in the evenings so that students who find work can continue to improve their English skills while still supporting themselves and their families. The students meet ten hours a week, Monday through Thursday, with two hours of online homework.
The evening classes allow students like Than to continue honing their English skills even after finding work. He works full time at the Tyson Processing Plant, which is hard physical labor, but arrives in the evenings to practice his English. Than knows that if he improves his English, he will have more mobility in his work and he can get involved with his passion of politics.
Khalda attended the morning English classes at B5, but when she was offered a spot at Opportunity Kitchen she knew she had to join! Opportunity Kitchen, a program through Columbia Ability Alliance, is a twelve-week vocational food training program that is designed to help students achieve job success in food service, catering, and hospitality. The program provides hands-on training and equips students with professional skills needed for success. While Opportunity Kitchen can give Khalda technical skills she needs to be successful, B5 gives her the English skills she needs to thrive. Khalda attends the evening courses so that she can continue to grow as an English speaker and provide for her family at the same time.
When Nadera was enrolled at Grace Collective, staff at B5 were concerned that would not get the support she needed to continue learning English. Grace Collective fosters a community of grace and holistic care, where women learn job and life skills that enable them to gain sustainable employment and a secure future for themselves. Nadera knew she wanted to participate in the program so that she gained the skills that would allow her to become self-sufficient and uplift her and her entire family, but she also recognized that English is a crucial piece of that success.
The evening classes are taught by Mitch Furniss. Mitch graduated with a BA and is TESOL certified. He finds joy in helping people learn how to speak and read in English. “There is a lot going on in the world right now. A connection to a learning center not only makes a difference to our students but creates a network and community vital for their survival in a very real sense. My students are living the American dream in its most legitimate incarnation. A heroic dream that has these students working through the day, studying at night, giving their all for their families and selves to have a chance at what some of us would simply call normal. We are not just learning English here in the B5 Evening Class, we are participating in an experiment that has the potential to revolutionize lives and shatter impossibilities, and I’m just grateful to be a part of it,” says Mitch.
