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About the Boston Higher Education Resource Center: History, Vision,
and Mission
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About the HERC Adult Education Program
Boston HERC’s Adult Education Program was born out of the HERC
mission to serve the whole family. Since its inception in 2001, we have grown
from an emerging, unstructured program with a single volunteer and a dozen
students to one that serves over 140 adults annually with a full-time
Director, two part-time AmeriCorps Counselors, and a team of over 25
volunteer teachers and tutors, and a program with a structure which
supports constant growth and quality of educational offerings. We are
principally funded by the City of Boston- English for New Bostonians
initiative.
The core of our program is Monday/Wednesday ESOL classes from
September to May for a total of five instructional hours per week. Classes are
learner-centered, as we recognize that our adult students are individuals
who bring a wealth of life experience, interests, and immediate/long-term
goals to our classrooms to share. We also offer critical support services,
including jobs counseling, child care, and social assistance referrals. In 2011,
we intend to expand our volunteer teaching base and services to add
Saturday segments to reach immigrant workers who are not able to attend
during the week.
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Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Research Division.
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Composite Data, Roxbury Census Tracts 804 & 805. American Community Survey 5 year
estimates 2005-2009.
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Despite the growing needs, however, the underserved Latino
population and other linguistic minority populations have not received
ample equal educational opportunities. While there are an estimated 237,000
immigrants with limited English proficiency in the Greater Boston area, there
are only slots for about 5% of them.3 Our site is the only one in Boston to
provide free evening child care so working parents can attend school.
Our Mission
Through teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
classes, we strive to empower members of Boston’s immigrant community by
providing a safe space in which they are instructionally, emotionally, and
spiritually encouraged to improve their English language communication skills
and overcome barriers to employment and education advancement.
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Breaking the Language Barrier, p. 22, 23.
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Program Highlights
This ESOL Program is transforming lives. Recent immigrants are now
inquiring about continuing their education, obtaining their high school
degree equivalents, and going on to college. Our ESOL students are becoming
more effective parents and citizens; they are seizing, or creating, challenging
job opportunities, even in this difficult economy. They are using the
computer for the first time and becoming digitally literate and conversing
without fear in society. Perhaps most importantly, experience with our
learners attests more than learning English, they learn that they can learn –
that they are immensely capable beings with a purpose and potential in their
lives.
Join us!
Volunteers are the driving force behind the success of the adult
education program. They allow us to extend essential services to an
economically vulnerable population at a small fraction of the cost of a
traditional program, where there are often waitlists that extend for years.
More than that, our volunteers are agents of transformation who accompany
and encourage the immigrant community to move beyond mastery of the
English language to master of their dreams.
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Who is a typical volunteer?
Our volunteers come from all walks of life – from the immigrant
community or people that care about them. They are missions-minded
college students, seasoned professionals, parents, and people in transition in
their professions or in life. Some have prior teaching experience, and others
discover gifts they never knew they had. Yet all of our volunteers share an
openness to use their knowledge of the English language to serve the Lord
and bless others. They are ordinary people who make themselves available
to become agents of transformation by using what they have.
Why Volunteer?
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What will I gain by serving as a volunteer?
Valuable teaching experience and professional development opportunities
Seeing people’s lives changed through the teaching of the English language
Personal fulfillment through contribution to the community
Discovering new gifts of ministry
Being part of a warm and visionary community
Learning from the wealth of experience, expertise, and skills that adults
bring to our classrooms
Training sessions, group activities, and on-going support/supervision
$1500 stipend and possible ESL certification available for 35-week
commitment as a lead teacher
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Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions (and # Needed Each Year)
Lead Teachers (6):
Time Commitment: 7 hours a week (5:45-8:35pm, plus a minimum of one hour
of planning and reporting), Minimum 9 month commitment.
$1500 stipend provided for successful completion of service. Support for ESL
certification for a two-year commitment.
Lead teachers lead a classroom of approximately 10 students twice a week
over the course of a three-month semester. Teachers are responsible for
planning and implementing engaging, learner-centered lessons on both class
evenings using the Boston HERC ESOL curriculum. They also may provide
guidance and support for an assistant teacher.
Other Positions:
Publicity/Communications Intern (1)
Spanish GED Teacher (2)
Welcoming Intern (1)
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Important Dates and Times:
The Adult Education program is an academic year program with two cycles:
September 14–December 18 and January 4-June 8.
Weeknight ESOL Mondays & Wednesday evenings, 6-8:30pm
program
Tutoring Sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-8:00 p.m.
Or by appointment between students and tutors.
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2. Come to interview with the Director of Adult Education. Within the week,
you will be sent a Contract or a Commitment Form (depending on your role)
for you to review and confirm your participation.
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