Wiles

David Wiles

Professor Miner ENGL 2010 4/7/2014 Learning The Language There is much evidence revealing that the English language has become the dominant approach to vocal communication. There are many who have chosen to begin a new life by leaving his or her home country in order to prosper in America. According to census.gov, in the 2010-2012 American Community Survey, 10.3 million noncitizens under age 35 lived in the United states, representing less that 4 percent of the total U.S population and over half of these people were under age 18 when they arrived in the U.S.. The Salt Lake Community College in Utah has developed a program in order to help these new Americans achieve fluency in English. The amount of time it takes to complete these courses, however, could be viewed as being too much of a burden. Those who are currently attending SLCC are now starting to ignore the need for education due to the difficulty of completely such a lengthy program. Most of the universities in America, if not all, require that students can effectively and fluently speak, write, and read the English language, which is why the Salt Lake Community College of Utah (SLCC) has formed a four course program for those who are learning English as a second language. The college advertises that it is highly involved with helping these individuals in order to provide learning experiences that will promote greater student success and satisfaction in their personal, professional and academic pursuits (slcc.edu). These four

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courses were specifically designed to assist in achieving exceptional communicative abilities such as speaking, listening, reading, and also writing in English. The two classes required by the community college before a non-native English speaker can begin attending a college level course are ESL 1010, which has seven credits, and ESL 2010, which has eight credits. These two courses are also required to be taken one semester at a time, which has led many to falter. When considering the amount of semesters required for satisfying that demand, an average English learning student is going to be in college for two years before taking any college-level course. After much assistant to an English by SLCC to teach nonit was discovered that become discouraged participation in these volunteering as an teacher who was chosen native English learners, many of these learners within one year of courses. Many of the

students currently enrolled in these courses have previous college experience or have even achieved a master degree from another country and feel as though these lengthy courses are too far of a step back into the past. These individuals feel as though they could complete the required courses in considerably less time if given the chance. Some of those who are enrolled in the English classes have had previous employment in his or her home-country that requires a college degree such as dental assistants, and even doctors. The average time that almost every university in the United States will require before awarding a bachelors degree is four years (including two years of general studies). Considering that it takes between six and eight years to become a medical doctor (MD) in the U.S, these English learners will be in school as long as most MDs

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would just to obtain his or her bachelors degree, not to mention how long it would take to obtain a masters degree. Students who prove he or she can learn at a faster pace than some should be given the chance to take more than one of these courses in the same semester. Allowing them to do so would literally cut the required time in half, while giving the same amount of effort by completing the same amount of course credits. I personally have learned a second language (Spanish), and was able to do so within one year after beginning with basic learning courses. This was possible because I was given the chance to take a heavier load in one term. Reading, writing, and speaking are able to be performed effectively, and fluently. It has also come to my attention that college courses in this language have increased my learning immensely. Allowing for faster learning where needed would also help to build and improve the communities in which these new Americans reside. If the mission truly is to help others obtain hopes and dreams, it would be wise to find the quickest way possible while maintaining efficiency.

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Works Cited 2010-2012 American Community Survey census.gov United States Census Bureau. Web. Apr. 2014. English-as-a-Second-Language. Slcc.edu. Salt Lake Community College. Web. Apr. 2014