Grads Put In Good Word for Lessons in English

Summer classes are finally over for these 25 boisterous pupils.

After months of intense lessons, they are looking forward to a little fun. But not necessarily at Splash Mountain or on the beach.

These students are more likely to prefer sipping some freshly brewed tea, strolling through a park or just staying indoors and engaging in some old-fashioned conversation.

On Friday, the students--25 Vietnamese-American senior citizens--graduated with distinction from summer English classes sponsored by the Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc. in Santa Ana.

The average age of the students was 70, and the oldest student was 83.

The program is one of only two in Orange County that specialize in teaching English to elderly Southeast Asian refugees. The classes also familiarize them with Western ways.

“I am newly come here,” said Nien Le-Van, the oldest student. “I want to talk to (my) grandchildren.” Le, a slightly built man with a wavy white beard, is respectfully called Anh Hai, “oldest brother,” by the others in the class. Le arrived in the United States three years ago at age 80. He began learning English a year later.

For others in the class, learning English has given them a new way to be creative.

“I want to write poetry,” said Bong Ho, 72, who is also fluent in French. She came to the United States six years ago. But she admits that picking up English is harder for her now because she is older.

“I study every day,” Ho said. “I read every day. Sometimes easy. Sometimes hard.”

Mary Payne Nguyen, an adult education teacher from the Garden Grove Unified School District, has been the students’ guide to Western culture and the language they seek to master.

The center began holding classes for seniors about five years ago in a small room in a shopping mall storefront on West McFadden Avenue.

Orange County has more than 325,000 residents who are 60 or older, said Nancy Schneider, supervisor of the county’s Senior Citizens Information and Referral program. Of those, an estimated 7,200 are of Vietnamese background.

Those who have trouble learning English sometimes face loneliness and have trouble understanding-- and being understood by--their own English-speaking children and grandchildren, said Minh Ngoc Le, who coordinates the seniors program for the center.

Since June, the 25 seniors who graduated Friday had been walking, biking and catching buses and shuttles so they could get to class and study about George Washington and the U.S. Constitution, as well as basic English. They also learned about hamburgers, street signs and slang.

During the school term, each student was grouped according to fluency. Some began without knowing how to even read or write in Vietnamese. Others had already learned the basics of English and were picking up American phrases, such as, “Have a nice day.”

At the graduation ceremony, the seniors shared sweet buns, croissants, giant peaches, 7-Up and jasmine tea. There would have been 30 students, but Payne Nguyen excused five because they had to baby-sit grandchildren.

The ceremony began with the students singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some were shy and preferred to mouth it, while others belted out the words as loud as they could.

One student, Wen Y. Yu, pulled out a pocket-size copy of the anthem to make sure he got the words right.

“Learning English is one more reason for these seniors to get out of bed in the mornings,” Payne Nguyen said. “They need to feel productive. They need to know they can still learn and communicate with their children.”

After reciting some poems and tongue twisters to show off their fluency, the seniors were awarded their summer diplomas--sheets of red, yellow and blue paper with their names carefully printed on them. They couldn’t stop admiring their diplomas and saying, “Thank you”--in English.