After a mother of three moved to the U.S., the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center’s ESL program helped her learn English
While living in her native Bangladesh, Shakila Khatun earned the equivalent of a master’s degree in Islamic Studies. When she immigrated to California in 2009 at the age of 33, however, she found that her higher education achievements didn’t help as she faced the difficult challenge of acclimating to a new country—and learning English. Photo courtesy of iStock
“The first one, maybe two years, that was difficult,” she says. “I didn’t want to speak to anybody.”
Initially, Khatun’s husband got a job at a gas station while she stayed home, raising their three children. After she signed her oldest child up to attend Hapgood Elementary School, however, she realized she didn’t trust her English abilities enough to talk to her children’s teachers or the principal.
When her kids came back with homework, Khatun could easily guide them through math lessons, but struggled to provide help with English and other subjects.
“I wanted to improve to help [my children] with their homework.”
Shakila Khatun, ESL Student, Lompoc Adult School and Career Center
“I wanted to improve to help [my children] with their homework,” she said. “English was too [big of a] problem for me.”
She resolved to go back to school to better aid her children with their studies. One day, she heard some parents talking about adult classes for those who speak English as a second language (ESL). Shakila had taken some English classes before, but from a British instructor, which sounded vastly different to her than American accents. So, she signed up for the ESL class at the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center.
Over time, she improved her English by attending classes daily for three hours in the evening after picking up her children from school, overseeing their homework and cooking them dinner. In addition, she started working in the dietary division of the Lompoc Valley Medical Center, working the front register and occasionally serving food to the doctors, nurses and guests of the hospital.
Khatun attended classes in person, along with 20 to 30 other students, but says she also received plenty of individual attention from her teachers. And, because she enjoyed her ESL classes, she decided to continue her education by branching out into math, history and science classes and received her high school diploma from LASCC in 2022.
“I am glad I got this graduation,” she says. “They helped me a lot.”
Now, after taking these classes, she says she believes her English has improved and her confidence has grown. At her job, she finds it easier to communicate with her co-workers and customers.
“Everybody is friendly,” Khatun says. “Everybody talks to me. Before I [didn’t] talk too much and I’d need help, but now I can talk and they understand.”
For more information on the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center’s ESL program visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/.
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| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | English as a Second Language |
