People who are born here have no idea how hard it is for immigrants to learn English and pass the citizenship test. Besides determination and hard work, it takes time. DP
By ROBERT PIERCE, Southwest Daily Times
Southwest Daily Times: The Colvin Adult Learning Center has been helping immigrants from many countries become American citizens for 15 years.
"We have had students from Canada," Elva Morales said. "We have had some from Somalia. We've had some Vietnamese, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Cambodia, Laos, Mexico, Guatamala, Nicaragua, England. We've had them from all over."
Morales teaches citizenship classes at the adult basic education center several times a week.
"I teach citizenship class on Sunday afternoons and also on Saturday morning," she said. "During the week, Monday through Thursday, the ones that are getting ready for their interview come in for tutoring. They come in in the evenings and on Saturday mornings."
The requirements immigrants need to become American citizens are numerous, according to Morales.
"I have to teach them the history, the government of the United States," she said. "I have to teach them to read, to write and to be able to carry on a conversation, because they are going to be tested on all of this. I only do the whole group together on Sundays, and usually it takes me about four to five months. These students that qualify for citizenship have to have been here with a residency card for five years, or they can apply after three years if they have been married to an American citizen for those three years."
The thing Morales said she admires most about the students in the class is their ability to have a full-time job while taking the class.
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