For years, her instruction has helped immigrants assimilate

A nice story about a woman and her group teaching immigrant mothers to speak English. She doesn't speak their language, is able to teach with pictures, acting, etc. DP

'English is such a tough language. But these mothers are here to learn.'

By DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR., Star-Telegram staff writer

www.star-telegram.com: HURST -- A sign at the Bedford library stopped Mary Griffitts in her tracks in 1989.

It read "Sign-up: Training for ESL classes."

For Griffitts, it was a challenge.

"I had always felt that if you lived in this country, that you should learn English," Griffitts said. "At that time I thought, 'Well it's now time for me to put up or shut up.'"

With no teaching background, Griffitts took the training class and has now been a volunteer ESL teacher for 18 years.

Griffitts, of Bedford, has also been the volunteer ESL teacher at Mission Central for the last two years, driving to the Hurst center twice a week to teach the hourlong class in the center's food pantry.

"A few years ago, we needed an ESL teacher because of the families we served," said Emily Youngberg, the executive director of Mission Central, a nonprofit agency that provides food and clothing to low-income families. "Children were coming here for help in reading and homework while their mothers just sat waiting for them."

Griffitts was already a volunteer at the food pantry when Youngberg approached her to teach ESL to the adults.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.