Enrollees in college's English language classes come from around globe

In classes that used to be mostly Latinos, these classes now have people from many countries.    - - Donna Poisl

By XAZMIN GARZA and ERIC URIBE, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Today’s lesson has Dr. Bette Brickman teaching her class the difference between “asked” and “told.” Each student reads a sentence aloud and picks the appropriate word. One sentence has a father talking to a child about cleaning the garage. The choice isn’t so clear.

“It will depend on the family dynamic,” she says to her students, explaining that some parents will ask for help in the garage, while others will command it.

All of Brickman’s students are adults. This is an intermediate-level class at the College of Southern Nevada for those studying English as a second language.

Having taught these types of classes since the ’80s, Brickman has seen the faces and stories of her students change through the years. It used to be her classes were predominantly Latino-populated. Now, students come from Iran, Thailand, Cambodia, Syria, China, Taiwan, Ethiopia and other countries.
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