Right before the start of the pandemic, a Somali couple, Sara and Abdi, and their six children moved to Seattle. When Sara first arrived, she was able to read and write and speak a little English but had almost no computer literacy. Her husband could not read or write in Somali or English. It was clear that Sara wanted to…
It’s 5pm on Wednesday and faces start to appear on the computer screen. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased social isolation for almost everyone, so Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) has moved ESL classes online. Since February 2021, a group of volunteers and ESL teachers have launched a new weekly online conversation circle called “Talk Time”. It gives refugee-students—many of whom are…
“Vacuuming children”–is that a mistake in English vocabulary or a practical solution to messy kids? Angela is a stay-at home mom of three, metal artist (pictured left in the workshop) and has been volunteering as a teacher’s aide at ReWA for eight years. When asked for an anecdote from the classroom, she recalled this line. “We were discussing New Year’s…
Last March, ReWA’s ESL Team was struggling: few of the immigrants and refugees who attended ESL classes had internet or computer access at home. Now, a year later, ReWA is offering five classes online serving over 70 students. How did we do it? Let’s go back to March 13, 2020, the day Seattle Schools closed… My name is Inga Muscio,…
Congratulations to the 12 graduates of the Early Childhood Education Initial Certificate course who completed a year of academic studies in partnership with North Seattle College and attended the first ever graduation ceremony online on August 19th. Salwa is one of these graduates. Since completing ReWA’s ChildCare Basics training course last…