ESL Students

If you ever want to gain an appreciation for your country, teach a class in English as a second language. It will change the way you think about Canada (in my case).

Quite often people in our countries become angry with immigrants. If you take the time to find out their stories, you will gain a new appreciation for them. I will tell you two.

She was a doctor in Columbia. Her husband was a lawyer, and a successful one – too successful. It seems he won a case against the wrong people. Their response was to murder him.

When the note appeared at her door that she was next, she fled to Canada. She is studying English, and hopes one day to be a doctor again, but it is starting all over.

The first thing you notice about her is her smile. Like many others, she is happy to be in Canada. The cold winters are not welcome, but the political climate and freedoms warm the soul.

Next, meet a woman from Afghanistan. She lived there before the Taliban took control. Still, as a youngster, girls were not encouraged to go to school. Her family moved to Iran, but she says that foreigners were not treated very well there.

She and her husband eventually returned to Afghanistan. The Taliban was in control by then. Her husband was thrown in prison for reasons they still don’t know. Eventually he was released and he fled to Russia. She took off to Canada with her six children.

She hasn’t seen her husband in eight years. The last time she talked to him on the telephone was six months ago. She has had to make her way in a strange country with different customs and provide for her children.

She told me her oldest daughter finished high school with a 92% average. It’s funny, but when you see some of the top students in schools, they are often people who have come from another country.

It is as if people from abroad see the opportunity in Canada that others don’t see. Like runners who train at a high altitude, their hardships at home prepare them for success when they are faced with better conditions.

There are bad apples in every crop, but the vast majority of ESL students I have met appreciate Canada in a way few Canadians do. Not only that, they encourage me to overcome any difficulties I might think I have. They inspire me.