"It Changed Something Inside of Me": English Language Learning, Structural Barriers to Employment, and Workers' Goals in a Workplace Literacy Program

As part of President Obama’s Workforce Investment Act, workplace literacy has been the focus of adult ESL institutions. The connection between literacy and the work environment is made explicit in this article. Many of my students want to learn English to get a better position at their job, or to become more comfortable at their job to better help their customers or clientele. For many of my students who work full time and learn English, a delicate balancing act has to be maintained in order to successfully accomplish their desired goals. Oftentimes, work trumps school and my students who came into my class with a high level of motivation inevitably end up dropping out due to the increased pressure of work. This is even more exacerbated by the fact that I-20 students who are required by the guidelines of their visa, to attend a minimum of 18 hours of class hours. It is also important that students keep track of their attendance: If they arrive 30 minutes after class starts they are marked late, and 2 lates equals an absence. I-20 students need to keep a minimum attendance rate of 70%. Keeping all of this in mind, I often wonder how much help and insight they get from classroom and if they apply that to their place of work.