Spring 2026: Growth and Change for ESOL Students

Spring 2026 English language study started at the beginning of February. The storms delayed a few start dates, but everything came together. The last few years, we’ve focused on offering multi-level classes in different locations throughout the New River Valley. That focus was informed by the large number of students compared to available volunteers. This Spring term, we adjusted our efforts to provide student-focused, small group classes. We’ve also prioritized matching students with individual tutors this spring. We’re adapting to new needs and expectations of our students and community. And it’s worked out! 

Language instruction works best in small groups of two to six students. The students have more opportunity to engage with the language. The instructor can customize learning. Students and tutors develop trust quickly. There’s more time to define, focus, and achieve goals. Meeting in small groups also allows scheduling flexibility, so students with busy lives don’t have to sacrifice their own education.

We have more volunteers capable of working with our adult English language learners. We ask volunteers for help and they raise their hand! That means we have more tutors available for our students. Literacy NRV staff have been able to organize many small group and individual matches this term due to the enthusiasm of our volunteers. Although most of our students want to improve their English skills, there are more students wanting to study for the U.S. citizenship exam. Our English and citizenship matches are studying in Floyd, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Pulaski, and online. Literacy NRV has a zoom account, which we provide for students and volunteers to meet.

We’ve also been able to offer tutoring to more Spanish-speaking, beginner English learners through a partnership with Elisabeth Austin’s Spanish class at Virginia Tech. Cultural differences in language-learning can be addressed with bilingual tutors, and many students state this as a preference. Addressing the unique needs and styles of learning preferred by our students helps us create better opportunities for our tutors to teach in ways that resonate. Our students feel more comfortable learning bilingually. We also have a need for bilingual tutors of other languages, particularly Arabic.

It may not surprise our newsletter readers that Literacy NRV’s student enrollment has decreased recently. Our adult English learners are immigrants and newcomers to America. Even in uneventful political moments, immigrants have daily challenges and stresses. Each visit to the grocery store, trip on the bus, drive to work, or conversation with a stranger requires extra focus and attention. The mental strain of living in a world of another language is taxing. We admire our students’ dedication to study and self-improvement. We also understand their reluctance to walk into unfamiliar buildings or meet with new people during the anti-immigrant policy of the United States government. 

Still, one of Literacy NRV’s purposes is to provide safe environments for our students to study. That’s not just a physical location to meet. It’s also the empathy and encouragement of our volunteers. We want our students to feel welcome in our community. Through the efforts of our staff, volunteers, community partners, and especially students, we can continue to provide meaningful language instruction that helps our learners improve their lives.

-Blake Hritz