Hitting the Books
Adult education programs help immigrants study for citizenship test
Last updated Saturday, January 29, 2005 10:48 PM CST in Living
By Heidi Stambuck
The Morning News
SPRINGDALE -- Martin Reyes of Lowell wants the right to vote.
He's taking a citizenship class at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale to improve his spoken and written English and to learn about U.S. history in preparation for a citizenship test. Reyes moved to the United States 12 years ago from Mexico, where he enjoyed the privilege of voting.
Maria Ysabel Rodriguez of Springdale has been in the United States for 17 years, and she previously lived in Los Angeles, where learning to speak English wasn't a priority. She said during a recent citizenship class that there were plenty of people in Los Angeles who spoke Spanish, but, when she moved to Arkansas, the language barrier made it difficult to do things like find the post office. Now, she also is taking courses in English as a second language. She wants to be a citizen for the rights that come along with citizenship.Sergio Morales of Springdale wants to feel officially a part of his adopted country. His teenage daughter, Rosa, occasionally served as translator for him and others in the citizenship class.
Vicente Lachino of Springdale believes being a citizen could help him find a better job.
Mercedes Torres of Fayetteville is taking a citizenship class taught by Erin Long of Fayetteville Adult Education. Torres has sisters who are already citizens, and, when they take family trips back to Mexico, the return to the United States is simpler for her sisters, she said.
"When we come back, (at the border) they just say they are citizens and come right through," Torres said. "I have to show my green card, and (the border agents) look at it, and they look at me."
A green card is issued to an immigrant who has been granted permanent resident status. A permanent resident has some rights but not all that a U.S. citizen has -- including the right to vote, explained Vicki Lee, an attorney in Fayetteville who specializes in immigration issues.
According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a permanent resident can be employed and is protected by federal, state and local laws.
Motivation
The decision to settle permanently in economically viable Northwest Arkansas also motivates immigrants to apply for citizenship, according to Danny Sheffield, an instructor in the adult education department at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. He said several of his students found out about NWACC's citizenship class when they were attending ESL classes.
Several of his students immigrated originally to California, where they lived in a Hispanic community and it wasn't necessary to learn English, Sheffield said. Now, after moving to this area with its booming economy, they have begun to settle in, buying homes and cars, he said.
"They want to stay here, and they want to sponsor family members to come here because of the area," Sheffield said.
R. Shawn McGrew of Rogers, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said a close friend of his voted for the first time in 2000. That's exciting for immigrants, even if they have lived in the United States for several years, he said.
"It's exciting to officially become a part of the community," McGrew said.
Helping Hand
Rhonda Harvey teaches her citizenship classes with a sweet voice and constant smile in a room at the Jones Center. Her Hispanic students call her "Rhondita." The English-language civics class is provided through Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale.
Harvey sits a few feet from the students, moving her hands in the air like a symphony conductor as she and the students recite sentences about American history -- such as Patrick Henry's famous words and the authors of the Declaration of Independence.
Students are eager to learn, Harvey said. Sometimes they ask her questions -- usually about immigration law -- that require research before she answers or a referral to another resource.Sometimes the students give her more information than she expected. When she asked the location of the White House, students told her not just the city -- Washington -- but also the address -- 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Some students speak English well but have trouble writing it, she said. She also has had students who are proficient in several languages. She can modify the material depending on the students' skills, going more in depth with some than others.
"This is going to be easy for you," Harvey assured an Indian couple in a class early in the semester. "I'll want to use more advanced material. ... You'll find it more interesting."
Later, she pulled a world map from her appointment book and asked them to show her their former home.
To teach the names of the 13 original colonies, Harvey first told the students three are easy to remember because they start with "New" -- New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire. Then she asked them what states they had traveled in when coming to Arkansas and states in which family or friends live. That brought the response Maryland, Virginia and Georgia, so the students knew six right off the top.
"You can put the colonies on a card and put it in your pocket, so when you're waiting in line at the bank, you can pull out the card and review," she suggested.
She plans activities to help reinforce what the students are learning -- something as simple as singing "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"They may ask me when it was written and under what circumstances," she said.
An associate professor emeritus of the University of Arkansas, Harvey retired after 25 years of teaching in Fayetteville. She traveled to Taiwan to teach English as a second language and then came back to Arkansas to teach it here. Last fall was her first session teaching the class through NTI.
Harvey doesn't see the actual citizenship test, but she teaches the basic information upon which questions will be based. Typical questions are available from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at www.uscis.gov. The textbook she uses --"Preparation for Citizenship" published by Steck-Vaughn -- also incorporates vocabulary words drawn from the citizenship test questions.
The history part of the course moves fast, beginning with the settling of American colonies and going through current events, including students' local government representatives. The married couple from India saw a parallel between the American struggle for independence and the one in their own country, which won its independence from Britain in 1947.
Hispanic people make up the majority of students she has now, but Harvey has also taught people from Germany, Ecuador and the Marshall Islands. A master's degree student from the University of Arkansas completing an internship was helping in her class recently.
Harvey sees a wide range of English proficiency and professions in her classes -- from a medical doctor to line workers at local factories. She supplements book work with videos and compact discs and makes suggestions to students about other ways they can learn American history -- such as renting a movie to watch at home.
At NWACC, the program boasts a 100 percent pass rate of students in the past three years who have gone through the citizenship class and taken the citizenship test at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Fort Smith.
Ben Aldama, director of NWACC's adult education program, said students form bonds while taking the class and celebrate others' successes. Students often come back after taking the test to talk to the class about their experience and let others know what to expect, he said.
Legal Requirements
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Web site, requirements to become a naturalized citizen include residency; good moral character; attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution; ability to read, write, speak and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language (with exceptions); have knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of history and principles and forms of government of the United States. An immigrant can be permanently barred from naturalization if convicted of murder or an aggravated felony.
Attorney Vicki Lee explained that, to be naturalized -- the process by which an immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen -- typically, the immigrant must first be a permanent resident. There are several ways to become a permanent resident -- usually through family relations or by getting employment in the United States, she said.
After an application and accompanying documents are sent to the USCIS service center in Texas, the immigrant usually must wait six to nine months before being tested and interviewed in Fort Smith, Lee said. Before the test and interview are scheduled, the immigrant will be called to Fort Smith to be fingerprinted and photographed-- called a biometrics interview. Fingerprinting is required for the purpose of conducting FBI criminal background checks.
Once the application is approved, the immigrant travels to Fort Smith again for an interview that includes an English test and civics test with written and verbal portions and meeting with an immigration officer. According to the USCIS Web site, the immigration officer will ask questions about the applicant's background, evidence supporting the request for citizenship, residence, character, attachment to the Constitution and willingness to take the oath of allegiance to the United States.
If the immigrant's application is approved, he is notified of an oath ceremony. Taking the oath of allegiance to the United States is required for citizenship.Back to SchoolThe classes at the Jones Center are provided free by Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale. Citizenship classes also are offered free by Fayetteville Adult Education -- meeting at the Fayetteville Public Library -- and NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville -- which holds classes at its Adult Education Center at 2710 Woods Lane in Rogers.
Federal and state grant funds pay for the classes. Larry Therrell, a program adviser in the adult education division of the state Department of Workforce Education in Little Rock, said the classes have open entry and exit -- meaning students can start in the middle of a course and leave when they feel they're ready for the test.
The Ozark Literacy Council in Fayetteville also offers citizenship classes from time to time, program director Jacob Humphrey said, and has resources available for self-study as well as weekly classes on information such as American history, which can be helpful to people studying for the citizenship test.
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