Malala - Peace and Education go hand-in-hand

Dear Students,

Welcome to our class! September feels like a new year. And when you start something new, you need to know WHY you are doing it., what is your goal?

In our ESL classes here at the Centre instructors want to know what your goals are. The answer is often, "Improve my English" or "Become Fluent in English". This is a good reason to come to class. It is definitely a good thing to improve your English because speaking English fluently will help you accomplish your life goals, such as getting a new job, volunteering in the community and speaking confidently with anyone outside of your home. BUT. It is not specific enough.

Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Example:  I am now a CLB level 3344 and I want to improve my speaking and listening and be a CLB  level 4444 by December 2016 because then I can get my citizenship and take the test in December 2016. I want to do this by increasing my English conversation opportunities by volunteering at my children's school, watching English News and T.V and movies and using EnglishCentral App for pronunciation.

The goal is very specific: achieving a specific level, and more specifically Speaking/Listening
The goals is measurable: from S/L 3 to a S/L 4
The goal is relevant: it helps achieve the goal of getting Citizenship/passport :)
The goal is attainable: which means is it realistic? Is it possible? Often you can improve in 2 skills (listening and speaking) in 4 months if you work hard and have a plan for how you will practice and what you will do.
The goals is time-bound: You want to apply for citizenship in December 2016.

Maybe you have a goal of doing something BIG but you don't want to share it. That's ok, Keep it a secret between you and your diary :) But you can still be specific with your goal-writing for this class, just don't reveal that you want to be an astronaut, at least not yet :), first get your degree and do all your training, then share that goal!

Remember, you can accomplish what you really want to do, in fact, you must do it. You only have one life and it is given to you as a gift. When you do what you secretly really want to do you are doing yourself and the world a favour. You will become a gift to the world. Everyone has that potential, no matter what your circumstances, you can manage to find a way to do it, to be it.

What is your opinion about goals?

Hello Class

Hi Class,

As you know, I am not here in class with you this week, instead, I am at my parent's place in Langley, B.C. My father is in the hospital and I had to go and support my parents. I was a bit worried before I arrived, but my father is getting a little better everyday; the way we know this is that he is telling more jokes every day ;).

I hope you are showing off to Liudmila how much you learned this month and being the lovely and funny students that you are. I miss all of you and wish you a wonderful August exploring Ontario and the Great Lakes!

See you in September!
~Marcella

My story

My name is Joanna. I’m from China. I have lived in Canada for almost two years. My family lives in Georgetown. I have three daughters and I love spending time with them. My husband is a great man. His business is in China. I go back to China every year to visit my family in China because I miss them a lot.

I came to Canada in 2014. I wasn’t happy because I spoke bad English and I often stayed home. But now I like Canada, everything is good and I have a new life. I can go to school and learn English. School is free and teachers are nice and pretty. We are like friends. Now I can speak English so I can meet new friends.

Canadians are very nice and polite. Their gardens’ flowers are beautiful and colourful. But winter in Canada is too cold and there is too much snow. Snow is beautiful, my daughters like snow. They went skiing last winter. Driving in winter is not very safe. The sky in Canada is always blue like a picture. There I fresh air, no pollution for health. My cute dog and I enjoy walking to the park under a nice weather. My favourite season is fall. The trees’ leaves change colour and they are very beautiful. It makes me happy.

I must speak more English and watch more TV to improve my English. I will also volunteer in the Georgetown library. My plan is to find a job that I like in the future. Thanks for my good teacher.

binan alshami

My name is Banan, I am from Syria. I was born in Al Hassaka, it’s a small city. I studied there from elementary until high school, and then I moved to another city called Homse to study in a university. But while I was studding, I got married. When I graduated, I become a mother. I have a daughter and a son. After getting married, I lived in United Arab Emirates. I lived there for thirteen years moving between three cities. Unfortunately in the last year my husband lost his job. 

When he had been terminated from his work, he and I decided to leave U.A.E and move to another country. Then we chose Canada to live in, we have many reasons to choose this country first, we have relatives and friends that are living here. Second, it is an open country. But the main reason is because  Canada receives all people throughout the world without caring about their nationalities. We hope to find a better future for us and for our children.

Canada provides a good life for all especially for kids and grandparents. Everything is different here studding, health care, justice and equality. I have been her for one year. I like the life here, eveary thing is arranged and organized. There are many diverse communities, and whenever you walk you can find the kind of people who are ready to help you as much as possible.

I am looking to improve my education and study in a college. I also wish to change my life style to be more active person with an open mind. I will try to communicate more with others. Moreover, anyone who lives here will be lucky to have a great opportunity to live in a safe haven and enjoy many other facilities.

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Arrived in Canada

Hi everyone!
My name is Wafaa. I am from Lebanon. I am married and I am a mother of three children, Two of them live in Dubai, and the third in Canada. I arrived in Canada on 27 July as a permanent resident. I have visited Canada before several time and I like Canada very much. I like reading books and cooking my favorite dish rice and chicken and also hummus "fatouch". I am looking forward to learn  more English.