LCC’s MA TESOL students don’t wait until after graduation to do great things; they are already changing the world, one class at a time.

Adam Morrison is currently an LCC MA TESOL student. Adam lives in Ohio, USA, with his family. Adam heard about LCC while working in Belarus for 10 years.

This is Adams’ story, in his own words, about his English classes for Ukrainian refugees.

We're in Columbus, Ohio. There are tons of Ukrainian refugees here in our area. The local Belarusian church, called "The Embassy of God," is letting us use one of their classrooms for our English classes. There are 8 students in the class. We meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 19:00 to 20:30.

My students are refugees from Ukraine, including one is originally from Belarus. They have sought refuge here in Ohio (USA) since the war started in February 2022. They all have young children and have been in the US for 2 years or less under the Uniting for Ukraine program. One single mom just arrived this summer. 

The students came with very little ability to speak English. In Ohio, they need to communicate in English, and they are learning fast.

I started lessons at the beginner level with the alphabet and numbers. They can now spell their names and their home addresses and recite their cell phone numbers. I teach the basics of grammar, beginning with positive, negative, and questions with present simple verbs.

In the past two weeks, we covered topics like "what I like about the US" and “how things are different from Ukraine.”

They are quickly learning handy vocabulary for ordering in restaurants. During class, we practice ordering from a menu.

Learning English for use in real life situations is the key. Recently, we took a trip to a local pizzeria. Next, we traveled together to an Amish Country Fall Festival, in Walnut Creek, Ohio. Soon we will begin making plans for an American-Ukrainian Thanksgiving celebration in November. 

Besides teaching English to Ukrainians, Adam works full time, online, as a translator and cultural advisor for a Belarusian IT company. He is in the second year of LCC’s MA TESOL Program, already making a positive difference in his world.

Author: Robin Gingerich, Ph.D., MA TESOL Program Director at LCC International University.