immigration stories

Kindness Bridges the Gap — Allan Pole

2024-02-06T18:06:27+00:00January 14th, 2018|Allan Pole, General Interest|

When I was a boy I suffered from asthma and hay fever.  Being allergic to hay and growing up on a farm was a tough combination during the summer months.  When the air was thick with dust and pollen I would suffer through some sleepless nights coughing and sneezing.  I vividly remember my mom enduring […]

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Dialogue Journals to Improve ESL Writing Fluency—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2016-11-28T22:23:49+00:00November 28th, 2016|Dr. Roswita Dressler, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

Sometimes we tell our students not to worry so much about how accurate their writing is, but to just take risks and write. Then we fall into the trip of correcting their grammar or spelling and we wonder, are we sending the wrong message. While many of our students care about writing correctly, it can […]

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Welcome One Another and Be a ‘Helper’ — Amber Wylie-Moerman

2016-09-05T09:48:18+00:00September 5th, 2016|Amber Wylie-Moerman, General Interest, Intercultural Communication|

I saw a quote recently, posted on Facebook that read, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’ (Fred Rogers).” We see a lot of scary things in the news lately […]

How to Help Refugees with their English—Dale Fisher

2016-01-19T10:23:49+00:00January 19th, 2016|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips, Intercultural Communication|

Many groups are responding generously to the call to sponsor Syrian refugees. This is wonderful because these people will need this support, guidance and friendship for many years. CESLM can help with this process because we have a wealth of experience and resources to offer. All refugees will be eligible for free LINC classes, unless […]

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Syrian Refugees: How Can We Help

2015-12-01T09:17:14+00:00December 1st, 2015|General Interest, Intercultural Communication|

 The Syrian refugee crisis has been prevalent in the media lately, along with Canada’s response. Our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has committed to providing shelter for 25,000 refugees who will arrive in Canada in the coming months. Of these, approximately 2,300 will make Calgary their new home*. Last week, sixteen refugees arrived, reuniting with family they […]

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The Struggles Facing Newcomers in Schools

2015-09-04T10:29:44+00:00September 4th, 2015|ESL Classroom, General Interest, Immigration Stories, Intercultural Communication, James Edel|

While many of us have a keen interest in issues facing adult newcomers in Calgary, children of immigrant parents have their own set of struggles.  In the September 2015 issue of Albertaviews, an article entitled “Language Limbo – The urgent need for more ESL instruction in school” by Marcello Di Cintio, called for more attention […]

Child of an Immigrant; Mother of an Immigrant—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2015-07-20T10:14:11+00:00July 20th, 2015|Dr. Roswita Dressler, Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer|

I grew up as a first generation Canadian. My parents came from Germany, met in Canada, got married and had children. Growing up, I had experiences similar to some of my ESL students’ children. I heard two languages, but was English dominant by the time I went to school. I ate different foods at home […]

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Home Away From Home Part 2—Yaa Serwaa Somuah

2015-05-04T11:55:58+00:00May 4th, 2015|General Interest, Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer, Yaa Serwaa Somuah|

One of the comments I always get from Canadians is, “What a cultural shock, eh?” Most times when I meet people and they get to know that I am a newbie, after the initial interrogations, they say those words. I immigrated from a tropical country where every day was summer. The average temperature throughout the year ranges […]

Contrasting Countries—Adeline Tataille-Knisley

2015-04-01T10:05:09+00:00April 1st, 2015|Adeline Tataille-Knisley, General Interest, Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer|

There is a huge difference between a developed country and a developing country or third world country. When you holistically look at a developed country like Canada you see: The people has access to potable water Access to education The people has access to work Access to health care Good infrastructure Then let’s take a […]

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Home Away From Home Part 1—Yaa Serwaa Somuah

2015-03-09T12:35:11+00:00March 9th, 2015|Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer, Yaa Serwaa Somuah|

Note from the editor: Yaa Serwaa Somuah shares with us a part of her story about coming to Canada and how she learned to embrace her native language and culture amidst the Canadian one. It has been lightly edited for clarity, but the words are her own. Language is a medium of communication in humankind. Different languages are carriers […]

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