Dr. Paula Fishman and Rhoda Wagman, residents of the Princeton Windrows independent lifestyle community in Plainsboro, are teaching the community’s own housekeeping and culinary services employees to speak English.
The pair have been volunteering since September to teach the classes to 18 staff members to help improve their oral, writing, and reading abilities. The goal is to help the workers better perform their daily responsibilities, move up in the workforce, and improve their lives.
Princeton Windrows provides the textbooks, notebooks, and the classroom, as well as time off during the work for the staff members to attend classes as students. The program is free.
The students range in age from mid-30s to mid-50s. The classes are informal, an hour-long, and held two days a week.
Fishman taught English as a second language at the Connection for Women and Children in Summit and is a former professor in nutrition at Hunter Collage. She holds a degree in education from Columbia University.
“This is something I was happy to do,” said Fishman, who talked about the idea of English classes with other Windrows residents in the summer. “Not only have the classes been wholeheartedly embraced by the staff, they are already making a difference. All the participants are very enthusiastic to learn. I’ve seen significant improvement in their ability to better understand and communicate with other staff and residents.”
She is assisted by Wagman, who helps identify articulation and pronunciation problems. Wagman, who retired from the East Brunswick school system, has a master’s degree in speech pathology from Kean University. She has also taught at Kean and Douglass College. She individually screened all the staff members and provided feedback on articulation problems as well as provided them with instructional materials to address those problems.
“They are all motivated and want to move ahead,” Wagman said. “The program also improves self image. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Classes will be held into December and resume in January, possibly with an expanded curriculum. — Cara Latham
