Fabricio came to the United States eleven years ago. He began to learn English, married, and became an American citizen. Today he works in the furniture industry, but his dream is to join the police force. He told us:

“I’m getting help with my English because I want to speak better and write better. When I feel more comfortable with my English, I will take the Police Department test. The Literacy Volunteer tutoring helps me to understand and pronounce words better. It helps me to get more comfortable with reading English.”

Natalia is a successful piano teacher in New Milford. Below she tells us about her experiences with Literacy Volunteers on the Green:

“My name is Natalia Kolenciak. I am a piano teacher from New Milford. I came to the USA 3¹/₂ years ago from Russia. I had some knowledge of English from our schools, and I was lucky to have a husband who speaks English. It was OK for a short period. But living in a foreign country means you have to understand and speak that language pretty well. I understood right away that I had to start English classes. Now, because of my classes, I feel more confident with people. I teach in two music schools and I have private students. As a teacher I need to communicate a lot with my students and their parents. It’s very important to me that they understand me clearly. So the English classes organized by Literacy Volunteers on The Green are very helpful for me.

I am sure I will keep taking the lessons as long as they are available.”