Karenys Cuicas, ESL student during one of her classes in the Lethbridge College Buchanan Library.
A study from Baylor University published in June 2015 by Grace Pardede revealed homesickness in the modern age can lead to severe psychological distress. According to the study, the cultural relocation and variations are bound to be factors influencing homesickness and culture shock for international students.
One of the struggles for international students is the language barrier. Karenys Cuicas, an international student taking English as a Second Language (ESL) at Lethbridge College said because English is not her first language, she has concerns about people making fun of her.
Karenys Cuicas is a nurse from Venezuela. She moved to Lethbridge to widen her knowledge in English. By taking the ESL program, she is working on improving her communication skills.
Moving to Canada has also set her apart from her fiancé and her mother. Because of this, she had a few misgivings of moving abroad at first. However, with the use of modern technology, she can talk to them at any time and feel. Talking to them behind the screen has relieved her anxiety a great deal. “Technology is a wonderful tool that makes us stay connected with those we love and thus shortens distances,” Cuicas said.
There are services offered at the college to help support international students like International Services and Wellness Services, and of course, the support from their own instructors.
Herbert Claxton, ESL instructor, said he motivates students by learning what their interests are and just being there when his students are having troubles in class.
According to Claxton, when a student is having difficulty adjusting, they often show behaviours. His approach is talking to the student about what the cause might be or seeking out help through Wellness Services when it’s something that needs to be addressed in a deeper way.
Claxton said the ESL program is not just a program that teaches English, but also a support network for students within the classroom. Moreover, taking advantage of today’s technology and using social media is a great way of establishing relationships with fellow students.
Teaching in the ESL program has been something Claxton has always been passionate about. While he is the expert in English, his students are experts of their own languages and cultures. According to him this is the reason why everyone in his class— including him— are on equal grounds. “For myself, I haven’t been outside of Canada travelling. So when I’m with the students, it’s a way to learn about different cultures and different ways of thinking about the world,” Claxton said.