Technology has certainly flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic. Way back in February, many had never even heard of Zoom or Google Meet and now video-conferencing is everywhere, connecting work colleagues, family members, church youth groups, kung fu clubs and so many more. But, what about a group like the Low German-speaking Mennonites, most of whom do not have internet access? How can we maintain meaningful connections and keep support programs running with them? Well, sometimes the "latest and greatest" isn't the best option. In this case, a return to some "old school" technology - the good old-fashioned telephone (even land lines, can you believe it?!) - saved the day!
The Linwood Family English School is a family literacy program designed for the Low German-speaking community. It is held on Tuesday evenings at Linwood Public School during the school year and celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. When the pandemic was declared in March, all schools were closed and it seemed like the LFES program would be forced to shut down. While some programs were quick to establish "virtual" alternatives, our LG families did not have the home technology to participate that way. We put together some hands-on literacy and craft kits for the children and delivered them (with good social distancing!) But, what about the parents who were keen to continue their English classes?
We needed a "new" approach and it came from "old" technology. Two of the Tuesday night teachers have been conducting one-on-one English lessons by telephone for the past 6 weeks and our adult learners love it! The lessons are 30 mins to 1 hour in length and the individualized lessons can be quite productive. In fact, just last week, the teacher working with the women had a "eureka moment" when a previously nervous-in-class learner confidently read an entire page from a story on her own. A real break-through, as the teacher described it. On the men's side, the teacher reports keen interest from one learner who wishes to add another lesson each week to start preparing for his Canadian citizenship test.
So, overall, the LFES-by-Phone program has been a real success and is a good reminder that "old school" ways still have value, although easily lost to the flashy allure of new technology.
