By CASEY NEILL
ANNE Whitehead became a tutor for new migrants as a way to help the community during retirement.
But the volunteer has found she’s learning as much as her students.
Noble Park AMES needs more people like Ms Whitehead for informal one-on-one English lessons.
Tutors help students learn everyday language for transport, socialising and shopping, to help them settle into their new home and connect to the community.
Ms Whitehead has been working with Chinese migrant Yifang Jiang since October. The mother of two young girls is a university graduate and ran a business back home.
“What I did when we first met was that we just talked,” Ms Whitehead said.
“I found out about her and her family, where she came from and what she likes.
“She’s a very good reader. She’s an excellent speller.
“She’s frightened about speaking because she’s frightened of saying the wrong word.”
Ms Whitehead said she remembered coming to Australia from England at age 22.
“You want to learn because you want to be able to get a job and you want to integrate and make friends,” she said.
“I just have so much admiration for somebody who comes to another country where they don’t speak the language.”
She said she’s learning as much as Ms Jiang – about Chinese culture and the English language.
“What has been interesting is it’s the pronunciation that’s the difficulty,” she said.
“You suddenly realise how difficult the English language is.
“It’s been really interesting trying to find a way of breaking down the sounds of words.”
Ms Whitehead said Ms Jiang’s confidence had improved and the process was rewarding.
Volunteer tutor program co-ordinator Nada Railic said the tutoring supplemented formal classes at AMES.
Tutors receive comprehensive training – with a new round starting next month – and are asked to volunteer two hours a week.
They have to be fluent in spoken and written English but don’t need to know another language.
Call Ms Railic on 8558 8804 or email railicn@ames.net.au to get involved.
