Liz Medina (left) and Lynn Tiemann display materials during an informational session about resources and techniques to assist non-English speaking adults with English proficiency. The two are Grant Wood Area Education Agency English Language Learner consultants. (Photos by Pete Temple)
Mary Melchert of the Jones County Migrant Inclusion Group speaks with audience members
about processes involved with helping non-English speaking adults during the session, which
was June 4 at the Monticello Public Library.
Late last year, the community was introduced to the Jones County Migrant Inclusion Group, led by Keith Stamp and Mary Melchert, both of Monticello.
In December 2023, the group received a grant from the Jones County Community Foundation (JCCF) to further their efforts.
“We felt that the Hispanic community in Jones County was a marginalized group that needed more support,” Melchert said during the December JCCF awards banquet.
Among their goals, the Group was seeking to help the local Hispanic population become more fluent in speaking English, to help with financial literacy, to help with healthcare needs, and to help with legalization.
Assisting Stamp and Melchert in their efforts are Arnulfo and Karen Arriaga, owners of La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Monticello.
Melchert has also presented information about the Group to the Monticello City Council and the Jones County Board of Supervisors.
Since the beginning of the year, this Group has partnered with Proteus, Inc. out of Coralville to provide a free healthcare clinic inside the Community Building here in Monticello.
Melchert shared that the healthcare clinic is returning June 11 for the fifth time, with future dates on the books for July and August.
“That’s going great!” she boasted.
The clinic is in town from 3 to 7 p.m.
“They are busy the entire time,” she said. “It’s not a walk-in clinic. They have to call and make an appointment. Some of the migrants are used to standing in line for hours to be seen. So now they have appointments. This has been the greatest success and the first success.”
Last Tuesday, June 4, the Group welcomed Grant Wood AEA representatives Liz Medina, curriculum consultant, and Lynn Tiemann, speech-language pathologist, to the Monticello library for a presentation on the resources and techniques to assist in tutoring non-English-speaking adults to become proficient in English.
There were roughly a dozen people in attendance, with four individuals showing interest in becoming a tutor.
“The ESL (English as a second language) has always been the link of what we’re trying to do,” Melchert said.
Right now, Melchert is helping a few migrants in the Monticello community learn and understand English so they can function within their places of employment.
Melchert and Stamp have reached out to Kirkwood Community College regarding the work they offer with ESL.
“They get federal funds to offer the program,” Stamp said. “Their funds are already spent in Johnson and Linn counties because of the huge demand there.”
The Migrant Group is looking at ELS curriculum that specifically teaches people what they need to know to function on the job.
“Our focus on ESL is it needs to be realistic, applicable for them right now, what they think they need to know and what their employer wants them to know,” added Stamp. “Grant Wood has been extremely good at listening to the philosophical perspective. We want this to be practical, work-related, social-skill related.”
In addition, migrants aren’t available to attend day-time ESL classes; you have to meet with them when it’s convenient for them due to crazy work schedules.
That’s when Melchert started researching her own curriculum, which GW AEA is offering to assist in writing.
This week, Melchert planned to meet with several implement dealers and car dealerships where some of the migrants are employed. The goal there is to get a feel for what these business owners want these employees to learn to be able to adequately do their jobs.
“Give us the vocabulary that you want them to know,” suggested Melchert. “I’m not going to teach them how to change the oil, but I am going to teach them ‘oil,’ ‘oil filter,’ etc.
“We have to be able to assess them individually on their reading skills and where they’re at,” she added.
In terms of how many Hispanic members of the community would be interested in learning English and how many tutors might be needed, both Melchert and Stamp said that’s a hard question to answer.
In speaking with Arnulfo Arriaga, Melchert said there could be up to 40 families in Jones County. They said by the end of the year, working with a handful of migrants wouldn’t overwhelm anyone.
In addition to ESL, the Group continues to seek donations and apply for grants while looking for a homebase in which to operate out of. Right now, Melchert offers tutoring in her home, as well as going to places of business.
“We’re continuing to solicit for funding,” she said. “We have received another stipend for a grant. But I don’t think we’re satisfied with the amount of money we’ve raised yet, although it’s been good.”
Any place they operate out of no doubt charges rent, too. In the future, computers and technology will also be needed, which is not cheap.
“A year ago, this didn’t exist, so that’s good,” Stamp said of the support thus far. “One of the positives from my experience and perception of this journey we’ve had, when I talk about it at church or out and about, I’ve never heard a negative word. It’s positive and more curiosity than anything. Locally, I think there is some real support for this.”
You can follow the latest on the Migrant Group by visiting their Facebook page with the same name.
If you’re interested in tutoring or seeing what is all involved, reach out to either Stamp or Melchert via Facebook.
“You don’t need to know Spanish. You need to care about people. You need to welcome them into our community,” Melchert said.