In one ESL classroom, a snapshot of America
Mr. Vito, as his students call him, began class with his usual questions: “What do you want to know? What would you like to read?”
The English as a Second Language instructor, whose full name is Vito Susca, sat at the head of a long conference table. By his elbow, a pile of dog-eared reference books: A Dictionary of American Idioms. World Almanac 2017. Collins Thesaurus. Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
His adult students at the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County can look up a nettlesome word in seconds on their smartphones, but the 86-year-old Susca is old school. So whenever someone stumbles over vocabulary, one of the books is passed around the table.
From Renee Kang, a native of Hong Kong, to Erika Arroyo, a soon-to-be first-time mother from Brazil. From Jean Cuyollaa, an ebullient retiree from France, to Morvarid Rad, a soft-spoken Iranian.
In his 17th year as a volunteer teacher, Susca conducts his class like a seminar on American culture, weaving in current events and comic strip brain teasers, regaling students with tales from his life and chapters from U.S. history. They leap from syntax and vocabulary to the Haymarket Square riots and the Trail of Tears; from grammar and idioms to the six flags of Texas and the meaning of Juneteenth.
Susca meanders and motivates, corrects mistakes gently and nudges reluctant speakers, creating a welcoming space for immigrants who must not only learn a thorny new language, but navigate a new way of life.
They are pushing past homesickness and hostility, delighting in this country’s freedoms and discovering some of its flaws, and finding support among strangers who recognize that an accent does not equal a lack of education.
Just like Susca’s parents.
Just like countless waves of immigrants before them.