Field Problem: English as a Second Language

Dear, Field Problems:

I’m stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, and my wife is new to the Army. She doesn’t speak English. Her first language is Spanish, and she is trying to find out if there are some English classes available around Fort Riley. We have asked locally and will possibly check into Army OneSource, but if we can get a some more information or help, we will appreciate it.

Michael; Fort Riley, KS; Active Duty Army

¡Hola, Michael!

You have come to the right place for an answer to your question. Let us be among the first to welcome her to the Army family! Admittedly, we don’t have a lot of experience with ESL spouses, but we are confident we can help get you on the right track.

Our first try was posting this question to our online Facebook community of more than 50,000 military spouses. You can find that post here. We asked our followers to share their experiences. Many were able to find resources on post at the education center or Army Community Services. Not all ACS centers provide these services, though they’d be the first places we’d check too.

Some fans suggested these other resources:

1. Community Centers or Community Colleges: Classes usually follow the semester or term calendar, which usually follows the various seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer. The installation’s education center can give you contact information for the area’s community colleges.
2. Local Libraries: Many libraries have bilingual staff in their region, and they may even have online access to resources such as “Mango Languages.” Mango Languages is a language learning system that teaches actual conversation skills, vocabulary, grammar, and culture for the world’s most popular languages.
3. Adult Education Centers: We suggest you ask the local school district office for information on these programs.

Hopefully, one of those ideas will be what you’re looking for.

MilitaryOneSource could provide direction as well. A referral assistant can speak to your wife in her first language, and they will help confirm if there are local classes. They may be able to find some online resources to help her learn, and in the mean time if she has Army or benefit questions, they can answer her in Spanish and send her Spanish materials. Call the Spanish line at 1-877-888-0727.

Some spouses have tried Rosetta Stone, but it’s important to learn English language and military culture, something Rosetta can’t help with. Also, as one of our Facebook followers so aptly put, “Hangin’ with other ESL spouses all the time is not good to practice English.” So, what your wife really needs is a balance.

We wish you and your wife good luck as you find that balance, and should you ever need another question answered, you know Army Wife Network is always here.

P.S. If you have children, give BrainPop a try. It is an animated, educational site for English language students of all ages. AWN co-founder Star Henderson recommends BrainPop and its BrainPop junior version, which she used in her own family’s home school curriculum.