Learner Spotlight: Jhanet A.

Although she may stammer sometimes with her English, the dedication that Jhanet has put into achieving her goals for herself and her family speaks loud and clear volumes. 

Jhanet, a native of Peru, came to the United States six years ago. After learning about the Frederick County Literacy Council’s Parent Literacy Program, she enrolled in a weekly class held in Butterfly Ridge public elementary school. She attended her first class in January 2023 and has attended 7 additional Parent Literacy classes since then.  All of these classes were taught by Erin, a volunteer instructor.  Erin and Jhanet will be together again studying English in another class which begins at the end of January. Last May, the wife and mother of three children added a weekly one-on-one session with tutor Susan. She is currently working as a light cook in a local restaurant. 

“I began working with Jhanet just about a year ago,” says Susan, “and she has proven to be a very good student. We’re at the advanced level in the textbook she’d been using at Butterfly Ridge now, and we’re also using other learning tools, including videos featuring American [idioms]. We also read the newspaper online.” Susan says that Jhanet excels in grammar and is a very astute reader. Feeling comfortable speaking in English is still a work in progress.  Jhanet, like many other ESL students, is often challenged by the speaking component. “I am puzzled sometimes by the expressions and different accents. But I keep on trying,” Jhanet says. 

Susan says, “I tell her to speak to her children more in English than in Spanish.”  Jhanet laughs and says, “My kids say to me, ‘You are lazy. Speak English.’” But those conversations don’t easily materialize in the rush of real life.  “Jhanet’s at the point where she must encourage herself to use more English beyond the tutoring and classroom environment,” Susan says, and she believes Jhanet will clear this next step as she continues to forge ahead, making opportunities happen.   

Jhanet’s successful pursuit of American citizenship exemplified her determination to achieve a better life in this country. “My experience trying to become a U.S. citizen was hard. After my work, I studied two and three hours at night, when everyone was sleeping. It was better for my concentration,” says Jhanet. The process, Susan reminds her, also included “the Amazon cards.” Jhanet laughs, “Yeah, my husband ordered a set of flashcards” as another study tool for the naturalization test. “There are 100 questions” covered in the test, she says. Applicants are required to answer 10 questions from that larger list. “But you really have to be able to answer all of them.” She and Susan made good use of those cards over the many hours they spent preparing.

Susan recalls the day this past May, when she was at her grandkids’ basketball game and got a call from Jhanet. “I thought something was wrong, and then she told me she passed the test with flying colors. I started cheering and yelling so [many] people were looking at me!”  

Now, Jhanet says she wants “to maybe next year study to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.” This would allow Jhanet to expand her life outside of restaurant work, Susan says, and becoming a CNA is a good entry into the healthcare field.   

“Jhanet’s rather amazing. She takes literacy classes at the school and with me, takes care of her kids, and holds a job.”  When she thinks about her next steps—”I am going to speak better English” or “I want to be a CNA”—there is little doubt in Susan’s mind that Jhanet will accomplish her goals.