University's English Language Partners program expands to Japan

Shortly after his sister city delegation toured Purdue University Fort Wayne in October, the mayor of Takaoka, Japan, agreed to a partnership with the English Language Partners program of the Three Rivers Language Center in the College of Liberal Arts. Implementation started Feb. 5 as PFW student Bella Escobar met seven students and two professors from Takaoka University of Law for a class she led online.

“My students are eager to learn English, and although some are a bit shy, I try to remind them that I also feel it intimidating learning Japanese, and that I am here to help,” said Escobar, a senior who is majoring in English and English linguistics with a concentration in Teaching English as a New Language. “I hope to get to know them more during the semester.”

The program lasts 13 weeks with Monday morning classes. Escobar has studied Japanese for four years at PFW and is president of the Japanese Club student organization. She hopes to apply for a Japan exchange and teaching program following graduation in May.

“I wish to teach in other parts of the world, such as my family’s home countries of Honduras and El Salvador, and even here in the States.”

The English Language Partners program was founded in 2020. Since then, 72 PFW students have tutored more than 1,000 ELP participants, many of whom live in countries where political upheavals have affected their access to education. Most of the PFW students also pursue a TENL certificate.

ELP tutors have taught students from five continents living in countries such as the Philippines, Nepal, Myanmar, China, India, Ecuador, Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. Representatives of PFW are also in discussion with their counterparts in Thailand for possible inclusion.

“The majority of our tutors are stellar in what they do,” said Mary Encabo-Bischoff, director of the ELP program and current TENL program director. “It’s a way for our students to see beyond the American context, to learn about lives outside the U.S. By the end of the semester, they learn that teaching English is hard, and often say, `I assumed a lot of things that are normal to me are not normal to others. I am so glad I was able to talk to people who experience a different reality.’”

The benefactor of PFW’s Chapman Scholars Program since 2007, Howard Chapman helped create what is now known as Fort Wayne Sister Cities International in 1975, which solidified the official relationship with Takaoka. The ELP program and the exchange between the universities was recently featured in a local Japanese newspaper. ELP leadership is also in talks with Takaoka high schools to start their own English programming in the fall.

The ELP program has become one of the ways that international audiences get to know PFW. Encabo-Bischoff recently spoke at the Anthropology Club’s lunchtime lecture series on Feb. 14 in a presentation called, “I speak: Therefore, I can teach. English language teaching in a multi-lingual world.” She encouraged students to learn about the possibility of teaching English around the world, and serve as a PFW ambassador.

“I want us to be the No. 1 destination for quality English language instruction and where solid English language teachers graduate,” Encabo-Bischoff said.

To learn about the latest updates on the ELP program, TENL, and the Three Rivers Language Center, visit Instagram.com/pfwtesol.