ENGLISH CLASSES IN SHORT SUPPLY IMMIGRANTS CROWD EXISTING COURSES.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Every Tuesday and Friday morning, Carmen Telleria makes her way to the Glendale Presbyterian Church for a class in basic English conversation.

The retired factory worker of Nicaraguan descent joins emigrants from several countries including Japan, Iran and Mexico for the two-hour course, sponsored by the local public library.

Like many of her colleagues, Telleria celebrates her progress. She has passed her citizenship and driver's license tests in English, and can now even visit the doctor by herself.

``Before my husband came with me. Now I don't have to (rely on him),'' she said.

Immigrants like Telleria, who number in the thousands in the Glendale and Burbank areas, are packing English as a second language classes at local adult schools, public libraries and the Glendale Community College.

Despite having steadily expanded course offerings, community organizations are having trouble keeping up with the demand.

``Our program has basically doubled during the years I have been division chair,'' said Barbara Assadi, who has for the past five years overseen ESL programs at the Adult Community Training Center, an arm of Glendale Community College.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 people - predominantly Armenian, Spanish and Korean - register for ESL classes each semester at the East Garfield Avenue training center. At least 3,500 people are on the waiting list, and the wait can be as long as a year.

In any given week, the center provides 100 ESL classes at several locations, including Glendale Community College, local churches, the Salvation Army, the Adult Recreation Center and other community spaces.

``Some of our classes are as large as 50 to 55 students,'' Assadi said.

Having recently passed a $98 million bond, Glendale Community College is now planning to open a second center in south Glendale, where a large concentration of immigrants lives.

In Telleria's class, instructor Louis E. Moore focuses on teaching his students practical English phrases.

``I teach them conversation so they can go to the store to find the proper cut of meat, so they know how to talk to the doctor, how to find a good insurance man,'' said the retired business management consultant.

Moore also weaves into his lessons advice on navigating American ways and cultural customs, such as how to ask for help politely, by prefacing a request with ``please'' and ``pardon me.''

``I want to teach them how not to get into trouble, how to get other people to like you, not despise you,'' he said. ``I want to help them get along in America.''

Across town at the Burbank Adult School, more than 100 residents, predominantly Armenian and Spanish, are also waiting to get into ESL programs.

``We would love to expand, but we have reached the cap,'' said Lia Lerner, an ESL resource teacher.

Besides classes on its Allan Street site, the Burbank Adult School also operates offsite, at Burbank High School, Elegante Beauty College and a number of workplaces.

To help those who can't get into a class, Lerner said the adult school started a distance learning program a year ago. Participants borrow videos and workbooks from the school for home study and meet with a teacher once a week.

While the Glendale Community Training Center and the Burbank Adult School are the primary providers of ESL programs, local public libraries have also stepped in to offer literacy programs to immigrants.

Glendale public libraries launched ESL classes a few years ago after the local YWCA shut down theirs down due to budget problems.

``We have so many people waiting so we opened up those classes to people who are desperately trying to improve their skills,'' said Mary Miller, who runs the Adult Reading Program for Glendale.

Traditionally, libraries have focused on one-on-one tutoring for people who already speak some English.

William Byrne, the literacy coordinator for Burbank public libraries, said he is now also considering expanding his program beyond one-on-one tutoring to accommodate immigrants.

``We get the request for ESL every day,'' he said. ``If we took a waiting list for ESL, it would be huge. It's something we would like to offer.''

Byrne is eyeing the new Buena Vista branch library, due to open in January, as a possible site for future ESL classes.

Aside from their social values, Don Nakamoto, a labor market specialist, said ESL programs are critical to the health of the local economy, which relies heavily on immigrant labor.

``When you ask employers what they are looking for in employees, a couple of issues that really stand out are the ability to communicate ... the ability to work in a team,'' he said.

Over and over again, Assadi has seen how ESL classes have served as launching pads for immigrants, especially those who held higher education degrees in their own country prior to coming to America.

``One went off to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). A couple went into MBA programs. They just needed to work on their English,'' she said.