I wanted time to introduce myself to the teacher I would be working with before class, but I didn’t arrive at the Adult Learning Center as early as I had hoped. Fortunately, I was quickly directed toward my classroom, Room 7. As I walked down the hall, friendly chatter was coming from small groups that […]

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, my classmate Ayesha and I walked into the Lewiston Adult Learning Center with no idea what we were in for. We were excited, but scared for our first day. Around the classroom table sat five eager students, pen and paper in hand, looking at us, ready to learn. Just like […]

The first day of class I was feeling unsure of myself, but I knew that teaching English to African immigrants at the Adult Learning Center would be a learning experience for both the students and myself. The first class was a challenge, as I did not know the students’ names, skill level, or even how […]

“There’s 15 minutes of class left today, what would you like to do?” I ask the two Somali women sitting across the table from me. We just met today. A 24-year- old mother I’ll call Hibo is eager to be hired at Walmart in order to provide for her family. The other, much older woman […]

“Close the closet.” One student, Jihan, starts laughing as she reads the Post-it note taped to the classroom door. She realizes that despite their different pronunciations, the two words appear nearly identical. As the class period continues, the confusion only multiplies. “Clothes are in the closet.” Dani, the head teacher, turns to me with a […]

The Adult Learning Center is located in the basement of the Lewiston Multipurpose Center, downstairs from Longley School and across the street from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. In addition to offering adult basic education and workforce training courses, the center is the place where immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers from over 20 countries around the […]

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When Sue Klebold began researching a book last year about her struggle to comprehend her son’s rampage at Columbine High School, she turned to a researcher who has been grappling with the shooting for nearly as long as she has. Peter Langman, a 56-year-old psychologist in private practice, has studied school shootings […]

Alice Bee looks grumpy. The 5-year-old is sitting at the head of the dinner table on the covered porch of her Takoma Park, Maryland home. She’s smooshing her face into her hands. Her blond pigtails drape over her flowered shirt, while her blue eyes stare straight ahead.“Oh, I like that,” says her father, Dave Engledow. […]

My sister always wanted built-in bookshelves. So when she bought a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Washington, she hired a carpenter. Soon there were glossy cookbooks as you stepped through the front door, fiction when you crossed the living room, travelogues by her desk, academic tomes at the foot of her bed. I remember admiring all […]

Former U.S. Amabassador to The Gambia, Auburn native and Edward Little grad Pamela White gave this commencement address to before the graduating class at the University of Maine Orono on May 14. Reprinted with permission of the University of Maine Orono. Hi everyone, It is a privilege to be here to share this special day […]