Please read Section 2 (pages 7-17) in the ELM Handbook.  As a class comment, please share an example of a cultural difference you have experienced and how you reacted. As a teacher, how could you respond and help your student to understand this cultural difference?: Section 2 
Who is your learner? 
Those who reside within our communities come from all around  
the world: Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia,  
Southeast Asia and China. It is reported that well over 150 lan 
guages are represented in Los Angeles alone. Some have actu 
ally estimated close to 300 languages. One woman stated that in  
her Sunday school class, 12 languages were spoken! 
Learners come for tutoring because someone has willingly of 
fered assistance. Quite possibly they have been in large class 
room environments where they have not interacted with English  
suffi ciently to acquire needed skills. Small group tutoring pro 
vides them with greater immersion in English which they know  
will improve their skill level. 
They come from cultures much different from ours, where “sav 
ing face” and honoring those who instruct are much more valued  
than in North America. Consequently, you may be looked upon  
as a person of importance, with distinction and honor. Their  
gratefulness will only be matched by their respect because you  
accept them as equals. Your growing understanding of their cul 
ture, mores, language and other customs can only enhance your  
presence among them.  
This will create a strong motivation for them to master English  
the best they possibly can as a gift to you for your time spent  
with them. 
Look upon tutoring  
English as a ministry  
beyond “program” - 
as an eternal investment  
in people.

8 / ELM Handbook 
 An ESL program should be student-centered.  Thus, everything you do is for one purpose:  helping your students. Give top priority to  the students in all your decisions about ESL  teaching. View the students’ needs as more  urgent than your own. Regard your students  as more important than the materials and   methods even though materials and methods   are necessary. Remember: you are not  teaching a method, a book, or a lesson. You  are teaching a person—a person with a  soul who needs care and love.¹ 
Many of us may think that all internationals are overjoyed  about being in America. This is not so, any more than if you  were suddenly plucked from your familiar surroundings and  placed down in the middle of a city that wasn‘t familiar in any  sense of the word. 
A Brief Look at Culture 
Culture is the anthropologist’s label for “the sum of the dis tinctive characteristics of a people’s way of life. More specifi - cally, culture is the conceptual design, the defi nitions by which  people order their lives, interpret their experiences, and evalu ate the behavior of others.”² 
Culture shock happens when a person experiences the confu sion and discomfort of having everything familiar replaced by  the unfamiliar. One can no longer fi nd comfort in the little joys  of life: having access to favorite foods, being accustomed to  the weather, and carrying out basic daily tasks. People living in  a different culture adjust through a process of integrating their  native culture with the new culture in a form of “bi-cultural ism.” This involves picking and choosing what to maintain  from their own way of life, and what to adopt from the new cul ture. Each individual blends these cultural values, beliefs, and  behaviors together in a unique way. Refugees and immigrants  come from nations which are culturally and linguistically very  different from North America or western nation. The greater  these differences, the more diffi cult the adjustment process. 
How  
do your  learners  feel?

Cultural Shock! 
Culture is neither  right nor wrong;  only different.
ELM Handbook / 9 
Consider a Hmong woman’s account of the teacher/learner  relationship in Laos: 
 “In my country, the teacher is almost like your president.  You can never look at their face. You have to look down.  No eye contact. That’s one thing that the teach here has  to remember because if you talk to Lao students, they   might not look straight at you and you might think that  they don’t pay attention, but actually they do.” 
A Cambodian bilingual aid in the classroom talks about a  learner in an English class: 
 When I worked in the adult refugee program, an old lady  always told me that she’s not used to this kind of life here.  She has three boys and they are all teenagers and the   children started to disobey her. So I didn’t know how to  help her. I just said she needs to talk to her children openly  and do like in Cambodia. And she said, ‘No, I have to keep   quiet. I can’t fi nd money. I depend on the children. I feel   sad.’ She couldn’t adjust to life here. 
The intensity of family confl ict shown here, is just a small part  of what happens daily when the children become Americanized  and the parents maintain the norms of their native culture. 
How can you help with their culture shock? There  are several ways you can help your learners make adjustments,  learn the language and cultural tools needed to survive. 
● Learn about your learners culture. Books and movies (vid eos) from your local library may enlighten you. Realize that  while there are identifi able cultural traits within a particular  country, there is much variation among individuals. Learning  about another culture doesn’t make its members’ behavior pre dictable…it only sheds some light on possible ways of under standing their frame of reference. 
● Recognize the nature of the process of acculturation.  Learners are confronted with many cultural confl icts and dilem mas, and each person resolves them in a unique way. Facilitate  bi-culturalism by helping your learners make decisions about  how to live in the U.S. without  

10 / ELM Handbook  
 necessarily giving them the answers. One way of doing   this is to simply compare and contrast your learners’   native cultures with cultural tendencies here in the U.S.   This is a neutral approach which conveys respect and   interest in your learners’ culture, while informing them   about the new culture. For example, ask how they go   about fi nding a job in their country. Ask what a job   interview is like, then conclude your discussion by saying,   “In the U.S. it usually happens this way…” 
● Deepen your awareness of yourself as a cultural being.  You will be surprised how deeply your personal identity   overlaps with our cultural identity.  
Working with someone from  another culture is a wonderful  way to learn about yourself! 
 It provides the contrast we all need to be able to see aspects of  ourselves that are normally hidden. Operate on the assumption  that your learners are very likely perceiving things differently  than you are. And that’s okay. Expect the unexpected!³ 
Language and culture are  inextricably intertwined. 
Language is the expression of culture. As we faithfully tu tor our learners, we embark on a journey that will expand our  horizons and help us appreciate God’s rich gift of His diverse  creation. 
How about their educational background? Internationals  have a variety of educational backgrounds. In some countries,  education is accomplished through “humiliation.” Strong na tionalistic pressure from the government is frequently in con fl ict with indigenous people who speak another language. As  children, learners may have 
ELM Handbook / 11 
experienced a public school teacher setting them in a corner,  or scoffi ng at their native language in front of the whole class.  This is done, supposedly, as a way of getting all the indigenous  tribes to speak the national language. But the reverse often hap pens; there remain indelible emotional scars on their hearts. Be  aware of this if they come from such a situation. In other cases,  you may discover the education is similar to our American  system.  
Learners may approach your tutoring with nervous apprehen sion, experiencing fl ash-backs from their childhood. They may  feel shame, fear, defeat, depression or maybe despair as they  attempt to mimic what you want them to. 
This is why it is very important 
that you never say, “No,” or 
“That’s wrong,” or 
“That’s not right.” 
By developing the habit of frequently praising your learners,  you put them at ease and facilitate learning. 
Correct by modeling correctly
If your learners say a word, phrase or sentence incorrectly,  merely state it correctly. They will know they said it wrong and  will try to say it correctly. Do not add unnecessary pressure by  thoughtless gestures or negative words. Reduce all areas that  could possibly cause frustration. 
12 / ELM Handbook 
You must also be careful of your gestures when YOU make a  
mistake. If you make a mistake and grimace, it could be mis 
interpreted by your learner as, “What have I done to cause my  
teacher to make such a horrible face?” or “Maybe I’m not per 
forming up to his/her expectations.” So, be alert to your own  
body language. 
Basic Givens and Assumptions of Cultures and Values 
● Everyone is ethnocentric. We will see the world through our own culture- colored   glasses. 
● We will make comparisons of people and events based on our own value system. ● We all have biases and prejudices. 
● People are not necessarily evil for having biases and prejudices. 
● Our values shape our thinking, perceptions and behavior. 
● Our values determine our hierarchy of choice. 
● Our values will show up in our interactions with people. 
● We cannot know all things about all cultures. 
● Not every confl ict involving people who are different is a cultural problem. ● There is no universal intercultural problem-solving method. 
● People in every culture respond to respect and disrespect. 
● We can increase our effectiveness as intercultural communicators and problem-solvers. ● Growth and change will come as a result of commitment. 
● Cultural confl ict does not disappear because we decide to ignore it. ● In diversity there is ambiguity. Ambiguity, patience and faith are important assets to   have in improving our relations with others.  
A Church-based English Language Outreach  is a  
Ministry,  
not just a program.
ELM Handbook / 13 
Integrating Effective Evangelism 
We have been emphasizing that tutoring English is a minis try because it involves Christians in relationships with other  people. The result of our relationships is to have opportunity to  share our faith about Jesus Christ in an atmosphere of love and  trust. 
The unique feature of this ministry is that what you contribute  to your English session also contributes to your learners’ under standing of your faith. This evangelism should be considered  “life-style” or “friendship” evangelism. Establish your credibil ity as you teach and you may have the joy of seeing the birth of  a new member of God’s family. 
Remember how long a farmer must cultivate the soil before the  crop is ready for harvest. 
And consider this: that your learners who are members of a  non-English speaking congregation will have opportunity to  share the Lord with their friends whom they have invited to  
join in the English sessions. This is one of the ways God uses  your class time to proclaim His truth. 
In Grey Meadows apartments, a low income group of apartment units, a group of fi fteen learners were being tutored by four tutors. As the discussion  on one of the selections from “Things to Think About” from  PASSPORT to the World of English, one learner addressed  a spiritual question to one of the tutors. Before the tutor could  answer, one of the Christian learners answered in both English  and the native language. 
The answer stimulated another question from the same person only to be followed by another answer. Soon the four  tutors found themselves simply observing a twenty minute dia logue between several learners about Christ.  
The Christian learners were able to share their personal faith  and present the Gospel to who asked. The tutors simply provid ed the environment, using the Biblical material in PASSPORT  to allow evangelism to happen.

14 / ELM Handbook 
In many cases, because of the strong bond of friendships that  develop in classes, seekers attend church where their language  is being spoken and become Christians and join that fellowship.  Sometimes, it is the tutors themselves who have the incredible  joy of ushering their learner to the foot of the Cross. 
It is critically important to note that it is not the purpose of  the Christian tutor to make learners “Western” in thought and  theology. As North Americans we are familiar with the style of  evangelism where we have a person “pray to receive Christ.”  This is our indicator that this person has “become a Christian.”  Perhaps we have learned this style of evangelism in an evange lism class in our church. However, our friends from different  religious cultures may not interpret or respond to our system atic style. They possess a different world view and perceive  our world and culture differently. Therefore, reaching out with  an English language ministry will allow you the wonderful  privilege of learning how other people view our faith and how  receptive they are to the claims of Christ. Yes, he or she will  also pray to receive Christ, but it may take much longer than  you anticipate. If they do receive Christ, it may take on a dif ferent appearance than that with which you are familiar. Our  supreme goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to mold them into the  type of Christ-follower that best relates to and expresses their  own culture and context. 
Since our lesson segments include Biblical selections, prayer  either before or concluding the lesson, the question of doing  evangelism is valid because it forces us to examine our mo tives for witnessing. Our motive is always the compelling love  of Christ lavished in our hearts and lives. No other motive is  satisfactory. Tutoring with a “pure heart” (Matthew 5:5) will  bring opportunities to share your faith. Be encouraged to learn  the religious customs, beliefs and traditions of your student,  which will help you share your faith using the most meaningful  methods and illustrations. 
Some have asked, “Should I share only if my students ask?”  This handbook cannot answer this specifi c question except to  say that your tutoring motive should include a desire to share  
the abundance of your Christian faith and life. A recommended  motto is: share life’s great discovery of Jesus Christ  
Should we  evangelize  our  
students?

ELM Handbook / 15 
in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leave the results with God.  Through your personality, God will express His life. It is His  
way of communicating to your learner, so do it naturally, and  God will take care of the rest. 
Evangelism happens every time you allow the “fruits of the  
Spirit” to fl ow out during your tutoring session (Galatians  
5:22, 23). By creating the environment of love and trust, your  learners will begin to probe the contrasts between their life and  yours. As a consequence of discussions from the textbook, role  playing Biblical proverbs, and listening and interacting with  
you, they will begin to discover your priorities, commitment  
and faith values. 
Always be prepared to share the reason  of the hope that is within you, with fear  and trembling (1 Peter 3:15, 16)
You should always be prepared because questions and inquiries  may come at times when you are least expecting it. Therefore,  you should know: 
 o who Jesus Christ is and why He came to earth; 
 o why you have placed your faith and trust in His care;  o what it means to accept Him as Savior and Lord; 
 o how to follow Him as His faithful disciple. 
If you do not know how to answer anyone with these basic,  
then you need to “be prepared.” However, there is no need to  confront your learners with these basics till they are ready-cul turally and linguistically. It is best to relax and let God make it  happen naturally. Evangelism is something God does through  us when we are: 
● available to the Holy Spirit’s guidance; 
● prepared in our lessons and the Christian basics; 
● creative in our tutoring sessions. 
It’s the same in our churches, too! 
16 / ELM Handbook 
God’s vehicle for global evangelism is His people ministering  through His Church. Our Lord has not changed His method,  that is why we emphasize this is a church-based ministry.  Churches having ownership of their English Language Minis try in their communities answers the ethical question, “Should  we evangelize as part of our tutoring sessions?” Through the  church, we have unrestricted opportunities to share our faith  and often our learners expect and respect that. 
Consider the colorful diversity—an ethnic kaleidoscope—of  God’s Kingdom when many international fellowships meet  at the same location joining in multilingual worship services.  Where else can this Kingdom expression of heaven be experi enced except in countries where so many brothers and sisters  from around the world gather? What a thrill to experience  praise to our Lord God.