Philip makes the observation that if students stay with a particular ESL program, over time they will be exposed to a wide variety of approaches and thus will discover which ways they learn best. Wake Tech does have lots of students who have been with the program for several years. Two often observed characteristics of these students are their high degree of motivation to learn and an excellent work ethic. Especially rewarding for teachers is a level of respect for education and the role of the teacher which in turn motivates instructors to do their best to help each student. Advice for Colleagues Instructors offered plenty of advice for other practitioners.
Staff is good about following up with possible students when there is a class vacancy.
Stay up with the field. Use the Internet to consult authorities with websites and through email. Join a listserv. Take advantage of all the information available out there. The vast majority of community response to immigrants has been positive.