2024 PVLA Class Offerings

2024 is shaping up to be an amazing year! Here at Platte Valley Literacy, we are excited to offer you some of the same classes, as well as some new ones. Our class schedule is included below.

Citizenship Classes

Citizenship classes at the PVLA cover civics, N-400 vocabulary, interview preparation, and reading and writing for the U.S. naturalization test. Civics lessons are taught in order and repeated on a continuous loop, with focused lessons inserted as needed for students with upcoming tests.

Students may enter class at any point and continue indefinitely. Students need to understand basic English to get the most out of this class.

Classes are available year-round, with two class times available:

• Mondays from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
• Tuesdays from 9:00 to 11:00 am

Book Club

Looking for a way to improve your English in an entertaining and educational way? Join the Book Club!

The Book Club meets on:

• Mondays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm
• Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Integration Class

The goal of the Integration Class is to help transition newcomers to the area into their new community. The class is offered once a week and is 1 hour long. It is designed to provide basic information such as where and how to apply for jobs, how to find doctors and dentists and make appointments, how to navigate the community, and how to open a bank account, among others.

For 2024, we have also added a basic English component.

Integration Classes will be held:

• Wednesdays 6:00 to 7:00 pm
• Saturdays 10:00 to 11:00 am (Held in the FNBO Conference Room at the Columbus Public Library)

Conversational English

Want to improve your conversational English speaking skills? You can in a laid-back group atmosphere.

Conversational English classes are offered on:

• Tuesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm
• Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm
• Fridays from 9:00 to 10:00 am and 10:15 to 11:15 am

Unless specified, classes are held at the Family Resource Center: 3020 18th St, Suite 4, Columbus, NE

Please note that some class times may change. We will do our best to offer the classes as listed, but depending on attendance, we make need to make some changes.

We look forward to serving you in 2024!

New Year, New Language

If you’re like most people, at the end of this month, you’re going to put together some resolutions. If one of the things you want to learn is a new language—in particular, Spanish—we can help you.

The PVLA will be offering a 12-week Conversational Spanish class beginning in January. We need a minimum of 10 students to sign up, and registration closes on December 31, 2023.

Whether you want to communicate with employees, clients, or individuals in the community, this class introduces you to some basic conversational topics, including how to introduce yourself and talking about places around town, among others.

You can register for the class by filling out the online form.

You can also pay for the class in advance by going to our online site, or you can pay in cash or check the first day of class.

The New Year is full of possibilities, and learning a new language can be incredibly beneficial. Sign up for Conversational Spanish class today!

New Hires for a New Year

With the New Year right around the corner, the PVLA will be looking to fill some instructor positions. If you’re interested in helping others and being part of a unique (and super fun!) community, please consider sending in your resume.

Please keep in mind that the positions at the PVLA are contract, which means we only offer limited hours each week and you are responsible for withholding your own taxes (you can also speak with an accountant to determine the best way to handle this issue). The pay is $18/hour.

The jobs we’ll have available in 2024 include the following:

Conversational Spanish Instructor 

You must be bilingual to teach Conversational Spanish classes at the PVLA.

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, while any level of college education is preferred.

The winter Conversational Spanish classes will be held on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Classes start on January 9 and end on March 26, 2024 (12 weeks). Curriculum/class materials are available at the PVLA, so you won’t need to develop classes from scratch.

For Conversational Spanish classes to take place, a minimum of 10 students must sign up.

Integration Class Instructor 

For this class, we are looking for someone who understands American culture and the Columbus community and can share that knowledge with newcomers to the area. There is also a basic ESL component to this class, so being able to instruct individuals with low or no English skills is helpful.

You do not have to be bilingual to teach this class.

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, while any level of college education is preferred.

We are looking to hire someone to teach the evening Integration Class on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Classes start on January 10, 2024.

This class is 1 hour long and offered continuously throughout the year. The classes are centered around 12 lessons, which are taught on a continuous loop, with focused lessons or presentations from community members inserted as needed. Students can join at any time.

Curriculum/class materials are available at the PVLA, so you won’t need to develop classes from scratch.

Citizenship Instructor 

Duties for this class include teaching from 9:00 to 11:00 am on Tuesdays with instruction based on USCIS requirements for passing the citizenship test.

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, while any level of college education is preferred. You do not have to be bilingual to teach this class.

Citizenship classes are taught year-round, and you should be prepared to have new students join the class at any time, which means each lesson should be independent of itself. The lessons should be taught in a cyclical fashion, so students can join whenever and understand what’s going on, but it’s also important to continue to review material as long as students stay in the class.

Don’t worry! The USCIS has 16 beginner topical lessons, so it works pretty well to use these as the base of the cycle. You can then branch out and get more in-depth with specific topics based on your students’ wants and needs.

The only ESL reading and writing instruction that needs to be taught is within the scope of the test.

As a citizenship teacher, you’ll need to keep record of student start dates, application dates, interview dates, test retake dates, and outcomes as much as possible.

Outreach ESL Instructor

Outreach ESL classes are taught on location at businesses around Columbus. For the session we are currently hiring for, classes will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for 12 weeks.

You must be able to speak both English and Spanish to teach this session.

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, while any level of college education is preferred.

Curriculum has been developed for this class, and training will be provided.

  

Send in Your Resume

If any of these opportunities sound intriguing, please email your resume to Jessica at pvlacolumbusne @ yahoo.com or go to Indeed and apply there (links are included in the job titles).

Please note that while having experience as an instructor is beneficial, it’s not necessary. We can train you on that aspect. What we’re really looking for here at the PVLA are people who are passionate about helping others. If you have a drive and desire to help adult students become successful in life, then teaching for the PVLA may be just what you need to do.