- Kathy Stevens
Executive Director, MCAEL
02/26/2021
Did you know our libraries - Montgomery County Public Libraries offer dance parties? Well, that is one of many things I learned today during my MCAEL Connects Conversation with Anita Vassallo, the Director of MCPL.
MCAEL counts MCPL as one of our largest partners. Not only do the libraries offer conversation clubs for adults who are starting their English language education, but many of the libraries offer ESOL collections, and are always welcoming to adult ESOL class field trips and the opportunities our instructors make available for ESOL students to obtain their library cards.
Among the four books I am currently reading, I am struck by botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass. First, I highly recommend the book as a lovely journey thinking about our natural world through a science lens, but also as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. This has led me to think about who my teachers are and who we learn from as we move through times that bring us great change. As an organization, MCAEL continues to rely on the power of the coalition - program staff, instructors, learners, other community partners, and more – to listen and learn so we can adapt and move forward. I look forward to being in dialogue with many of you as we listen and learn together.
