Free English Classes Offered At Laurel Park

To help horsemen who want to improve their English skills, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in conjunction with Maryland Horsemen’s Assistance Fund will be offering two free 10-week English as a Second Language courses beginning in October. One course will be on Sunday evenings and the other on Tuesday evenings. Both will be in the Recreation Room at Laurel Park.

Taught by Esthermaria Esquina, currently an adjunct faculty member at Baltimore City Community College and Montgomery College in Silver Spring, the courses will each be three hours a week, from 5 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., and will include a 15 minute dinner break.

The first Sunday class will begin Oct. 12, while the first Tuesday class will start Oct. 14. The target size for each class is 10 students, so space is limited.

“My first goal in our first class is to get to know the students and understand their needs,” said Esquina, who has been teaching adults since 2007. “I know they will have various levels and various goals. From there I will go ahead and help them achieve those goals.

“The course is designed to help them acquire and improve their ability to communicate their needs. I want the students to realize they have the ability to speak, write and read [the English language].”

Registration is open to all horsemen on a first come, first serve basis. Though classes are free, students must pay a $20 deposit at signup. The deposit will be refunded upon successful completion of the course.

Students must register for either the Sunday or Tuesday class, but, if necessary, will be permitted to switch days as often as needed on a case-by-case basis with the permission of the instructor during the 10-week sessions.

To register, prospective students must contact Diana Pinones in the MTHA’s Laurel Park office and fill out a registration form. The registration deadline is Oct. 8.

The MTHA/MHAF will host a to-be-determined class completion ceremony, most likely at the MTHA Christmas Party.