ATC’s ESL Program Welcomes New Instruction
Altamaha Technical College is pleased to announce the addition of three ESL (English as a Second Language) instructors. Ramona Stone, from Hazlehurst, will serve as the new instructor for ATC’s Baxley campus’s ESL program. Tiffany Anderson, from Douglas, will be the new ESL instructor for the Hazlehurst campus, and Melissa Holmes of Allenhurst, will be the full- time instructor for the Jesup campus.
 Stone received her undergraduate degree from Valdosta State University in Speech and Language Pathology, as well as her Master’s in Special Education Adapted Curriculum. She also has her Education Specialist in Elementary Education, which she obtained from Nova Southeastern University. Stone has worked within Telfair and Jeff Davis County School Systems for over 17 years teaching a variety of students in all grades but working primarily within special education. When asked about her transition to teaching adults, Stone stated, “I have enjoyed working with the children, but I wanted a change and I have always wanted to work with adults. So, when this opportunity came along, I went for it. So far I have enjoyed the experience, and look forward to the future,” said Stone.
 Anderson began studying Spanish in high school and decided to continue her studies in college. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, and is now pursuing her Masters in Spanish Education with Valdosta State University. Anderson started her teaching career at West Coffee Middle School helping Spanish speaking students improve their English. Anderson has also had the opportunity perfect her skills by visiting various Spanish-speaking countries. According to Anderson, “I lived in Santiago, Chile for a summer while participating in a study abroad program, and I have traveled to other countries such as Costa Rica and Nicaragua on mission trips where I served as a translator and interpreter.” Anderson says her philosophy, regarding education, is that “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” As for working with ATC’s ESL program, she states, “I am so thrilled to be a part of Altamaha Tech and to serve as an educator for the Adult ESL program. I hope that my experiences can help these students to learn the language, to feel comfortable using it, and to become better informed and more involved members of our community.”
 Holmes began working in Adult Literacy when she was only 18 years old as a peer tutor and teacher’s assistant for the Developmental Reading/ESL Lab at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. She then received her degree from the University of Arizona majoring in Linguistics with a minor in Portuguese Language Literature. Holmes, a world traveler since birth, has traveled, and taught, in many countries, perfecting her linguistics skills. She said, “I was born in Italy and started kindergarten in South Korea. I can speak Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese fluently, and I’ve taught English as a Foreign Language in Mexico, Taiwan and Brazil. Also, I’ve either been to, or lived, in 35 of the USA states.” Holmes has also taught Adult Basic Education at the Long County Pre-Release Center, and she has been working for ATC for the past three years as a part-time ESL/Civics instructor. “I’m excited to be working full-time for the Adult Literacy Program. All the programs offered within the Academic Support Center is so important to the growth of our college and our community,” says Holmes.
The ESL Program is a part of ATC’s Academic Support Center, formerly known as Adult Literacy, which is located on each of ATC’s campuses including Jesup, Baxley, Hazlehurst, and the Ludowici site. This center provides GED instruction, entrance exam preparation, pre-employment tests preparation, tutoring for ATC students, and classes to improve basic skills in reading, writing, and math. As with all services offered in the Academic Support Center, the ESL classes are free, and they help non-English speaking individuals further their reading, writing, and speaking skills. For more information call 912-427-5822 (Jesup), 912-366-1070 (Baxley), 912-379-0645 (Hazlehurst) or 912-545-2913 (Ludowici). For information in Español call 912-427-1994.
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