I found this Daily News article back to 1999 on Google search. It is amazing that you can find so much information about yourself on line.
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SPREADING THE WORD - 'ENGLISH'
By MARTIN MBUGUA
Thursday, March 11th 1999, 2:10AM
Two years ago, while teaching basic English to a handful of Chinese immigrants at a Flushing church, Man-Li Kuo Lin privately thought the free program would flop within weeks due to a lack of interest.
She was wrong.
"At least 60 people are on the waiting list to join the classes, and we are desperately looking for more space," Lin said of the three English and American Sign Language classes she teaches at Junior High School 189 in Flushing.
Lin teaches two classes of 36 students on Tuesday and Friday nights and one more on Saturdays. Students are issued identification cards on a first-come first-served basis to limit class sizes for the three-month course.
"When I gave out the cards, people lined up for two hours," she said. "Right now I am looking for [room in] places like temples or churches so that we can have bigger classes."
Lin, 44, who also teaches Chinese dance to American and Chinese-American children every Saturday night, said the language classes and the cultural experience make for a "beautiful combination."
"For Chinese children, I would like to make them proud of their heritage, because most of them think that they are Americans," Lin said.
"For people to know each other, they should do it through their cultures," she said. "Language is very important, and I would like Chinese people to learn English so that they can understand Americans."
The free English classes are sponsored by the city's Department of Youth and Community Development and the Department for the Aging through the Flushing Jewish Community Council.
"We started with three classes and now we have nine, and we could easily have a few more," said Paul Engel, executive director of the center, which also offers English language classes for Russian and Spanish-speaking immigrants.
The students include new immigrants, senior citizens and business owners seeking to improve themselves.
"Before, I spoke no good," said Mantung Chan, 69, a retired store owner from Flushing. "Now it's little better. I can go around alone. It is easy that way."
Betty Ho, 55, a textile importer from Bayside, said she decided to take the English classes so she can communicate better in her business.
"Because the teacher is speaking Chinese, it is very easy to understand," Ho said.
Susan Rathbone, founder of the Chinese Immigrants Service in Flushing, said cultural identity and English skills are equally important.
"Everyone should know their roots," Rathbone said. "This country is a nation of immigrants, and if each one contributes their own culture, America will remain the best country."
Engel said English-language classes and intercultural activities such as traditional dance "help to build bridges between the diverse ethnic groups."
Lin's dance classes, which are offered through the Tzu-Chi Foundation in Flushing, prepare children and adults for free performances at local and citywide cultural events.
"We performed in six different senior centers during the Chinese New Year," Lin said. "We are also planning a visit to a jail. I tell [the students] to expect to see different sides of the American society."
Lin, who immigrated from Taiwan 14 years ago, also teaches a Chinese play-and-learn program in Mandarin for adoptive families of Chinese children. She does so for the Inter-Village Continuing Education program in Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County on Saturday mornings.
"I think it is my responsibility to [teach] Chinese dance and culture here because New York is an international city," Lin said. "It is called the melting pot, but there are many people who don't understand other cultures."
