Olathe ? Rocio Hernandez used to be startled when people said “hi” to her.

Facilitator Patricia Wilde, standing, assists students Rodolfo Acosta, left, and Reina Pineda, right, in an adult English Language Learning program at Briarwood Elementary School. The program at the Olathe school started recently with financial help from Johnson County Community College and the Shawnee Mission school district.

The Mexican immigrant, who barely spoke any English, didn’t realize the popular greeting was another way of saying hello.

An adult English Language Learning pilot program at Briarwood Elementary School in Olathe has helped Hernandez overcome the communications barrier.

“It is impossible to stay mute in this country because it is so important to know English,” said Hernandez, of Overland Park. “Many important things in this country require letters, such as bills and school alerts. But now I’m learning so much that I can even help my children with their homework.”

The single mom is among dozens of parents who attend classes Tuesday or Thursday evenings at Briarwood School. The program offers beginning and advanced classes to parents of English Language Learning students.

Briarwood Principal David Jensen said the program was put into action in late January but had been in the works for the past six months. Financial help from Johnson County Community College and the Shawnee Mission school district launched the pilot program.

Some of the teachers in the program are instructing two generations: the English Language Learning students during the day and their parents in the evening class.

“In one instance I even had to say to a student, ‘I hope you’re going to work as hard as your father does on his English,'” said Fran Wiksell, an elementary and adult English Language Learning instructor. “It’s a good morale-booster for kids to know their parents are learning English too, and they figure out it’s a priority if their parents are spending so much time on it.”

Briarwood School began its English Language Learning program six years ago, when district educators saw a need to help immigrant children adapt in society. Children from the northeast part of the district are bused to the school, where they attend special English classes and regular classes with the other students.

“Increased diversity in this building means a lot to parents – children need to know what the world is really like outside this area of Johnson County,” Jensen said. “Monolingual parents also understand that a second language is an important skill for their kids to have.”

Jensen is optimistic about the program and hopes the district will make it a permanent addition to the school’s curriculum next year. He thinks the course, which includes 20 sessions this semester, is a great way for immigrants to get on their feet.

Hernandez agrees the English classes are merely a starting point. She practices English as much as she can – through books and the media.

“I don’t normally like television, but it’s important for speeding up the process,” Hernandez said. “Now I watch one hour of news a day. It also helps me know the weather.”

She considers her new English lessons invaluable, however, and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“This area (Johnson County) is expensive, but when I had the opportunity to move to a cheaper area, I said no because then I would lose Briarwood School, which is the most important thing to me,” Hernandez said. “People in the program are angels for us, the immigrants.”