At iACT, we have great appreciation for the wonderful staff who make our service work possible! In this Staff Spotlight, Tom Polk Linker, iACT for Refugees ESL teacher, tells us a little more about himself.
Q: Where are you from? How long have you been in Austin?
A: I was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, son of a UNC language professor. I have lived in Texas since 1981, in Austin since 1999. Before that: Michigan, Boston, Rochester NY, fifteen years in the chilly north.
How long have you worked at iACT?
I have been teaching English to the newly arrived since 1995. With help from Austin Community College, I piloted a downtown ESL (English as a Second Language) program for refugees in 2000. In 2003 iACT, formerly AAIM, took over as the program’s sponsor/administrator. The program has grown considerably in our current location at Central Presbyterian Church.
What do you enjoy the most about the work you do at iACT?
My delight is meeting wonderful students from all over the world, welcoming them to the life and language of the U.S.
What’s the most challenging thing about working with refugees?
There are two great challenges to working with refugees. One is that new arrivals happen in bursts, and they have a host of settling-in issues to deal with. As a result, we struggle daily to target our English and culture lessons to the changing needs of each day’s students. The other challenge is the English language itself, the mastery of which is a highly complex skill set. We who learned our English as children were lucky. We absorbed it like sponges, but adults facing such a steep “learning curve” often need firm and focused guidance to keep from being overwhelmed.
What’s the most rewarding thing about working with refugees that you have experienced?
It’s the hardest work I have ever done, but richly rewarding. At first, facing a roomful of people who did not understand my language seemed daunting, but I quickly learned that did not matter. What really matters is our shared humanity. It’s a honor and a privilege to give respect to these beautiful people, who almost always respond in kind.
Why would you encourage others to support the work of iACT?
Recently immigrants have become a hot topic. Supporting an orderly flow of people into our society is to everyone’s benefit, whatever resources and processes are necessary to enhance the outcomes. Wherever you start from, I invite all who are interested to reach out and connect in person with people from different backgrounds and cultures. To me this is every bit as “broadening” as travel to foreign lands. Diversity is a fact of our modern world — let’s make it our strength by understanding one another.
