Self-Paced Public High School Graduates 16 in November

Independence High School Graduates Sixteen Area High School Students
Independence High School News Release 12.01.2008

Sixteen area high school students graduated from Independence High School this November - one of the strongest ever pre-Thanksgiving finishes by students motivated to deliver a much appreciated "graduation present" to their families for the holidays. Independence, located in downtown Alpharetta, is a Fulton County open-enrollment public high school which offers differentiated and teacher-assisted self-paced learning. The school processes graduation completions for each individual student within a few hours of completing the State of Georgia graduation requirements. Sixteen students have made it to the next level of academic achievement, their high school diploma, in November alone.

These Independence graduates have donned the traditional cap and gown to walk the halls in joyful same-day mini-graduation ceremonies on almost a daily basis this November. The graduation march plays in the background and each student's departing comments are read over the school's intercom. In addition, graduates may choose to receive their diploma from Independence or their original high school (Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Chattachoochee, Centennial, Northview, Riverwood or North Springs). They also have the option of choosing to participate in the May graduation ceremonies at both Independence and their original school.

Student Stories

"I got off to a bad start at my first few years of high school because I was sick so much. I didn't know how I was going to catch up to graduate with my friends. Independence made it possible for me to graduate and I will be able to participate in graduation cremonies at my home school this May -- with my original class and my friends:, commented one recent Independence graduate. Another wrote, "I couldn't stand listening to teachers talking so much at my old school. I am ADHD and I just wanted to get my work done. At Independence, I was able to work with freedom at my own pace and compete courses much faster. I was able to get indivdiualized attention and help from teachres whenever I needed it."

The School

Four years ago, the decison was made to break Independence High School away from the student population involved with discipline issues. Since then, any student who would rather work at his or her own pace in a stress-free environment can apply to enroll in this small, safe and comfortable accredited public high school to complete their Georgia high school requirements.

A typical Independence student might be excellent in Math, for example, but may need extra time in English. Independence allows this student to work at a faster pace in Math to complete Math courses rapidly. With his or her English classes, on the other hand, the student is encouraged to work at a pace with which he or she is comfortable. Independence High School graduations are evidence that this approach is a very effective breakthrough for many high potential students.

Like one of the recent graduates quoted above, some students get behind in their traditional school because they have health problems which cause them to miss significant portions of a semester or school year. Independence self-pacing allows these students to catch up and graduate on schedule. In addition, of concern to many medically fragile students, traditional high school classes march on while the student is recovering from any illness. At Independence, the medically fragile student doesn't have to worry about returning from an illness to find him or herself "out of it" or far behind. The student merely returns to Independence when their health improves, and the work is there from them to complete from wherever they left off. They can, of course, be provided work-at-home packages during their illness as well.

Other teenagers simply feel lost in larger traditional school environments -- with over two thousand students and maximum class sizes in bigger schools. Social pressures may be overwhelming, too. Independence has smaller class sizes and an enrollment averaging 300 to 400 students -- just like the high schools many students' parents enjoyed when they were teenagers. The environment is designed to be simpler and calmer. Students who need assurance that they are valued as individuals find Independence an excellent place to finish up their high school careers and move on to successful post-secondary education.

Today's economy, and the financial situations of most families, make it impossible for the great majority of students to afford a private school alternative. High potential students drop out simply becasue the traditional public high school environment and style is not a good fit for them. Fortunately, a public school alternative such as Independence high school exists for these North Fulton Students and their families. Sixteen new November High School Graduates are thankful for the opportunity.

More information:
Lee Nicholson
CTE Department Chair
86 School Drive
Alpharetta, GA 30009
404.909.3315

Thank you to Susan Hale, Communications Manager, Fulton County School System for submitting this information to Georgia Graduation Stories blog.

Americans for the Arts Hosts Arts Education Webinar

Americans for the Arts Hosting Arts Education Webinar

Steve Seidel, Director of Harvard’s Project Zero and Director of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will present the completed findings of his Wallace-commissioned study, Qualities of Quality: Excellence in Arts Education and How to Achieve It.

December 17, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST, 1:00 PM CST, 12:00 PM MST, 11:00 AM PST (90 minutes)

http://eo2.commpartners.com/users/afta/session.php?id=1799

Many children in the United States have little or no opportunity for formal arts instruction so access to arts learning experiences remains a critical national challenge. Additionally, the quality of arts learning opportunities that are available to young people is a serious concern. Understanding this second challenge – the challenge of creating and sustaining high quality formal arts learning experiences for K-12 youth, inside and outside of school – is the focus of a recent research initiative, The Qualities of Quality: Excellence in Arts Education and How to Achieve It, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and conducted by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The study focuses on the character of excellence itself and asks three core questions: (1) How do arts educators in the United States—including leading practitioners, theorists, and administrators-- conceive of and define high quality arts learning and teaching? (2) What markers of excellence do educators and administrators look for in the actual activities of art learning and teaching as they unfold in the classroom? And (3) How does a program’s foundational decisions, as well as its ongoing day-to-day decisions, impact the pursuit and achievement of quality? In this webinar, we will share the findings of this study and introduce some of the tools developed by the research team for use by practitioners committed to examining and improving the quality of the arts learning experiences they provide for young people.

http://eo2.commpartners.com/users/afta/session.php?id=1799

Get in touch with any questions.

John Abodeely
Manager of Arts Education
Americans for the Arts
T: 202.371.2830 F: 202.371.0424

Tools to Strengthen High School Transitions & Success

ECS Highlights Tools to Strengthen High School Transitions & Success DENVER, CO – Today the Education Commission of the States (ECS) goes live with three new resources focused on policies to ensure academic success in high school. The policy briefs build on research suggesting the 9th-grade transition year, along with parental engagement and teacher preparation, are critical to academic success in and after high school. A 9th-grade transitions policy brief reviews research emphasizing the freshman year as a predictor for high school success. The policy brief identifies solid approaches to develop and support successful transition model policies, articulating how such policies look, whether they are aimed at funding summer “catch-up” programs, growing positive peer networks or developing individual graduation plans. Successful high school transitions also are heavily dependent on parental support and guidance, yet research suggests many parents are unsure of how best to support their child during the high school years. A second policy brief highlights research indicating the types of parental involvement that positively impact high school students. Designed for state policymakers, this resource also identifies a set of policies and practices that reflect and reinforce a commitment to increase parental involvement. “Having worked at the building, district and state level, I know that parents are key to students’ success, no matter what grade those students are in,” ECS President Roger Sampson notes. “Yet too many parents don’t know how to be involved once their child leaves the elementary grades. This policy brief provides real answers to help state and district level leaders get parents of high school students involved in meaningful ways.” Research indicates that along with parents, teachers also are instrumental in the success of high school students. A third policy brief examines seven high-leverage components to strengthen teacher professional development at the high school level and provides state policy suggestions for each. “As the research shows, 9th grade is a ‘make-or-break’ year for high school success. States need to make sure they’re providing the supports these students need to set them on the path to high school graduation,” explains Sampson. The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education. ECS helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A nonprofit organization, ECS was formed in 1965 and is located in Denver, Colorado. For questions or more information about these or other high school policy issues, please contact ECS Senior Policy Analyst Jennifer Dounay at jdounay@ecs.org. Announcement was released on Thursday, December 11, 2008.

Georgia Graduation Coaches Talk About the Program

Georgia Graduation Coaches Talk about the Program

In the fall of 2007, The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) sponsored the XV Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia. At several high school and middle school stops on the trip, GPEE and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) took the opportunity to interview Graduation Coaches. Visit the website for Communities in School of Georgia for more information on the Graduation Coach program.

Interview Question: What Is Your Job?

Responses from:
Sarah Alford - Banks Stephens Middle School, Monroe County
Steve Sweat - Dawson High School, Dawson County
Jennifer Rudeseal - North Hall High School, Hall County
Prelvis Paster - Mary Persons High School, Monroe County
Randi Sagona - Ottwell Middle School, Forsyth County

Interviews with Georgia Graduation Coaches

Georgia Graduation Coaches Talk about the Program

In the fall of 2007, The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) sponsored the XV Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia. At several high school and middle school stops on the trip, GPEE and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) took the opportunity to interview Graduation Coaches. Visit the website for Communities in School of Georgia for more information on the Graduation Coach program.

Interview Question: How Do You Know that the Program is Working?

Responses from:
Jennifer Rudeseal - North Hall High School, Hall County
Sarah Alford - Banks Stephens Middle School Monroe County
Steve Sweat - Dawson High School, Dawson County
Prelvis Paster - Mary Persons High School, Monroe County

Young Women in Science & Technology

Young Women in Science and Technology (YWIST)

This is the tenth year that DeVry University has sponsored this daylong event as a service program for Georgia high schools. The goals of the program are to encourage and reinforce young women's interest in careers involving science and technology and to increase the number of young women pursing these careers. Over 400 high school juniors and seniors from all over Georgia along with their parents, teachers and guidance counselors had a day to explore career options, to be motivated by a panel of outstanding women professionals and to celebrate dreams for the future. The November 13th event was offered at no charge to the participants.

The students pictured to the left are in AP Computer Science at Centennial High School in Fulton County. They came to the YWIST event with ideas about careers in medicine and business. Their teacher hoped that they would be exposed to different aspects of technology and hear about additional new career options. The other adult with this group was a mother of one of the students. She was pleased to see how this program added to her daughter's long standing interest in technology and potentially provide some clarity on a path to a career. She was also pleased to see the theme of women in technology being promoted.

The next group of young women and moms were some of the representatives from the Center for Engineering and Applied Technology at Atlanta's Frederick Douglas High School. They talked enthusiastically about the process of applying as 8th graders with strong grades and written essays for selection into a program that now defines their high school experience.

The mothers' offered their own perspective on the day. They saw their participation in this event an another way to become informed and to be there for their daughters. A good education, good grades and GPA are all part of an overall plan that has to be in place to help these young women set goals and achieve success

Morgan County High School students along with Mr. Eric Hamilton, Assistant Principal started their day at 5:30 am in order to participate in the YWIST event. The students participate in the MCHS Math & Science Academy. The day's activities were part of a larger school strategy to encourage young women to follow careers of excellence, empower then to achieve and to formulate and follow their dreams. To have the MCHS students see women who have found success in a career of their choice and to hear the women's stories was a large motivation to make the trip.

The reflections of the students took shape in takeaway messages:
learned more about science and technology wants to persue careers in science broaden horizons always in style to be the best women should not feel inferior and can succeed you do not have to be a man to be powerful in this work

Panel Members provided equal portions of information and motivation through the stories of their own life stories and career goals. The Panel included:
Karen A. Albrecht, Engineering Site Director, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Rosemary Cloud, Fire Chief, East Point Fire Department
Lynn Do, President, RenovoData, Inc.
Sue Miller, Managing Consultant, MDI Group: President, WIT Foundation
Jacqueline Plair-Rushin, Director, Global Customer Care, InterContinental Hotels Group
Kanchana Raman, Founder, President & CEO Avion Systems, Inc.
Kim Ruple, Director of Contracts, Georgia Technology Authority


Visit the DeVry website to learn more about the University along with the YWIST program and sponsors.

Arts Education Online Conversation

National Conversation on Arts Education

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is offering a one-week virtual conversation on arts education in the United States, Monday, December 1-Friday, December 5, 2008. Join leaders in the arts and education for a discussion on the state of arts education. This virtual conversation will be held with 15 leaders in arts and education on ArtsJournal.com (http://www.artsjournal.com/artsed ).

From a recent announcement:

Participants include: Participants include: Sam Hope, executive director, The National Office for Arts Accreditation (NOAA); Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager for Art Talent at EA; Laura Zakaras, RAND; James Cuno, Director, Art Institute of Chicago; Richard Kessler, Executive Director, Center for Arts Education; Eric Booth, Actor; Midori, Violinist; Bau Graves, Executive director, Old Town School of Folk Music; Kiff Gallagher, Music Nation Service Initiative Founder; Bennett Reimer, Founder of the Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience, author of A Philosophy of Music Education; Edward Pauly, the director of research and evaluation at the Wallace Foundation; Moy Eng, Program Director of the Performing Arts Program at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; John Rockwell, critic; and Susan Sclafani, Managing Director, Chartwell Education Group. A video by director Peter Sellars will also be featured.

The topic will be:

A Debate on Arts Education
Will our culture suffer if we don’t do more to teach the arts?
December 1-5, 2008
For decades, as teaching of the arts has been cut back in our public schools, alarms have been raised about the dire consequences for American culture. Artists and arts organizations stepped in to try to take up some of the slack. Foundations funded programs to take art into the schools. But producers of art aren't primarily in the education business. Schools increasingly focused on meeting basic skills benchmarks have less and less time to make room for study of the arts. And technology has spawned a vast, crowded, and alluring marketplace of creativity competing for attention. New research sponsored by the Wallace Foundation suggests that a generation of Americans has not developed the knowledge or skills to engage with our cultural heritage. Without that engagement, the arts as we know them are unsustainable over the long run. Can anything be done?

Georgia Educators & Students Highlighted

Georgia Graduation Stories on the Road

This Fall, the Georgia Graduation Stories blog hit the road to report on statewide conferences and events that highlighted Georgia students and educators. These conferences and events are annual happenings that offer a rich source of resource materials and networking opportunities for educators. Three events are highlighted below. Look for more detail and pictures in upcoming blog posts.


GPEE's 16th Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia
The theme this year was "Strengthening the Pipeline to Graduation". There were 8 stops on the North trip (October 28-30) and 6 stops on the South trip (November 18-20). Each stop is a visit to a school, community program or institution of higher learning that demonstrates good things in student learning that can benefit others in Georgia. Programs selected to participate as a stop on the Bus Trip are recognized for their achievement and the hard work and success of their students and education team. Educators and community leaders riding on the Bus Trip share in the acknowledgement of each school's success and share these best practices with their own learning community.

Visit the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education website for more information and to view video tapes of previous Bus Trips.

DeVry University sponsored Young Women in Science and Technology (YWIST) as a service program for Georgia high schools. The goals of the program are to encourage and reinforce young women's interest in careers involving science and technology and to increase the number of young women pursing these careers. Over 400 high school juniors and seniors from all over Georgia along with their parents, teachers and guidance counselors had a day to explore career options, to be motivated by a panel of outstanding women professionals and to celebrate dreams for the future. The November 13th event was offered at no charge to the participants.

Visit the DeVry website to learn more about the University along with the YWIST program and sponsors.


The 20th Annual National Dropout Prevention Network Conference was held in Atlanta on November 16-19, 2008. Georgia educators were prominent as presenters and in the planning and implementation of the conference. The conference theme "Carrying the Torch of Dreams...Every Student Graduates" was appropriate in a setting where Georgia's Graduation Coach program was the focus of much interest, and the Coaches were the largest single group within the 1,200 educators and administrators attending the conference. Keynote speakers included Dr. Molly Howard (Jefferson County), 2007 National Principal of the Year; Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools and Governor Sunny Perdue.
Georgia Public Broadcasting presented a conference session on the Georgia Graduation Stories blog.

Visit the National Dropout Prevention Network website to learn more about the organization and the conference. You can also find out more about the monthly webcasts on Dropout Prevention. You can also link to these announcements through the Georgia Graduation Stories blog. Look for the Dropout Prevention label on the list of current blog posts. link to organization and reminder of monthly webcasts - notices listed in this blog under label/tag of dropout prevention.


Look for Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Georgia Graduation Stories blog at the 2008 Georgia School Public Relations Association Annual Conference (GSPRA), December 7-9.

More Free Grant Writing Workshops for Educators

FUNDamentals!

Free Grant Writing Workshops

Available in November and December

The Foundation Center, a regional library located in Atlanta, GA, offers excellent training. Many basic classes are free. Some of these classes also are available in Spanish.

Online training is also available.

Webinars, again, many are free, are available for those who cannot get to the Foundation Center.

Multiple languages, too! A Proposal Writing Short Course describes how to prepare a funding proposal, including the planning, research, and cultivation of foundation and corporate donors. (Available in English, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.)

For other training opportunities, ask your congressional representatives (House and Senate) to put you on the mailing list whenever grant writing training is offered in Georgia, especially in your area. This training is almost always free, and it is always helpful, but registration is required and seats are usually limited.

Also, be sure to check out Foundations for the Future (F3). Subscribe (free) to the F3 Funding Forecast.

Sandy Spruill is the GPB Grants Administrator and Member, American Association of Grants Professionals. The current post was written in response to a Georgia Graduation Stories reader's question.

Webcast: Middle College High School: A Meaningful Option

SOLUTIONS TO THE DROPOUT CRISIS

Middle College High School:

A Meaningful Option

presented by

Dr. Terry B. Grier

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

3:30-4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

*Learn about the history and purpose of the middle college high school concept.

*Find out about the important components of middle college high schools.

*Learn more about the process of implementing this particular kind of alternative school.

Middle college high schools are small high schools for students with academic potential who are not succeeding in traditional high schools or who have already dropped out. These students , located on college campuses, limit enrollment to 140 students or less, and operate on a different structure, location, and schedule. The challenges in this innovative idea will be shred, and implementation strategies will be discussed.

Dr. Terry Grier is Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Prior to this position, Dr. Grier was Superintendent of Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina., where he introduced middle college high schools and implemented them on six different college campuses there. He has published over 45 articles in educational journals, presented at numerous educational conferences, and consulted nationally and internationally. Among his accomplishements include receiving the American Association of School Administrators' Effie H. Jones Award for his support of women and minorities in education.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Supplementary materials are now available online. All necessary information about participating fully in this professional development opportunity is found on the website. For further questions, contact the National Dropout Prevention Center or call 864.656.2580.

PARTICIPATION IN THE WEBCAST
Participation in this webcast is free and no registration is required. The program will be archived in its entirety on the website. On the day of the webcast, link to the broadcast. If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser:

http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,P1,F063CEFD-2B16-4933-9440-BC7ACFDCF044

Story from Stockbridge Middle School

HEAR FROM THE GRADUATION COACH

First of all, this is truly the best job in the world, and I work with some of the most articulate young people I’ve ever met. Last year was the first year that Graduation Coaches were in the Middle School. Here at Stockbridge Middle, we began the Liberty Club in October 2007; it was formed for those students who needed extra care and needed to focus on behavior, academics, and/or attendance.

We are called the Liberty Club because of something I heard while visiting the Statue of Liberty in New York. This enthusiastic guide from Tennessee told us this story: When the French designer wanted to make a gift to the United States, he wanted to find a symbol of freedom. While searching, he found a saying in mythology which he thought was appropriate. Liberte said it and it went like this, “I can control myself so no one else has to.” To the designer of the Statue of Liberty, these were the words of freedom and Liberte holding the torch was the perfect symbol of freedom. He designed the Statue of Liberty and made a gift of it to the people of the U.S. for the 100^th anniversary of the founding of our country.

In the SMS Liberty Club, we’ve adopted Liberte’s motto, and the students know and recite it. They fill out membership forms which are signed by the student and his or her parents. There are about 50 students in the Liberty Club now but I see our numbers growing. This is a work-in-progress; however, we see improvements. As in anything, we are asking students to change behavior and some days it does feel like two steps forward and four back. As a Graduation Coach we model those words “Never give Up.” I wanted to share with you one of the things I’m doing in my school. My hope is that we will always have Graduation Coaches in our schools.

Thank you to Ronda Bowe Kustick, Middle School Graduation Coach at Stockbridge Middle School for submitting this article to the Georgia Graduation Stories blog.

Georgia Work Ready Certificate

Did you know you can get certified “Work Ready” – and it’s Free!

www.gaworkready.org

Job seekers of all ages, what can you do with what you know? How “trainable” are you? Hundreds of employers across Georgia want to know, and if you take the four Georgia Work Ready Certificate Assessments, you will find out!

This valuable credential not only shows your skill level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), but actually explains what you can do on the job with the skills you have. What a great supplement to your education and previous work experience!

Check out sample assessment questions in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. Read about the Talent Assessment. When you are ready to earn your certificate, contact your local Technical College. Check out assessment schedules and locations.


Thank you to Kary Gilkeson, Director, Georgia Work Ready/Workforce Training Manager at Chattahoochee Technical College for providing this information on Georgia's Work Ready Initiative. The initiative, a program of the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, provides assessment, certificate and skills gap training for job seekers and Work Ready Certificates to profile job tasks and skills for potential employers.

Webcast: Teen Parent Program

SOLUTIONS TO THE DROPOUT CRISIS

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Pasco (Washington) School District Teen Parent Program:
Our Children Are Our Legacy

presented by

Christy Challender

*Learn how a Teen Parent Program can both prepare young parents for self-sufficiency while reducing subsequent pregnancies.
*Find out how a Teen Parent Program assures success by partnering with other community agencies.

Christy Challender will discuss the Pasco School district's model for addressing the needs of teen parents in the community so they can make their destination graduation. The program was established in 1997 to remove many of the obstacles faced by teen parents therefore reducing their risk of dropping out. Topics to be specifically discussed will include: Program Goals, Program Benefits, Curriculum, The Work Experience Component and Program Highlights. This program holds valuable insights and recommendationd for school districts and communities looking to support their teen parents.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Supplementary materials are now available online. All necessary information about participating fully in this professional development opportunity is found on the website. For further questions, contact the National Dropout Prevention Center or call 864.656.2580.

PARTICIPATION IN THE WEBCAST

Participation in this webcast is free and no registration is required. The program will be archived in its entirety on the website. On the day of the webcast, link to the broadcast.

If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser:

http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,P1,F063CEFD-2B16-4933-9440-BC7ACFDCF044

Latino Youth Leadership Conference

The Latin American Association’s

9^th Annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference

INSPIRE, PREPARE & MOTIVATE

WHAT: The southeast’s premier Latino Youth Leadership Conference in its ninth edition.

WHEN: October 18, 2008; 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Georgia State University, Atlanta GA

Creating YOUR Masterpiece! ¡Creando TU Obra Maestra!

Over 1,300 students along with 190 parents and about 80 teachers will attend the southeast’s premier conference on Latino Youth Leadership this coming October. In its ninth year, this conference deals with a wide variety of topics for students, teachers and parents, including education, leadership, diversity and challenges facing youth today.

Students will interact with peers from all over the state of Georgia and work on topics ranging from college preparation to gang prevention. Since its inception in 2000, the conference’s attendance has been growing annually, with last year’s attendance exceeding six times the attendance at the first conference. The day is filled with opportunities for students, parents and teachers to interact with all of the major universities in the metro Atlanta area who attend the event as exhibitors. The attendees also have the chance to hear success stories from world renowned keynote speakers. This event has become the catalyst for Latino youth in Georgia to pursue their educational goals and improve their chances of success.

Sponsors for the event include: Turner Broadcasting, Comcast, WalMart, The Coca Cola Company, State Farm and Wachovia.

Questions? Please Contact:

Massiel Silva

Youth Coordinator, Annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference

Latin American Association – 2750 Buford Highway – Atlanta GA 30324

Email: msilva@thelaa.org.

The Latin American Association helps Latino families achieve their aspirations for their academic, social and economic development. We accomplish this through direct programs and integrated community partnerships that focus on youth academic achievement, education and prevention, and services to families with urgent needs. The LAA offers employment, immigration and translation services, as well as programs for youth, computer classes, parenting classes, and English and Spanish language classes.