Student Testimonials

I'm impressed with the skills that I've learned in Speaking Skills 1 and Fundamentals of Writing 1&2, and I'd like to share my learning experience.

In Speaking Skills 1, I learned how to close my cultural gaps between Canada and Japan. I noticed that the Japanese style of communication is indirect and may seem confusing while the Canadian style is direct and clear. Since I came to Canada, I've had difficulty describing any situation because my culture requires other people to guess or more like read my mind. In class, I understood that I needed to change how I communicate and be direct but soft, just like Canadians are. For example, I've learned to mention the reason why I'm going to say something before I make a suggestion or express my opinion, and to use the polite sentences has been successful. People have actually started to listen to me when I use these skills. Moreover, now I realize that the same skills can be applied to email writing. Now I'm taking Fundamentals of Writing 1&2, and learning how to make a request or give feedback Canadian style. For example, I learn how to use appropriate tone, so my messages are communicated properly. I'm getting to used to the Canadian style, and it has an impact on my communication skills. Long story short, I'd like to recommend these courses to newcomers who lack confidence when they communicate, and I'm going to continue to study more as well.

Thank you for the opportunities EESE gives us. I'd like to share my learning experiences with other students, and I hope it will encourage them to take courses at EESE.

-Sachiyo Sakai


It's not a secret that newcomers have a lot of different options and ways to learn English in Winnipeg. However, I recommend EESE as the best place for advanced learners and potential Canadian employees. Here are a couple of reasons for my choice.

First of all, you can focus on improving your own areas of weakness. EESE provides separate courses for developing writing, speaking, listening, pronunciation, presentation and reading skills. Each course is very interesting and helpful. As well, each course teaches you specific Canadian workplace rules. That's why I took all of them.

Furthermore, you can build your schedule by yourself. There are morning, afternoon and evening classes. Everyone can find a convenient time for free education. In addition, the school has unique programs: Returning Writing and Returning Reading. Students in those programs have a flexible schedule and individual lessons with personal learning goals.

Finally, the most important thing for me is a friendly and pleasant atmosphere at EESE. Intelligent, passionate teachers and thoughtful admin staff turn learning  into an enthralling, enjoyable process. As a bonus, you can participate in various school events and guest speaker presentations. I personally like the Happy Friday Sing Along.

I was attending EESE for seven months during three sessions, took six different classes, enjoyed them all. Now, I'd like to say that I found my first job in Canada due to what I'd learned from my teachers. Not did only I get a giant chunk of theory and improve my English skills, but I also saw inside a perfect example of a Canadian workplace and had the chance to adjust to a new culture smoothly. Thank you for everything.

-Valeria

I want to thank you for all your kindness while I was a EESE student, and even after I left the school. I am taking a course of Accounting Specialist at Robertson College, and thanks to the skills I developed at EESE, it has been easier to me to go through the courses. 

-Francia

I would like to thank you for all useful lessons from your Speaking 1 class.

Honestly, I hesitated to take Speaking class because I thought my speaking skill was not so bad and I should focus on improving other skills. However, it turned out there were many things I hadn’t known until I took the class. I have to say these lessons are not completely new to me but I could make my speaking much better by simply applying gambits, softeners, solicited and unsolicited suggestion, sensitive situation, and idioms.

-Tu Dat Nguyen

I am writing to express my appreciation to EESE, where I have been a student for 5 months. During this period I finished six classes: Writing 1&2, Reading 1&2, Listening 1, Speaking 1, Returning Writing, and Returning Reading. I was lucky to guided by CEO Shannon MacFarlane and Head Teacher Ann, who helped me to stay with EESE even when I was studying simultaneously in a different English program. Without their personal approach and encouragement from my instructors it would have been impossible. Heather and Cynthia made me believe that I could manage it. And I managed! In addition to organisational and psychological help, my teachers: Cynthia, Heather, Abby, Dolores, Julius, Lois, and Hilda, undoubtedly helped me to succeed in my additional English program (AEPUCE at RRC). They did their best in detecting and filling in my gaps in English language and culture .They listened to and answered all my questions. And I had tons of them! Furthermore, I was provided with a lot of additional materials in order to have a clearer idea and more practice whenever I needed it. I greatly appreciate that giant work they did for me.

Every time I entered the EESE, I felt welcomed because of warm and cheerful greetings from Jacklyn and Thaw Re. It may seem like not a big deal, but it meant for me a lot.

To make it short, all staff at EESE are extremely thoughtful professionals, who made a priceless contribution to my future success in my long-term goals. Thank you! And I would strongly recommend this fabulous English school to all  people who need to enhance their language and soft skills.

-Evgeniia

I would like to thank EESE for helping me pass the CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language) test.  The official result was a big achievement that defined my future by being admitted in the Engineering Faculty of U of M. 

The skills that I learned from EESE not only gave me the confidence I needed for the test itself, but it also helped me surpass the challenges to  achieve my life-long goal as well.

I would like to commend the staff for their unconditional support.  From the heart-warming greetings of the front desk which gives us a good start every day, to the inspiring teachers who goes above and beyond their duties to really reach out to students --- facilitators who continuously inspire us in pushing ourselves to reach our full potential.  I could not emphasize how grateful I am that these selfless angels came down to earth and help clueless new comers such as myself.  Arming us with the proper culture and giving their all, it is truly an honour and a privilege to be a student and be their friend at the same time.

If they say "the best things in life are free", then I say EESE is definitely one of the best in the world.

Again, thank you very much.  More power to you and to EESE.

-Jonathan 

I recently had a writing test with a prospective employer to measure my competencies and technical skills.  I could not find anything better for my review than the materials from the Writing Skills 1 course I took at EESE. The grammar and other skills are very comprehensive and thorough.  The effort made to produce such writing materials are obvious.  Most of the grammar and punctuation questions on the employer's test were the same as what I learned in this course.

-Hamid

First of all, I would like to share my good news with you --> I have been appointed as a Financial Analyst at a good company with good values. This is my first job in Canada after landed in Feb 2015. It is  a new chapter in my career path here.

I can say that my success has a big contribution from EESE where I have been learning many courses to be prepared for my future employment eg. Listening, Presentation, Pronunciation, Multi-cultural at the workplace, Meeting at the workplace. These courses really help me on the interviews and for sure will help me a lot in my new position with the employer. Thank you very much for all your supports.

Again, thank you very much for all the supports EESE have given me as an immigrant. It contributes to my success story of having a good job in Canada.

-Tong

Students in Returning Writing say:

I have noticed a lot of improvement since I just completed my second returning writing. I have seen myself doing things I never knew I could do before such as how to write paragraphs, how to use verb tense and so on. I never knew I could improve a lot in such a short time. I'm really grateful to be here.

In my case, the most helpful part of Returning Writing was the amount of resources the Writing Centre has. 

My work is always marked on time and the comments by facilitators help me do my corrections so that I can have flow in my writing.  

WOW Group Writes help me to understand the meaning of word and it does help me to improve my writing skills.            

In just one year of practice in RW I feel confident in writing. I'm attending a grade 12 English course with many Canadians and I don't feel left behind at all.   

 … I like the Writing Power activity. It is an excellent opportunity to express my own thoughts in writing.

You [facilitators] have a huge amount of material to satisfy any student’s needs, and you love your job!

Everything that I learned in Returning Writing was helpful.

[I learned] to follow the format of writing…

I can focus on my weakest areas in writing.

… the portfolio sessions were helpful in reviewing goals and keeping me on track.

It was awesome taking Returning Writing. For me, it is perfect.

The group discussions and timed writing exercises done with the Word of the Week help to improve my writing skills.                     

It has improved my vocabulary.

I think Word of the Week is a great activity. Thanks a lot to Dina, Lois, and Hilda for their inspired teaching!

[The Word of the Week] is very helpful. I am glad it is included in Returning Writing.      

I practiced writing emails, letters, and reports about many different workplace situations.

I am working on essays and I have improved a lot.

Students in Returning Reading say:

 It was so good to discuss my work with the facilitators, and their feedback was very helpful.

All my previous tasks were always corrected every time I came to study.

Group activities were very good. They really helped me to improve such skill as comprehensive understanding of the reading.

Focusing on my weakness of reading skills gave me lots of chances to practice.

I improved my reading skills, especially in summarizing and paraphrasing a paragraph and a passage.

 Students in the Listening Skills course say:

We can understand native Canadian English better than before.

The content is very useful.  What’s more, I have already observed an improvement in my listening skills. 

Now, while watching different TV programs, I understand the content much better.

I can listen between the lines, notice speech cues, and identify what people mean when asking for something in a direct, soft way. 

I can understand more than before what others are saying.

I have courage now to speak with other people.

Now I make notes way better than before.

Students in the Speaking Skills course say:

My teacher explains difficult things, gives us the opportunity to work in small groups with assigned tasks . . . answers our questions, brings a good attitude and creates a friendly atmosphere inside the class, listening carefully to students and politely corrects them if they do something wrong in the task.

There are a variety of methods our teacher uses during the course that makes the whole learning process very easy and interactive.

We never waste time on unnecessary things and everything we do during the class time brings a considerable impact to my English improvement.

Now I know more phrasal verbs, idioms and gambits. Additionally, I know how to connect the ideas in my sentences logically.

I can identify my mistakes and make proper use of tag questions.

I think I can be understood when I want to tell something. I had feedback from people I work with that my speaking has improved.

I can now communicate much better than before I took the course.

I can talk with a little more confidence than before.

My teacher helped me learn because she:

·        constantly models, provides group activities, a lot of practice, and a great atmosphere

·         corrects my speech and speaking notes

·         encourages us to use what we learn in class.

·         helps me to learn from my mistakes

·     encourages, emphasizes and makes the whole class well organized

        ·         revises the knowledge we already learned.

Students in the Writing Skills course say:

Honestly, I think I can write even better (than) in my mother language.  The course, it has been really helpful!

I learned how to improve my writing skills by the methods and materials provided, and the activities I worked on.  I have more confidence in my writing skills.

I know how to write a formal or semi-formal letter.

I know how to write a business letter and know how to organize it well.

I know, from a communication stand point, that I have to be clear and concise in the workplace in order to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.

The writing power activity is really useful and really helped improve my writing skills.

Our teacher is always ready to answer all our questions or give some clarification about the lessons. And she always gives examples for us to understand clearly.

My class really helps me well in understanding Canadian culture.

I know now the value of using the correct words in e-mail writing so I may be able to convey the right message.

Students in the Presentation Skills course say:

My teacher helped me understand deeply how to do a presentation with confidence.

I've got a big improvement . . . . I can speak clearly now and enhance more my vocabulary.

It helps because presentation is a part of Canadian work culture.

Students in the Pronunciation Skills course say:

My teacher provides me with clear instructions and clear examples which significantly help me  to understand and recognize my problems with pronunciation.

My teacher lets us  record our own pronunciation and gives good feedback.  She shows us different programs on how to improve our pronunciation skills at home.

I can make someone understand me better by the pronunciation skills I am gaining.

My teacher is dedicated to all of us and individually at the same time. She provides perfect examples, memorable and easy.

My teacher helped me a lot in pronunciation. I always ask a lot of questions, she is so kind to answer them patiently.

My teacher’s methods are interactive and understandable to every student. She uses different types of games to teach us pronunciation.

I know my pronunciation mistakes when I speak to other people.

I know now how to use linking words such as: vowel -vowel and consonants - vowels words.

I can stress my words so that others will understand me.

I know how to communicate fluently.

I can pronounce a word confidently, and native Canadians can now understand what I'm trying to say.

I feel more confident when I talk to others, and I don't worry about my accent.

My English has improved so much! I have a long time studying here and I learned so much!

I know now very important and easy rules I can follow and use.

Students in the Reading Skills course say:

I read proficiently.  I can find the main idea and supporting ideas in a text.  I started to (notice) signal words to better understand the connections between ideas.  My skimming and scanning skills are more efficient.

My teacher explains the course and answers our questions clearly; she repeats again and again until we understand everything.

My teacher helps us learn by reviewing and paraphrasing all materials we have learned and by encouraging us to work independently.

She helps us to participate in class by asking our opinions and understanding of the discussion.


Students in the Fundamentals of Writing Skills course say:

Now I have the best teacher in my life ever!  She has so much patience, humour and talent to teach us and (is) so polite.  THANK YOU for everything I am enjoying and improving my English skills.

(We are) doing group work a lot so that helps (us) work together as a team and teaches us to develop the soft skills  . . .


Students in the Test Taking Skills workshop say:

The teacher helped me to understand how to study  material effectively  and to identify the ways of recollecting.

The workshop helped me to manage my time during  the exam and take tests more efficiently.


Students in the Workplace Meeting Skills workshop say:

I learned how to use polite responses and the proper use of gambits in formal meetings.

Now I know how to write minutes and how to chair a meeting.


Students in the Workplace Survival Skills workshop say:

I think I have a better understanding of the work culture in Canada now.

Small group work is done often and is so much fun!

My work is always marked on time and the comments by facilitators help me do my corrections so that I can have flow in my writing.  

WOW Group Writes help me to understand the meaning of word and it does help me to improve my writing skills.            

In just one year of practice in RW I feel confident in writing. I'm attending a grade 12 English course with many Canadians and I don't feel left behind at all.