Their hands shot up in unison, eager to impress the teacher. Her pointer calls on the girl in the third row. With a radiant face, she walks determinedly to the whiteboard.

She confidently reads the words, placing the correct verb conjugation into the blank spot on the screen. “They have cats.” “She has cats.”

The class is conducted entirely in English, an immersion that is surprisingly embraced by these elementary school-aged children.

Zahida is the tall, elegant teacher standing before those eager students. She delivers crisp instructions to her students, a serious confidence evident to any observer. As an English teacher in the rural village school, she teaches students of all ages.

At the encouragement of Reclaim’s Light on the Hill program, Zahida recently began her own English school to supplement students whose parents were willing to invest in deeper studies.

She calls her school the “Smart Class.”

While some parts of the world are marked by a dominant language, the little villages that dot the agricultural landscape of Eastern Kazakhstan are a conflagration of cultures and tongues. Thanks to 55 years of Soviet Republic affiliation, strong Kazakh national identity, and migration from China and other Central Asian States, language can be fluid.

A single conversation may consist of multiple languages flowing like a single river sourced from various streams.

One language that is not widely spoken is English. The Kazak government is trying to encourage the use of English as part of a long-term strategy for global integration, economic development, and national competitiveness. This government educational goal is known as the "Trinity of Languages" and aims for fluency in Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Many professionals, businesspeople, and farmers want their children to speak English, believing it’s a key to success.

Zahida has lived in a small agricultural village in Kazakhstan for 16 years. Her husband is a welder and she’s the proud mother of three daughters.

For the last 13 years, she’s been teaching a range of students, from kindergarten to college age.

She learned English through a combination of informal and formal means. She viewed movies and television shows with subtitles, and she couples that with tapes and formal programs on the Internet. 

“I have always been interested in English. It’s a wonderful language and is helping me in my life.”

Reclaim’s Light on a Hill project is simply a way to encourage teachers and students of English.

Ligi Brady manages the program, matching English teachers with mentors, leading classes, and putting together English summer camps.

Ligi teaches English in her classroom at the Reclaim Center. Students come and go throughout the week, and every summer, she sponsors an English Summer Camp, which parents and children can attend for an intensive week.

One of her students listens intensively to the lesson. Why does she participate in learning more, even outside regular school hours?

“I want to learn English for my future. One day, I want to become an English teacher”

Ligi also networks with rural English teachers spread throughout Kazakhstan’s agricultural villages. She meets with them, encourages them, and connects them to resources.

Many rural school administrators are still working from outdated Soviet models – and Reclaim introduces improved English teaching methods.

The mentoring of Kazakhstan English teachers with stateside English speakers is especially intriguing. Currently, about 30 teachers take part.

“You don’t have to prepare a lesson. You don’t have to teach grammar. You just relax and have a conversation.”

The sessions are meant to give an English voice to practice speech skills and to develop friendships.

Zahida’s involvement with Reclaim’s Light on a Hill goes back four years. She needed help with her English instruction, and Ligi had just the right program for her.

She has since participated in monthly telephone calls with an English-speaking mentor named Sophie in the United States. 

Most are thriving in this arrangement. Zahida has taken it to the next level.

Zahida has also attended the English Summer Camp, an intensive few days where English skills are taught to both kids and adults. It’s a fun opportunity that is growing in popularity.

“Thanks to Sophic, Ligi, and Reclaim, I became confident in my abilities. I had dreams to teach English,
but it’s fulfilling to act on those dreams.”

Zahida’s English school seems to fill a needed niche. She teaches language skills to village children, and it has been an instant success.  

“It will open different doors for their lives, People in this village have so little opportunity, and learning English will give them prospects. I know I am bringing value to my village.”

“When the children smile when they learn simple words, it makes me happy. And the parents are very grateful, because they know how important English is for their future lives.”

“I give thanks to God for the opportunity to learn English, thanks to my friends Ligi and Patrick.”

The school is brightly colored, and everyone in the village recognizes it. While humble, Zahida beams with the knowledge that she is fulfilling a need and doing it professionally.

She has found new respect in her community and at home. While her husband proudly tells others about his wife’s latest work, one of her daughters wants to follow in her footsteps as an English teacher.

“Respect. It’s a life-giving thing,” said Ligi.