Imagine coming to a school in a new country where everyone speaks English and you don't.

With the new wave of international immigration to Saskatchewan, the latest census shows that 12 per cent of Regina's population now names a different language as their mother tongue. These changes are opening up a new world for students and teachers at schools across the city.

What students say about learning English in Canada

In a classroom full of 25 grade seven and eight students there are students from South Korea, the Philippines, Libya, Iran and many more from China. Marion McVeety Elementary School in south Regina has close to 80 students from immigrant families who are learning English.

Some like Emily Sheen from South Korea have been in Regina for as long as three years, others came only a few months ago. They all arrived with a big challenge, to learn an entirely new language from the beginning.

Students like Shang Wei from China and Amir from Iran say they really didn’t know any English when they arrived. Others say they knew words like yes or no cat and dog but that was about it.

“I didn’t even remember the alphabet," Shang Wei explained, adding that he learned faster than some. "My dad, he says I’m better than him and my mom she’s still learning."

They started learning when they got to school while their parents learn English through the Open Door Society. Amir says his dad spoke pretty good English already but his mom started learning right along with him.

For students who speak a different language at home, it is not always easy coming to school.

Emily is very confident speaking English now, but back when she first arrived she admits it was a different story.

“I didn’t know what my friends were saying and I can’t communicate with them,” she explains, saying she used a lot of body language. “I just learned to say my teachers name, then I learned like nouns and verbs and things like that.”

She says now her English is good enough that she sometimes helps translate for her parents.

When I asked them about the biggest difference between life in Canada and where they come, their answers are easy to guess.

“Here is colder than my country and study here is easier than my country,” Amir said.

Most of the other students also said the cold, but those from China and South Korea all agreed there was too much homework at their old schools.

58 different languages presenting new challenges for teachers

The job of coordinating teachers and support for English as an Additional Language students and families in Regina Public Schools falls to Linda Mitchell.

“Currently right now we have 44 English as Additional Language teachers that are teaching around the 1800 mark,” she said.

The most common languages are Chinese and Tagalog from the Phillippines but Mitchell says Urdu and Persian are also common for their new students. In a survey last year, she says they counted 58 different languages and 52 different countries of origin.

Mitchell says the EAL programs have changed drastically to meet growing demands.

“10 years ago we had one high school program and we had one elementary school program that offered English as Additional Language,” she said. “We currently have it now in five of our high schools and we have it in all of our elementary schools.”

Up until this year the division used to bus all EAL students to certain schools but now every student can go to the elementary school closest to where they live.

Mitchell says the change was good over-all but admits it presented a lot of challenges to teachers.

“It sometimes takes the teachers more time to prepare how they’re going to differentiate between the students that have no language and the students that need that extra support, all the way up to the students that are extremely strong in their classes and need that extra enrichment,” she said.

Despite a bit of a rough start, Mitchell feels confident the expanded program is on the smooth track to success now. She says teachers are figuring out new ways to use pictures and visual directions to explain concepts.

“They can use the computer and technology to Google translate things, or to help explain directions or send home notes with parents,” she commented.

Where do you start teaching English to new students?

Andrew Pelling has been teaching English to newcomers for 23 years and he has spent six years in that role with the school division. He takes out groups by grade level for English lessons, but within those grades he finds a range of different levels including very basic beginner.

“I’m just making sure that they know the alphabet and they know basic vocabulary, they’re able to ask for help, things around the school and trying to communicate with friends,” Pelling described how he starts.

He says sometimes it can be easier to teach younger grades because they are not as afraid to make mistakes, but it all depends on the student.

“It takes time, some students won’t speak for two weeks, some up to a year,” Pelling said.

He says having students from so many different countries adds to the diversity of the school and he is proud of it.

“I think it’s really important for our kids to understand different cultures and different people and what they can bring to our society,” Pelling commented.