driver's license woes

[HYENA 4]

So my wife has been here for a year and a half and still hasn't been able to negotiate the learner's permit or improve on her reading much, if at all. She got her international driver's license from Thailand (slip em 1000 baht you can get anything there) but that doesn't mean she knows how to drive (she dented my house with the car, pushed in the bumper a bit so driving lessons are over for me).

Does anyone know of any English language CD's or anything? I've directed her to online sites but her internet skills are poor and she's just stuck not improving much (using the same words, although I'll teach her, the next week it's back to square 1 for words). We're both frustrated. Her education level pleads for more schooling and it doesn't appear (I'm learning) she's got the drive to sit down and study anything for more than 20 minutes.

I take her to work watching kids daily but my school starts soon, there's no bus service and I can't get her into driving school without a US learner's permit (although I have her insured with her international DL here, she doesn't know how to drive without nearly killing us or wrecking each trip).

We desperately want her to learn to drive but things aren't coming as fast as others I see here, even at a slow pace!

I can't instill the drive to study or retain information (perhaps learning disabled)? I'm desperate for some English learning programs but can't find any from Thai to English (I learned thai using Pimsleur, which was great but there's no English equivalent and she needs to master spelling and alphabet sounds, sounding out words, etc).

Having a much more difficult time than we anticipated. Everything hinges on her learning to drive since there's no bus service here.

Any suggestions I'd be grateful!

[Juan & Nan 12]

Contact your state or local education office. or even the nearest college. Depending on the state and city, they may offer "English as a second language" classes. Sometimes they are even free. I took advantage of them 20 years ago when I migrated to the US and now I have a MBA. They work! Good luck.

[payxibka 10,045]

not a k-1 visa topic... moving thread

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I am a little concerned that you let her drive with the international driver's license. It by itself grants no privileges in the state where you live. It's meant to be a translation of her Thai license. Does she have one? Also many states allow driving with a foreign license for a fixed amount of time, probably not a year and a half. Many have rules that you have a fixed amount of days to get a license after becoming a resident of that state. Maybe you should check out the rules in your state before she has an accident.

Also your timeline doesn't indicate if she got her greencard yet.

[DaveTX 2]

I don't know about your state but here a friend of my wife, whose English is not great, was allowed to have a translator for the written test. (Her husband speaks Thai well and did it).

The written test and driver's ed course my wife took online had instructional videos along with the text which was helpful if she reads slowly but can understand better. Your state probably has something similar.

Rosetta Stone is really excellent and there is a "learn english" version of it. It all comes down to motivation though.

So my wife has been here for a year and a half and still hasn't been able to negotiate the learner's permit or improve on her reading much, if at all. She got her international driver's license from Thailand (slip em 1000 baht you can get anything there) but that doesn't mean she knows how to drive (she dented my house with the car, pushed in the bumper a bit so driving lessons are over for me).

Does anyone know of any English language CD's or anything? I've directed her to online sites but her internet skills are poor and she's just stuck not improving much (using the same words, although I'll teach her, the next week it's back to square 1 for words). We're both frustrated. Her education level pleads for more schooling and it doesn't appear (I'm learning) she's got the drive to sit down and study anything for more than 20 minutes.

I take her to work watching kids daily but my school starts soon, there's no bus service and I can't get her into driving school without a US learner's permit (although I have her insured with her international DL here, she doesn't know how to drive without nearly killing us or wrecking each trip).

We desperately want her to learn to drive but things aren't coming as fast as others I see here, even at a slow pace!

I can't instill the drive to study or retain information (perhaps learning disabled)? I'm desperate for some English learning programs but can't find any from Thai to English (I learned thai using Pimsleur, which was great but there's no English equivalent and she needs to master spelling and alphabet sounds, sounding out words, etc).

Having a much more difficult time than we anticipated. Everything hinges on her learning to drive since there's no bus service here.

Any suggestions I'd be grateful!

[Cybele 0]

I don't know about your state but here a friend of my wife, whose English is not great, was allowed to have a translator for the written test. (Her husband speaks Thai well and did it).

The written test and driver's ed course my wife took online had instructional videos along with the text which was helpful if she reads slowly but can understand better. Your state probably has something similar.

Rosetta Stone is really excellent and there is a "learn English" version of it. It all comes down to motivation though.

Rosetta Stone! 100% true! Go to a library, a county library, city library or university library and buy a card if a fee is charged. I work in a media department and we have cassette tapes or DVDs for learning English, defensive driving, and quite a few DVDs for different skill tests like EMS training, paralegal training, home health care training that sort of thing. We have Rosetta Stone for a 2 week checkout or it can be accessed online from my library. My husband travels by taxi and has for years, so he has already been emailed the Texas drivers handbook to study and the DVD awaits his arrival in the US.

Edited March 3, 2011 by Cybele

[Messybrownhair 251]

If there's a will, there's a way, she has to really want to learn to be able to do so! Rosetta stone and daily exposure would be good! I am certified in Teaching English to Foreign Learners and I can tell you that there are NUMEROUS classes all over the US, especially in community colleges and they are great! But having experience teaching in this field, I can tell you that the only ones who succeed in truly learning are the ones who are driven to do so!

[Messybrownhair 251]

PS. What part of PA are you from? We are in Allentown, and I'd love to help if I could. I am a speech therapist with a TEFL certificate, and I work usually with kids but adults would be okay too! I'm still waiting for my GC so I'm pretty bored haha