As part of our One Year Later series, we’re sharing the stories of four students who have made remarkable progress with Imagine Learning English in just one year. This is the second post in a four-part series; read part one here.

In November 2009, I met Khalid Ali. We hadn’t actually planned on filming Khalid’s story – his teacher, Susan Rudolph, was speaking with us about a different student, but in the course of our interview she mentioned a boy from Yemen who was using Imagine Learning English.

Khalid
Khalid was a refugee. He and his family had fled Yemen after hearing that his father had died. Ms. Rudolph told us that just one week before we arrived, Khalid had received word that his father was still alive in Yemen, but very ill.

Khalid was understandably quite emotional. Ms. Rudolph was unable to get him to pay attention in class. Some days he would burst into tears with no warning.

Imagine Learning English
Khalid spoke no English, so he was placed on Imagine Learning English. Ms. Rudolph witnessed a complete turnaround in Khalid. While he was lethargic and despondent in class, Khalid was happy and engaged on the computer. He was smiling. He was talking. He was singing!

One year later
When the Imagine Learning video team returned in 2010, they encountered a completely different Khalid. He was confident. He participated in class. And his English had improved. Listening to him articulate his hopes and dreams, I stared in amazement at the transformation Khalid had undergone.

See for yourself the difference one year made in the video below:

Read part three of the One Year Later series.