Barbara Reeder is the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program Director. She once ran an
aerobic dance program, for children and adults, which led her to earn a M.A. in
Expressive Therapies at Lesley College. She has been an English-as-a-Second Language
(ESOL) teacher for the last six years. The ABE Program provides classes to residents of
Peabody and surrounding towns who do not speak English as their first language or are
not fluent in English. The importance of these classes cannot be under-estimated. “No
English---nothing!” say my program’s immigrant students who are trying to live in a
new country, pay rent, provide for their family, as well as cope with culture shock.
Barbara also plans to offer English classes to businesses on site.