Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
Adults
beat embarrassment, succeed
Herald
Sun: 5.14.2015 by Cliff Bellamy
From
the time she was a child, Valery Gregory had trouble with reading, but she did
graduate from high school because of her excellent comprehension skills. Her
father had always encouraged his children to go to college, but her limited
reading skills held her back.
When
she came to Durham from Philadelphia, “I had reached a point where it was more
important for me to succeed than it was to be embarrassed by being a poor
reader,” Gregory said.
Gregory,
an adult literacy student at the Durham
Literacy Center, spoke at the center’s annual breakfast Thursday.
“I
am 64 years young. I have always wanted a college education,” Gregory told the
audience. While in high school, a counselor told her she could go to college,
but her family resisted. “I graduated from high school with no plan,” she said.
She became pregnant, and spent years providing for her son.
When
she returned to Durham, she wanted to become a Certified Nursing Assistant, but
was told she needed to improve her reading skills. She finally got connected to
the Durham Literacy Center, and, after being put on a waiting list, enrolled in
one of the center’s classes for intermediate readers. The tutors at DLC
“greeted me as if I was an intelligent human being,” and made her feel welcome,
she said. READ
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Aurora literacy program helps immigrant women master English
Chicago
Tribune: 5.15.2015: by Kalyn Belsha, Aurora Beacon-News
On
Wednesday afternoon in the two-story red brick building behind St. Therese
School in Aurora, Maria Valerio stood in a circle of women seated on couches
and folding chairs. She pulled out a letter she'd written to her literacy
tutor, Jamie Kaisershot.
Pinned
to Valerio's chest was a white silk flower corsage, a marker of her graduation from
a three-year program at the Dominican
Literacy Center a nonprofit that pairs immigrant women with volunteer
tutors as they learn to speak, read and write in English.
Valerio, who lives
in Montgomery, wanted to learn English so she could help her 6-year-old son
with his homework and understand what she's reading in stores and at the
doctor's office. She and Kaisershot, of Aurora, often practice reading
children's books together so Valerio can go home and read them to her son.
"Thanks for
every day you made the sacrifice to come and devote your time for me to
learn," Valerio read aloud in English. "I want you to know that your
sacrifice was not in vain. I cannot repay your sacrifice. I can only say thank
you."
Valerio attended
90-minute one-on-one sessions each week from September to May. The program
enrolled 188 students and 160 tutors this year, all of whom are women. Forty
students graduated this past week.
The hope is that
when students graduate from the program they'll come back to practice their
conversation skills or go on to study more at a community college in the area.
After being in the program, students often test into a higher-level literacy
class and have a better chance of succeeding because they are familiar with the
structure of adult education.
Most women enter the
Dominican Literacy Center with relatively low education levels from their home
country — the average is about six years.
READ
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Branch County Literacy Council expands outreach
The
Daily Reporter: 5.21.2015 by Spencer Lahr
The Branch County Literacy
Council held their kick-off meeting at the Bronson library May 14, with
executive director Sam Ellis Greenburg providing information and insight about
what the program seeks to achieve as they extend their reach outside of
Coldwater.
“Our purpose is
straightforward: we help adults change their lives through literacy,” the BCLC
webpage states.
Traditionally, the
literacy council has operated out of their main office at the Coldwater branch
of the Branch District Library.
However, it was noted that this was becoming a hindrance in catering to the
needs of Branch County residents outside of Coldwater who may be seeking to
participate in the program’s free offerings, but don’t have the means to get to
Coldwater to receive them.
“(We need to be) able
to have a literacy program for everyone,” Greenburg said.
So, the kick-off meeting
was aimed at finding tutors to help assist Branch County’s functionally
illiterate adult population in becoming literate. By having tutors at each
individual location of Branch County District libraries, Greenberg said it
would help enhance ease of access for those seeking tutoring, and rolling out
into branches will reduce difficulties in getting educational resources.
“It’s Branch County,
but we’re centered in Coldwater,” Greenburg said. “Teaching someone to read is
what you can do one at a time, and if you can do that — you can change a life.”
Greenberg explained the
need to tread carefully when offering someone assistance due to the stigmatized
shame of not being able to read.
“Nobody wants to admit
they can’t read, there’s always an excuse,” she said. “Gently say we have an
organization to help improve your reading skills … don’t say teach you to read,
but enhance or improve reading skills.” READ
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