Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
Literacy
Program Allows Inmates to Connect with Their Children
WNEP: 8.25.2015 by Jim Hamill VIDEO
A new
literacy program in Wayne County is connecting inmates with their children
through reading.
Of the
more than 1.5 million state and federal inmates, 800,000 of them are parents.
You can
usually find Betty Lawson in the children’s room at the Wayne
County Public Library in Honesdale. The boys and girls call
her Miss Betty.
Some
children haven’t met her yet, but their parents have met her at the Wayne
County Correctional Facility. Inmate Crystal Boehmer is one of seven inmates to
sign up for a new program called Read to Me. It allows her to read stories to
her children. Wayne County Correctional Facility gave Lawson the go ahead in
April.
“It’s
one of the things you can do to stay a part of your kid’s life. We read
together every night this way, they hear my voice,” said Boehmer of Lake Ariel.
=Lawson
is trying to do more than connect parents and children while they’re apart. A
visit once a week is a lesson in how reading to children can encourage them to
be successful in life. READ MORE !
Renamed
group helps adults fill education gaps in Williamson County
Brentwood Homepage: 8.25.2015 by Emily R
West
Regardless
of the wealth in Williamson County taking the top notch in Tennessee, First
Lady Crissy Haslam and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore said that a small portion of
the population has remained illiterate, and a larger group with education gaps.
But one
group has worked to help them catch up with their personal education.
Formerly
the Williamson County Literacy Council, the
rebranded Adult Learning Center aims to help people fill the gaps. The new
branding will aim to reach people who thought the organization's mission was
more narrow than it really is.
The
30-year-old nonprofit organization works with one-on-one tutoring for math,
language arts, English as a second literacy and high school equivalency.
"Illiteracy
is not a word that we like to talk about in Williamson County and Franklin,"
Moore said to a full room at the Cool Springs Embassy Suites for the group's
annual breakfast. "But we do need to use it more and be aware of other
portions of our population that might not be as blessed as some of us."
While
Moore said that 95 percent of the county has a high school diploma, there would
be continued growth in the area that would require that level of education at a
minimum. According to census data, Moore said that 4,000 residents here haven't
completed ninth grade, and 10,000 haven't completed high school. READ MORE !
Literacy
Program helps build adult’s confidence in the English language, tutors needed
The Reporter: 8.28.2015 by Melissa Murphy
Stepping
out of their comfort zones, adult literacy students make the decision to
improve their skills when it comes to the English language.
Whether
it’s speaking, reading or writing, the adult learners find comfort and
confidence in Solano
County Library’s Adult Literacy Program.
“In the
beginning I was scared,” said student Martha Barcala. “You’re an adult, you
don’t want to ask for help. There are those feelings of embarrassment.”
Barcala,
who is from Mexico and a U.S. citizen, said that for a long time she didn’t
feel the need to improve her English. That thought changed after she was
offered a promotion at work. After declining the offer out of fear that her
weaknesses in writing and reading in English would come to light, Barcala knew
something needed to change.
After
participating for more than a year in the literacy programs offered by the
library, Barcala has seen that change.
“I’m
more confident,” she said. “I can read out loud and I’m improving my writing.
Everyone is very encouraging.”
Her
advice to adults in similar situations, “Don’t wait. Do this instead of sitting
at home and watching TV.” READ MORE !
Learn
how to become a volunteer literacy tutor
MyCentralJersey.com: 8.30.2015 by Somerset County Library System of New
Jersey
Fulfilling. When asked to describe volunteering as a literacy tutor, Ken Strahs just needed one word: fulfilling.
“This is a different kind of volunteer experience,” he said. “I want to have an impact. As long as that happens, you simply want to keep going.”
-Strahs, a Somerset County resident and retired research and development executive who worked in the pharmaceutical industry, has been volunteering as a literacy tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County for three years.
“As a literacy volunteer, you see firsthand that students are grateful and motivated,” Strahs said. “It’s hard not to feel fulfilled working with students who have an intense desire to learn and succeed.”
After being trained as a literacy tutor by LVSC, Strahs immediately began tutoring English as a Second Language students one-on-one. “At the beginning, it’s intimidating. All of a sudden, someone is depending on me to learn to use the English language! But these people come to make a change in their lives.” READ MORE !
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