Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
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@literacyadvance |
Literacy
Advance of Houston a door to success for many
Your Houston News: 10.20.2015 by Y.C. Orozco
When
Yayoi Kobayashi came to the United States a little over a year ago, she had
already set a goal.
Kobayashi’s
husband moved to Texas for work, and the family, including their two young
daughters, settled in Dickinson.
With her
husband settled in work, her children in school, Kobayashi liked Houston and
her family’s comfortable life, but felt stifled by her limited English.
Almost
immediately after arriving in Houston, Kobayashi called Literacy
Advance of Houston, a non-profit that was about to celebrate
50 years of helping adults achieve literacy in English as readers and speakers.
Literacy
Advance of Houston is the oldest and largest literacy provider in Houston.
“Our
real mission is to transform lives and communities through the doorway of
literacy,” said Literacy Advance of Houston executive director Joe Wappelhorst.
What
that means, he said, is working exclusively with adults to give them the skills
needed to succeed. READ MORE !
Literacy Volunteers of Harrison County honored at state conference
The Exponent Telegram: 10.21.2015 by
Pam Kendall
Literacy Volunteers of Harrison County
received the “Volunteer Literacy Provider 2015” award, presented by the West Virginia
Department of Education at its annual conference, held Oct. 5-8 at Camp Dawson in
Kingwood.
The West
Virginia Adult Education Association provides leadership for the development of
adult educators in West Virginia.
Literacy
Volunteers was nominated for the award by state Adult Education Association
member Shalom Tazewell.
Literacy
Volunteers provides free tutoring to adults and children in Harrison County.
The organization also sponsors Homework Help at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public
Library and ESL tutoring, including a conversational English/Citizenship class
at their learning center at 104 E. Main St. in Clarksburg. READ MORE !
Literacy coordinator awarded for helping adults learn to read
Independent Florida Alligator: 10.22.2015 by Ashley Martin
Theresa Sterling’s passion is helping people learn how to read.
As the literacy coordinator for the Alachua County
Library District, Sterling ensures adults across the
Gainesville community still have the opportunity to learn how to read.
"Reading is a skill that gets better with intervention,
instruction and practice," she said.
For her work with the program over the past three years, Sterling
received the 2015 Carol Combs Hole Award last week. The award is given annually
to staff within the library district in honor of Carol Combs Hole, a former
staff member who worked in the district for 32 years.
"She’s done amazing things in revitalizing the literacy
program," said Rebecca Kirkland, a library assistant at the Alachua County
Library Headquarters. "She’s reaching a lot of people."
The program, which Sterling coordinates and manages, draws volunteers
from across the community to work with non-English- speaking and dyslexic
adults. The adults range from 40 to 76 years old.
"It’s a real niche," said Nickie Kortus, the library’s
marketing and public relations manager. "She has that spark that makes
everybody feel like they have the ability and they can do it. I think it’s a
talent." READ MORE !
Literacy class for English language learners is more than reading,
writing
Tulsa World: 10.24.2015 by Ginnie Graham VIDEO
It’s easy to get in a good mood around Carmen Trujillo. She has an
infectious smile even as she puzzles through definitions of English words from
a computer program.
The 57-year-old works as a supervisor at a McDonald’s restaurant from 1
p.m. to midnight. Then, she spends her mornings at the YWCA
Multicultural Center perfecting her second language.
“I work with Hispanic people all the time, and I don’t get to practice
too much,” she said. “I practice with the American people who come into the
restaurant. I enrolled because I need more English on my job.”
Trujillo arrived in Tulsa from Mexico City 15 years ago. Her first job
was at the McDonald’s where she is now, working her way up into management. She
is planning to live the rest of her life here.
“My family is here, and I like it here,” she says.
Trujillo is in a class using the Reading Plus literacy program, which
has the flexibility for English language learners and native speakers. It moves
people from learning to read to reading to learn.
When arriving at the class, my intention was to write about what makes
this literacy program different from others. My interest quickly changed to
those in the class. There is a camaraderie, optimism and dedication among the
adults, who have traveled varied and distant roads to live in our city. READ MORE !
Literacy Council staffer shares love of language
Hometown Life: 10.26.2015 by Julie Brown
Yongjoo
Jung was glad to see Nancy Downs on a recent Wednesday afternoon at the Panera
Bread in downtown Plymouth. It was a surprise meeting for the Canton residents.
“I want
to say to all the volunteers ‘Thank you so much,’” said Jung. She and several
others — from Japan, Taiwan and Jung’s South Korea — were pleased to see Downs,
program coordinator for the Plymouth-Canton
Community Literacy Council.
“I enjoy
the conversation group. Make very diverse friends,” said Jung, in a
conversation group of the Community Literacy Council which meets at the Canton
Public Library.
“We eat
lunch together. American food,” she added of their Panera get-together, where
they also honed English skills.
Downs
has tutored a Japanese woman in her 30s, Yumi Ito, with a young child for two
years, and in May became the Community Literacy Council’s part-time program
coordinator, its only staffer. The CLC offers one-on-one tutoring as well as
conversation groups for English as a second language speakers.
“I find
the job is rewarding, to be able to match the tutors and students,” said Downs.
She does a half-hour assessment of the student, learning background, goals and
giving a simple test of English skills. READ MORE !
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