Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
A
Little Research Can Help Make Resolutions Stick
When
the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, millions of people around the world made
resolutions and set goals to accomplish during the New Year. Resolutions vary
from person to person, but there are commonalities and popular goals that
dominate lists around the world.
Some
of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are losing weight, exercising more,
getting out of debt, saving money, eating healthier, managing life, living a
more adventurous lifestyle, traveling or even managing healthier relationships.
Luckily,
achieving some of those goals can become a little easier with some help from
The Book Shelf and the local D.W. Wilson Community Center.
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The
Literacy Council promotes adult basic education. To raise funds for the
council, The Book Shelf sells a wide variety of books. With those funds, the
Literacy Council provides helps adults in Coffee County better their lives and
the lives of their families by covering the cost of tests and providing
classes, internet, computers and teachers to adults seeking basic higher
education. READ
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Student Story: A Grandfather's Wish
Ruben
Dozal Jr., a Brawley, California native, is one of eight children. He has
worked hard and struggled throughout his entire life—he has had little
education and no high school diploma. However, even though life has had its ups
and downs for Ruben, he always tried to make the best out of each and every
situation brought to him.
“I had no idea what literacy meant and did not care because I knew how to
spell my name and knew how much I was getting paid an hour,” he wrote in his
book, What About Literacy. “To tell you the truth, that was all that mattered
until I was blessed with grandchildren.”
Ruben
would pretend to read to his grandchildren from storybooks until one day his
granddaughter pointed out, “Grandpa, that's not what it says here.” Ruben was
determined to learn how to read and write so he could finally really read to
his grandkids.
When
she realized he had a flair for words, in spite of not being able to read, his
granddaughter’s daycare teacher suggested that he attend the local adult
reading program. Ruben then enrolled in Vision Literacy and started his
very challenging but successful journey.
READ
MORE >>
Ruben
is a published poet and author.
My Dad's Thoughts: Bits and Pieces of
Life
Manitowoc Adult Literacy Program Volunteers Help Change Lives
A
recent national survey by ProLiteracy
Voices revealed that while 81 percent of people are aware adult literacy is
an issue in the United States, only 13 percent are aware of local organizations
in their community that provide adult literacy services.
In
other words, while most of us know adults who lack basic skills in English
literacy are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to education,
employment and overall quality of life, not very many of us actually know where
to go in our own community for help.
Fortunately,
here in Manitowoc County we have trained community volunteers who provide free
tutoring for adults through the One-to-One
Adult Literacy Partners program of Manitowoc Public Library. This
one-to-one, individualized tutoring is designed to help adult learners develop
and improve their skills in reading, writing, comprehending and speaking in
English.
One
of the best things about my job as coordinator of the One-to-One Adult Literacy
Partners is hearing from tutors about the milestones — big and small — that
their learners achieve each month. One learner has been writing stories to
improve her English literacy skills, another adult finished reading a book for
the first time, and another learner is working on reading and comprehending
menus and nutrition labels.
Many
of our adult learners juggle jobs and families or attending classes at
Lakeshore Technical College, while still making time for their tutoring
sessions. READ
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