Literacy – Spanning the US :: Livermore CA :: Milwaukee WI :: Placentia CA :: Columbus OH

Literacy: Spanning the US

@LivLibrary

Livermore Public Library Honors Volunteers Of The Year

KKIQ: 6.17.2019

Chris Irving has been chosen as the Livermore Public Library’s 2019 Literacy Volunteer of the Year. As a new retiree, Chris shared that she wanted to use her professional skills to help others. She has done exactly that since beginning to volunteer with the Literacy program three years ago. Chris’ volunteer work includes meeting regularly with her adult learner who says Chris is very nice and very patient. In addition to seeing her learner achieve significant goals, Chris assists with literacy outreach, planning special events, and facilitating the English Conversation Groups when needed. She recently served as a beta-test reviewer for a nationally developed online tutoring resource and she has also embraced the role of tutor trainer, welcoming new tutors and sharing her valuable and insightful first-hand experience. Along with her dedicated commitment, Chris is also known for the good humor she generously blends into her work.  READ MORE >>

@LiteracyWI

‘I Put That Bookbag On And Did What I Had To Do’:  How  Adult Learners Can Put High School Behind Them

Milwaukee News Service: 6.11.2019 by Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Jacklyn Isabell was 15 when she made the decision to drop out of James Madison High School.

She was pregnant, and her mother had recently died. But while taking college courses at Milwaukee Area Technical College, she learned she was not being given credit for coursework taken at other schools, including Midwest Theological Institute.

“Here I was with all these college credits and no high school diploma,” she said.

Frustrated, Isabell thought about giving up. But her children’s father encouraged her to complete her high school journey.

“I got two girls looking up at me,” she said. “I got to finish this degree.”

So, in February, the 34-year-old began taking classes at Literacy Services, 555 N. Plankinton Ave., through MATC’s high school equivalency program. In May, she completed her work and is planning to finish her associate degree in early childhood education by the end of the year.  READ MORE >>

@placentialib

SPOTLIGHT ON LITERACY: Meet Our Learners & Tutors

Explore – Placentia Library: Spring 2019

Sumi is a prolific reader from South Korea. Her love of literature lead her to sign up for the adult literacy program. Her goal is to improve her English to be able to read classic literature. We are working towards achieving this goal by reading simplified versions of classic novels, learning new words, and completing engaging lessons on reading and writing.

In Sumi’s words, “Thank you for the Placentia Library’s adult literacy program that gave me the pleasure of learning English with such a great teacher. The literacy program has had a big impact on my life.” Sumi is tutored by Raul, a recent graduate from CSUF. Raul combines his education and skills to help Sumi build her reading and writing skills. They meet every week for an hour and a half.

In Raul’s own words, “The Placentia Literacy Program has helped me develop into a better teacher so that I can be successful in my career as an ESL instructor and has given me a way to be more connected and involved in my community.”  READ MORE >>

@cbusliteracy

Columbus Literacy Council Helps Immigrants Hone English Skills, Break Down Barriers

Columbus Dispatch: 6.11.2019 BY Ceili Doyle

In a converted Downtown brownstone, a man and a woman sit at a desk in what used to be a living room, but now serves as the Columbus Literacy Council’s Tutoring Center.

A poster of flames is taped over the opening of the fireplace and banners with pictures of tutors and students imprinted with words such as “READ,” “EXCELLENCE” and “LISTEN” are pinned to the walls.

Halima Alim, 33, of the North Side, paused while she studied a mock email from a lesson in a workbook. She looked up at her volunteer tutor, Mark Dubovec, quizzically.

She is from Somalia and hopes to use these tutoring sessions to get a better grasp on the English language.

Alim wants to understand her children's school system — she has four kids all under the age of 10 — and learn how to communicate with their teachers.

"I want to help them," she said of her children.

Vilvi Vannak is the director of the Tutoring Center on 92 Jefferson Ave. She started working for Columbus Literacy Council more than 19 years ago. In 2011, Vannak began hosting one-on-one and small group conversations with students who wanted to improve their English in the council's old location, which eventually evolved into the Tutoring Center.

Vannak prides herself on her students’ success stories, which she believes happen every day — in large and small ways.

“One student I know just passed her citizenship test,” she said. “But my very first success story was an American-born man who joyfully called me one day to say because of the center’s help he was able to read the instructions on the back of a bag of microwave popcorn for the first time in his life.”  READ MORE >>