Literacy: Spanning the US
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| @RacineLiteracy |
Racine Literacy Council
Journal
Times: 11.16.2019
In
a moment of overwhelming emotion, Beatriz Rosales raised her hands, turned to
her tutor Lorrie Peterson, then eloquently and poetically expressed what
meeting every week over a small stack of English books has meant to her.
“In
honor of you and all tutors, God bless your heart,” said Rosales. “People like
you change our lives. We came here blind and mute. Even though we had education
from our country, we were lost here. Now, little by little, we have been
growing and learning, and one day we will feel free, free to dream.”
The
spontaneous fountain of gratitude surprised Peterson, a retired nurse who has
worked with Rosales for the last year at the Racine Literacy Council (RLC), a
nonprofit organization that promotes adult literacy through classes and
one-on-one tutoring. The student and tutor gathered in a small classroom for
their weekly lesson and took a break to talk about their connection to each
other and to the Racine Literacy Council.
“In
this classroom, you can dream,” said Rosales. “Because of this classroom, I am
able to participate in my children’s school. I am able to go by myself to
conferences and doctor appointments.” READ
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Literacy Volunteers of
Rensselaer County Celebrate Fall Festival
Troy
Record: 11.17.2019 by Melissa Schuman
The
Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County
recently held a Fall Festival.
The
event was a renaming of their Authors' Night, shifting the focus to include
everyone that makes the organization a success, not only the students.
President
Caitlin Stein-Miner described the event as "a showcase of work throughout
the year." Highlights of the evening would include examples from the
elementary school-based "everybody wins" program, the 1-on-1 tutoring
services, the financial literacy program, the workplace literacy program, and
the brand-new sewing literacy program.
Students,
mentors, volunteers, and guests gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy that
evening for a light supper and some time for socializing before the main event
got underway. At the event was local author and guest of honor Dr. Steven
Sandler.
"I'm excited to be
here," he said. "Encouraging literacy is so important. If you put
books in the home it gives kids a huge advantage."
As
the organization's name suggests, LVORC is almost exclusively made up of
volunteers. They recruit, train, and support volunteers who provide free and
confidential tutoring to adults, children and families, and out-of-school
teens. Some of their students are immigrants who are learning English as a new
language. READ
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Success Stories In Redlands
Literacy Program Are As Unique As Its 100-Plus Learners
Redlands
Daily Facts: 9.08.2019 by Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coord-A.K.
Smiley Library
New
volunteers sometimes ask how the Redlands
Adult Literacy Program measures learner success. Most adults join
the literacy program to improve their reading and writing skills in order to
get a new or better job, help their children with their homework or further
their own education, but reaching these goals is as unique as the 103 adults
who were served by the program last year.
Some
adults who ask for literacy assistance have little or no foundation in reading.
At this level, participants learn to read basic words for the first time. For
example, one adult learner recently celebrated being able to read and write 80
of the 100 most common words in the English language. Knowing how to read these
80 words has opened the door for him to begin reading sentences, stories in
picture books, and signs that he comes across in his daily life.
One
tutor was very excited to report that her learner was now reading fluently, which
enabled him to understand what he reads. Now he is excited about reading
biographies and learning about famous people in history.
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Adult
learners have a wide range of writing skills. Some learners begin by writing
two-word responses to questions, then later progress to writing full sentences
and then stories. Their enthusiasm for writing continues to grow. This year 40
learners wrote and submitted their works for publication in the adult literacy
anthology, “Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volume 2.” (Volumes 1 and 2
are available for checkout at the library.) Authors were invited to read their
stories aloud at the June 2019 Celebration of Authors. It was heartwarming to
observe how the adult learners’ family members saw their loved ones in a new
light, as they witnessed their newly gained skills and confidence. READ
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