Literacy: Spanning the US
52 Faces of Community: Mary Traina
Beneath her soft-spoken and tranquil
exterior, Mary Traina is a highly capable and motivated leader. Throughout
three successful careers and multiple volunteer duties, two prominent traits
have stood out: Her ability to calmly teach and train people and her
willingness to accept new challenge.
Mary retired in 2017 and moved to New
Bern that May. She and her partner fell in love with the Ghent neighborhood, so
they built a house and settled right in with their two rescue cats and dog.
Mary’s partner came across the Craven
Literacy Council and thought it would be a great fit because of Mary’s
background in teaching and training.
Mary took the tutor training class and
originally expected to be helping local citizens obtain their GED, but she soon
discovered a greater need for teaching English as a second language. She began
teaching four Burmese refugees, ranging from 40 to 50 years old. She admitted
that it was a bit intimidating at first because three of the ladies had no
education in their home country and two were refugees for over 10 years. She
had to approach it as if she were a kindergarten teacher.
“It’s been very rewarding and also
eye-opening to the issues that the refugees face on a daily basis—not just with
reading and writing, but all types of literacy,” said Mary. “How to put gas in
your car properly, how to talk to your child’s teacher or doctor, health
literacy, workplace literacy—there’s just so many. I can’t imagine being in
their position and making it through life every day.”
The end goal is to help the refugees
prepare for and pass their citizenship test. However, they must learn to speak
and read English first, and that is where Mary comes in. She helps them learn
basic words, numbers and how to tell time—all things, Mary noted, that most
people take for granted. WATCH
00:50
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 10
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old
(Ninth to Tenth graders)
Employment Expertise: Increasing Access To
Opportunity Through Literacy
According to research, about 50% of
immigrants that come to the U.S. each year have low literacy levels, limiting
their access to career and educational opportunities.
“The workshops were created as a way to
support new Americans who use West Michigan Works services,” explained Chad
Patton, M. Ed., Director of the Literacy Center of West Michigan.
“The programming for the class is
at-need and at-will, so learners can come to the class whenever they are
available and learn according to their goals.”
The workshops are open to the public and
has a flexible curriculum. Recently, the Literacy Center added a section that
covers English language for driving and understanding maps. READ
MORE >>
Based
on (7) readability formulas:
Grade
Level: 10
Reading
Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's
Age: 14-15 yrs. Old
(Ninth
to Tenth graders)
Helping Hands: The Permian Basin Adult
Literacy Center
CBS
7: 1.20.2020 by Shelby Landgraf
"It's a wonderful place here,"
Janeth Aguilar said with a smile.
She is a current PBALC student, studying
most nights after her family is fast asleep.
"In the night, I'm studying for two
or one hours per day," Aguilar explained. "It's difficult, but I can
do it!"
Reading a bedtime story to her children
in English is one of the many things Janeth can now do. On top of that, she
just earned her U.S. Citizenship, passing the required English language exam
and civics test.
"I feel happy, I'm tired, but I
feel so happy," Aguilar explained.
Aguilar credits much of her success to a
year's worth of Permian Basin Adult Literacy Center small group classes and
particularly the volunteer teachers. WATCH
03:01
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 7
Reading Level: standard / average.
Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. Old
(Sixth and Seventh graders)
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@RCLiteracy
|
Literacy
Council Moves On Without United Way Funding
After being a longtime recipient, The Rowan Literacy Council this year didn’t
receive United Way funding and is organizing a new fundraiser so it can
continue serving the community.
The council had been a United Way
recipient since 1990.
“Our mission of eradicating illiteracy
in Rowan County did not align with the 2019 campaign’s priorities of substance
abuse, mental health, healthy lifestyles and basic needs,” said Executive
Director K. C. Scott. “We are very appreciative of United Way’s past support
and hope there’s an opportunity for partnership in the future.”
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The council has logged over 40,000 hours
of volunteer tutoring. And many tutors have served over 10 years, with some
serving as long as 30 years. The agency provides free training, materials and
ongoing support for both students and tutors.
The council has proven to be an
inspiration to other counties, with several others calling in the previous year
and asking how to get a literacy program started.
A Rowan County needs assessment
identified illiteracy as a key component in poverty. More than 18% of Rowan
County residents live below the poverty line. And just under 13,000 residents
of the county don’t speak English. READ
MORE >>
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 10
Reading Level: difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old
(Ninth to Tenth graders)
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