Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US
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Literacy NJ: Jan 2021
Dreams for a Peaceful Future:
Literacy NJ Student Writing
In
January 2021, Literacy NJ hosted a series of virtual events to celebrate our
students and our volunteer tutors in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In
preparation, our tutors taught lessons on Dr. King. Our students wrote these
pieces in response, exploring themes including Dr. King’s legacy, life during
the pandemic, and their own dreams for the future. Thank you to all the
students who contributed. These stories help anchor us, in this tumultuous
year, to our history and to our shared hope for a more peaceful and just
future. READ MORE ➤➤
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Boston Globe: 3.03.2021 by Julia Hong Globe
On
Wednesdays, Wesline Désir, 46, of Brockton, attends English literacy tutoring
from the small screen of her cellphone.
Désir,
who works as a home health aide in assisted living, emigrated from Haiti nearly
28 years ago. For over four years, she has been a student of the Literacy
Program at Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy. The library’s literacy
department, funded by the city of Quincy and the Literacy
Volunteers of Massachusetts, offers free reading and writing lessons to
local adult residents with below sixth-grade levels.
These
one-on-one lessons became virtual with the COVID-19 pandemic — a challenge,
considering that some tutors and many adult students were inexperienced in
technology.
Literacy Volunteers
of Massachusetts
On
the other line, Désir’s tutor, Lisa Hemphill, 62, of Hingham meets with her by
video chat. Sometimes, poor sound quality or a choppy connection can disrupt
their lessons, especially when they are practicing letter or word
pronunciations.
“I
don’t have a whiteboard like I do in the tutoring room, so it just seems like
everything takes maybe 20 or 30 percent longer,” said Hemphill, who tutors
three students for an hour to 90 minutes each week. “Trying to judge how much they
are really getting it — that’s harder to do.”
To
compensate for the physical distance, Hemphill has been mailing out worksheets
for students to complete and text photos of the pages for feedback. During
lessons, she might hold her phone up to her laptop screen for Désir to follow
along with online readings — a complicated but necessary setup, considering
that Désir does not know how to use a laptop yet.
Despite
these technology hurdles, Désir is determined to obtain a GED someday. READ MORE ➤➤
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Your Observer: 3.03.2021 by Liz Ramos
Lakewood
Ranch’s Maria Alvarez knew that in order to get a job, she would need to become
more proficient in English.
Although
she was a psychologist in her home country of Venezuela, Alvarez said she
wouldn’t be able to get a job in the same field in the U.S. because of the
language barrier.
Since
she moved to Lakewood Ranch in September 2020, Alvarez has been working as a
nanny and delivery driver. She’s thinking about pursuing a career in massage
therapy.
Alvarez
started researching classes to help her learn how to speak and read in English
and discovered the Manatee Literacy Council,
a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the level of functional literacy in adults
in Manatee County.
The
Manatee Literacy Council has volunteers who work with learners one on one or in
a group to develop their skills in speaking and reading in English, prepare
learners for the U.S. citizenship test and more.
The
nonprofit also offers conservation and workplace literacy classes. The council
is developing programs for digital and financial literacy with the hopes of
starting them in the summer and fall.
Michelle
Desveaux McLean, the executive director of the Manatee Literacy Council, said
the nonprofit is always in need of more tutors, especially since the pandemic
began and several tutors decided to stop volunteering because they didn’t feel
comfortable tutoring online. READ MORE ➤➤
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