Literacy – Spanning the US :: Bradford-Wyoming Co PA :: Santa Barbara CA :: Norwalk CT

Co Literacy

Tutoring program gives gives gift of literacy

WCExaminer: 5.03.2017 by C J Marshall

Have you ever wondered what it would be like not to be able to read a simple set of instructions?

Or a street sign, providing directions?

Or a card from a loved one?

Aubrey Carrington knows, because as the new program coordinator for the Bradford/Wyoming County Literacy Program, she and others have worked diligently to help many people beat the stigma of illiteracy.

Carrington hosted a ‘Meet and Greet’ at the Tunkhannock Public Library on Wednesday, April 26, to introduce herself to the community, and provide information on the Literacy Program.

“We want to do more,” Carrington explained. “We would really like to increase our numbers.”

Presently, she said, the program has an average of 15 active students - although the figure varies from month-to-month.

“We would like to see more,” Carrington said. “We have three tutors waiting in Tunkhannock. They aren’t teaching because of a lack of students.”  READ MORE @

Library Addresses Community’s Dyslexia Needs

Noozhawk: 5.10.2017 by Cheri Rae

Filled with information and resources, the Santa Barbara Public Library serves individuals in all parts of the community, even those who struggle to read.

The adult literacy program is almost legendary under the leadership of Beverly Schwartzberg, and her consistent efforts to train and maintain a full roster of tutors to address this critical need.

Recently, she’s done even more to address one of the most significant underlying causes for literacy challenges — dyslexia.

As the mother of son with dyslexia, and a longtime advocate for other sons and daughters, I welcome this focus on the hereditary neurological learning difference, which affects 1 in 5 individuals.

I gratefully assisted Schwartzberg as she applied for and received an Adult Education Block Grant through Santa Barbara City College last year to focus on training tutors in the specific approach to teach dyslexic students and adults in our community.

This is important because this time-honored reading approach — known as Orton-Gillingham — is not typically taught in schools, in this community and elsewhere.  READ MORE @

Literacy Volunteers program helps with English, citizen test

The Hour: 5.10.2017 by Kaitlyn Krasselt

There are 100 questions on the U.S. citizenship test.

Only 10 are asked during the test, and experts recommend knowing the answers to 30 questions in order to pass.

Maria Trujillo made sure she knew the answers to all 100.

“She insisted that she know all 100 answers,” said Bruno Tomasi, a tutor with the Norwalk Public Library's Greater Norwalk Literacy Volunteers program who helped Trujillo prepare for the test.

“By the last two sessions, she knew the answer to every single question, God bless her,” Tomasi said. “That’s just the way she is. She made a huge effort. She came in every Monday, she came to every class. She just absorbed everything.”

On April 25, Trujillo, who moved to the U.S. at age 50 nearly 20 years ago, officially passed the test, and on May 18 she’ll take the oath to become a U.S. citizen, surrounded by her children and grandchildren in Bridgeport.

“I am so happy because a lot of years ago my dream was to come to the U.S. and live in the U.S.,” Trujillo said. “My mom always said, ‘You can do anything you want.’ She always gave me love and support like that. So to do it, I am just so happy.”

Trujillo, originally from Peru, is one of three women who recently earned their citizenship after learning English and studying for the test through the NPL Literacy Volunteers program.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Durham NC :: Elgin IL :: Watertown MA

@durhamliteracy

A passionate crusade to ensure literacy denied no one

Herald Sun: 4.28.2017 by Bob Ashley

I had a fortunate childhood. My home had many books, my parents were devoted readers, and there was opportunity and encouragement from my earliest memories to read voraciously.

Heck, my parents were among maybe half a dozen customers in the small town in northwestern North Carolina where I grew up who subscribed to the Sunday New York Times, which arrived by bus on Tuesday or Wednesday at Lamm’s Drug Store for us to pick up. I’ve read the Times since at least junior high.

As one of the speakers at the Durham Literacy Center’s “Leaders in Literacy” breakfast on Thursday put it, for me literacy came easy. That was even truer for our son, who wasn’t just surrounded with books; he was nearly buried in them. As I’ve said before, my wife, Pat, and I are such book hoarders that we both have a copy of our high school advanced placement history textbook. It’s the same book.

But life is not fair. Many young children grow up in impoverished homes, homes rife with domestic tension, or homes where simply making ends meet in a minimum wage job – or two, or three – leave little time for reading, much less nurturing it. And parents in that circumstance who themselves had little exposure to books or the joy of reading, as much as they care – as virtually all parents do, I believe – about the welfare of their children, may not see reading and literacy as the keystones to life success that they are.

All of that – and more – is why the work of the Durham Literacy Center has been so important since visionary volunteers founded it in the 1980s. This past week, in one of the perks of my job, I had the privilege to attend the center’s annual cheerleading/proselytizing/fundraising breakfast. As always, it was uplifting even while reminding us of the enormous challenge we as a community face.

The truth is, way too many of our neighbors have not had the benefit of immersion in literacy, and the doors of opportunity and enrichment it opens, effortlessly and without a second thought to those of us who have grown up enveloped in it.  READ MORE @

Literacy

Connection

20th Trivia Bee raises money for adult literacy programs

Chicago Tribune: 5.01.2017 by Melanie Kalmar

A volunteer gave Carlos Trujillo a gift that cannot be returned or exchanged. He taught Trujillo how to read.

The volunteer from Bartlett worked with The Literacy Connection in Elgin, a not-for-profit organization that teaches basic literacy skills to adults who never learned how to read and those who speak English as a second language. Tutoring is one-on-one or in small groups. Learners pay an initial $10 fee, which is waived for people on public assistance, to give it "value," according to Karen Oswald, executive director of The Literacy Connection. After that, the program is free.

Trujillo, now a member of The Literacy Connection's board of directors, was paying it forward Saturday morning by selling raffle tickets at the nonprofit's 20th Annual Trivia Bee Fundraiser. Held at the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, 21 teams of four competed by answering trivia questions that volunteers Jeanne Rowe, Mary Sullivan and Chris Huege worked all year devising. More than 60 additional people showed up to observe and purchase raffle tickets for prizes such as tickets to a Cubs game and Broadway's "Hamilton," all donated.

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Trujillo's literacy goals when he emigrated from Mexico to the United States in 1992 included learning English and going to school.

"A friend from Germany told me about the Literacy Connection's one-on-one tutoring," he said. "There was a 6-month waiting list. I called every day. Finally, after 6 months, I got a tutor, Donald Ross. He passed away in 2002. He believed in me. Encouraged me. Got me a GED."

Trujillo now holds an associate's degree from Elgin Community College and works as "home school liaison" at Highland Elementary School in Elgin. "I am the bridge between families who don't speak English and the school," he said.  READ MORE @

Project Literacy celebrates 30 years in Watertown

Watertown: 5.01.2017 by Joanna Duffy

If there is any doubt as to Watertown’s cosmopolitan character, one has only to look at Project Literacy, a program serving hundreds of English language learners from more than 50 countries.

Voices of Project Literacy

The program celebrated its 30th anniversary on April 30 at the Watertown Free Public Library. Run through the library, the program connects English language learners in Watertown to free classes, discussion groups and volunteer English tutors, helping them to not only improve their English skills but to work toward specific goals, such as passing a citizenship test or learning to write a resume.

Watertown resident John Millea, a veteran tutor with Project Literacy, was in attendance. He has been working with students from Armenia and Russia since the fall, and in the past has worked with students from Turkey, Brazil, China and Haiti. He meets his current student at the library on Wednesday afternoons, and lately they have been working on pronunciation and vocabulary, often by reading out loud.

“It energizes me,” he said. “Even after a long day, I don’t feel tired when I’m headed to meet my student. I find it very rewarding.”  READ MORE @

Why Aren't More Big Donors Giving to Public Libraries?

Why Aren't More Big Donors Giving to Public Libraries?

Inside Philanthropy: 5.06.2017 by L.S. Hall

Libraries

Andrew Carnegie's giving to create thousands of public libraries around the United States is one of the more well-known stories of how philanthropy has improved life in America. Most of those libraries are still around today, and even in the age of the internet, libraries remain very popular institutions that play a variety of vital roles in U.S. life. Seniors, parents with young children, students, veterans, the unemployed and immigrants all make big use of America's 9,000 or so public libraries.

Which often leads us to wonder: Why don't we see more gifts to libraries? Sure, we've seen some such gifts, but not many as you might think at a moment when so many new donors are showing up in philanthropy looking for places where their money might make an impact. Libraries could certainly use a boost. In many cities and towns, public libraries are hurting because of budgetary cutbacks—and more cuts may be on the way with the Trump administration targeting federal library funding.

One appealing feature of supporting libraries is that because they do so many things, donors can find a piece of that mission that speaks to their own interests and concerns.

Consider a $20 million gift to the New York Public Library that was announced earlier this year by a prominent couple, Merryl Tisch and her husband, James, to help the library expand its educational programming.

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This is a perfect example of the important role that libraries can play in a community. Yet while we see a steady stream of eight-figure gifts going to institutions such as hospitals, universities and cultural organizations, libraries rarely attract the kind of money that the Tisches gave. What's more, we can't think of many top foundations that make grants to libraries as part of their programs.

One problem here may be that libraries are perceived as public institutions that don't need private support. Of course, other public institutions attract big gifts—such as parks, public universities, and public hospitals. Another reason may be that the wealthy just don't make much use of libraries and don't develop loyalty to these institutions. The same could be said for many other Americans. One recent survey  found that the percentage of people visiting libraries has fallen in recent years. Whatever the reason, libraries just haven't excited many major donors—despite the different goals donors can advance through these institutions, as the Tisch gift demonstrated.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Durham NC :: Santa Clara CA :: Red Deer AB

@durhamliteracy

Durham Literacy Center honors its volunteers

Durham Herald Sun: 4.27.2017 by Cliff Bellamy

After an accident and the need for medical care, Essoetche “George” Ebia came to Durham from his native Togo in West Africa. Ebia is now in his second semester of the Durham Literacy Center’s advanced classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages.

His ambition is to improve his English so he can study agriculture at N.C. State University and someday create a non-profit organization that will allow American farmers to share knowledge with farmers in Togo. “College demands high level skills. ... I know I need better English,” Ebia said during a speech at the Durham Literacy Center’s 10th annual Leaders in Literacy breakfast. “My neighbors and friends tell me I speak better, and I think I do. Yes?” The audience applauded to his question.

“I hope you understood me well enough to know how much [the Durham Literacy Center] means to students like me,” Ebia said.

The annual breakfast honors students, volunteers, businesses and community groups that support the center’s programs. They include classes in Adult Literacy, a Youth Education Program, computer literacy and GED preparation.

This year’s Leader in Literacy Award was given to the volunteers “who make our organization thrive,” said Lizzie Ellis-Furlong, executive director of the Literacy Center. “We were started by volunteers, and we are still dependent on volunteers,” she said. The center now has more than 200 volunteers who teach in the center’s programs, Ellis-Furlong said. John Hope Franklin, Mary Semans, RTI and SunTrust Bank are among past recipients of the award.  READ MORE @

Literacy Program Speaks Volumes

The Santa Clara: 4.27.2017 by Grant Pustelnik

After years of struggling to read and write confidently, local residents were given a platform to share their own written works.

On April 23, Read Santa Clara, an adult and family literacy program through the City of Santa Clara, hosted an emotional annual event at the Mission City Center for Performing Arts.

The event included public readings of personal works by adult learners, as well as award presentations to inspirational students and their tutors.

In Our Own Words

Each year, the adult learners have their writings published and mass-printed in a bound book.

Among the learners is longtime Benson Memorial Center worker Daciano Silva.

At the event, Silva read his personal work, “We All Have the Power to Make Change,” in which he detailed the importance of helping others and the need for self-improvement.

“We the people have the power to make a difference,” Silva said. “We should provide more opportunities for students with learning disabilities, like having job fairs to give them better chances in life through more choices of good-paying jobs.”

Silva’s piece primarily referred to his own personal experiences with self-improvement.

He discussed how his learning disability hindered his ability to attend college or earn a high-paying job, and he thanked Read Santa Clara for giving him the confidence to tell his story.  READ MORE @

Red Deer City councillor talks the importance of literacy

Red Deer Express: 4.29.2017

Red Deer City Councillor Dianne Wyntjes was the guest speaker at this year’s Adult Literacy Volunteer Appreciation social hosted by the Red Deer Public Library’s (RDPL) Annual Appreciation Night for Volunteers earlier this week.

According to her page on the City’s web site, Wyntjes is a reading enthusiast, reading a lot in her spare time.

She began her speech by thanking the leadership of the RDPL for their leadership, the staff and the volunteers for their support for literacy and adult learning.

She said through literacy initiatives one can empower personal growth to make healthy life choices, build life skills for relationships, parenting and health care decisions, among others.

She said through the RDPL Adult Literacy Program and other library initiatives, it opens the doors of reading, literacy and opportunity in the community.

“I hope along with your encouragement that you will recruit future literacy volunteers and learners in our community because that’s how we spread the wisdom and knowledge,” she said.

Wyntjes was elected to City council in 2010 and was re-elected in 2013. In that time she has gotten to know members of the community on a regular basis, she said.

“As a councillor one becomes privileged to become aware of secrets and struggles in our community, and it’s not uncommon as you know that there are those who struggle with basic reading, writing and math skills.”  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Waldo Co ME :: Wicomico Co MD :: Arlington Heights IL

Literacy

Waldo County

Literacy Volunteers host 30th anniversary celebration

Waldo Village Soup: 4.21.2017

Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County invites community members to help celebrate its 30th anniversary with a free buffet meal, documentary and speaker Thursday, May 4, 5:30 to 8 p.m., at Waldo County Technical Center in Waldo.

The celebration will be an occasion for all who care about literacy to come together to reflect on the power and pleasure of reading — be it by gaining fluency and understanding with words, math problems, computer skills or the English language, according to a press release. In “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” this event will honor the organization's past 30 years — and the many years ahead — of creating opportunities for learning partners to come together.

The stories of what tutors and their learning partners discover together will be shared and celebrated through a video documentary. Guest speaker Mitch Littlefield will highlight the positive impact of a student-teacher relationship. Littlefield is the author of “Memories of Shucking Peas,” a collection of stories written because of the encouragement of a middle school English teacher.  READ MORE @

Literacy program helps local community

SU Flyer: 4.25.2017 by Sawyer Cornelius

The crisis of adult illiteracy in the greater Salisbury area now faces a new enemy.

The Project READ program, sponsored by the Wicomico County Public Libraries, aims to decrease the proportion of illiterate adults within the local Salisbury and surrounding communities.

Project READ is a free one-on-one literacy program that assists adults in becoming fluent in basic reading, writing, fundamental mathematics, health and finance.

“The adult literacy program is an innovation of one-on-one tutoring in areas of basic writing and math to computer-operation skills,” Curtis said. “[It] is more effective and tailored to individual learning styles as opposed to class-like settings.”

The current READ program, launched in September 2016, is the third iteration of several attempts at decreasing the statistic of Salisbury’s illiterate populous.  READ MORE @

Read To Learn

Adult literacy program at Township High School District 214 acclimates immigrants

Chicago Tribune: 4.26.2017 by Aileen Simons

I recently finished my first session as a volunteer tutor for Township High School District 214's "Read to Learn: Adult Literacy Volunteer Program," and it was a fantastic experience.

If you are not familiar with this free, grant-based program, volunteers are trained to work one on one with adult learners to help improve their reading abilities and basic skills. It is geared specifically to adults living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago who read and write English below the ninth grade level.

Many adult learners are foreign born, where English is not their native language. Tutors meet with their learners once a week, for 10 weeks, in the spring and fall. Each individual session lasts two-and-a-half hours.

In February, I met my learner, Yukiko, who moved here with her husband and children from Tokyo, Japan. I'm not sure who was more nervous during the first day that we met but as we began to talk and learn about each other through sharing pictures on our cellphones, we relaxed.

Each week afterward, it became easier to communicate as we developed a friendship and worked to achieve her goals of improving her vocabulary, and becoming more comfortable with basic conversation skills. Our site supervisor gave us new lessons to work on each week, and I saw a great deal of progress made from the first week of the session to the last.  READ MORE @

How To Remember 90% Of Everything You Learn

LifeHack: 5.12.2016 by Sean Kim

Wish you could learn faster?

Whether you’re learning Spanish, a new instrument, or a new sport, we could all benefit from accelerated learning. But the problem is, there’s only so much time in the day.

The key to accelerated learning is not just putting in more hours, but maximizing the effectiveness of the time spent learning.

The Bucket And Water Analogy

Let’s say you were to fill up a bucket with water. Most buckets should not have any problem retaining the water inside, until it starts overflowing at the top.

But in reality, this isn’t how our brains function. In fact, most of the information that enters our brain leaks out eventually. Instead of looking at our brain’s memory as a bucket that retains everything, we should treat it for what it is: a leaking bucket.

While the leaky bucket analogy may sound like a negative connotation, it’s perfectly normal. Unless you were born with a photographic memory, our brains weren’t designed to remember every fact, information, or experience that we go through in our lives.

How To Remember 90% Of Everything You Learn

The development of the Learning Pyramid in the 1960’s — widely attributed to the NTL Institute in Bethel, Maine— outlined how humans learn.  READ MORE @