AACPL (Anne Arundel County Public Library) is giving free Chromebooks to eligible low-income residents of Anne Arundel County. Visit the library’s website for information on qualifying for the opportunity and Giveaway dates at various branches.
Adult Literacy Affects All of Us
Approximately 48 million adults in the United States can not read above a third-grade level (ProLiteracy). According to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, 54% of adults struggle to read, write, and comprehend proficiently, which impacts their daily lives.
“This crisis affects all of us—lying at the core of the multigenerational cycles of poverty, poor health, and low educational attainment that impact our families, businesses, communities, and our nation as a whole” — Barbara Bush Foundation.
The AACLC’s programs address adult literacy needs in Anne Arundel County, where the low literacy rate among adults is 14.9%. To see what literacy looks like in our communities, Maryland, and surrounding areas, visit the Barbara Bush Foundation’s Literacy Gap Map. (The Gap Map will be updated at the end of this year, revealing the impact of the pandemic.)
ProLiteracy publishes an adult literacy fact sheet that highlights some of the costs of low literacy, including the challenges faced by immigrants.
Since the beginning of the year, we have been busy welcoming students, matching them with tutors, and training new volunteers. These are all worthy reasons to celebrate National Reading Month!
March is also Women’s History Month. Did you know that the Literacy Council was founded by a small group of women who saw the need for local literacy tutoring back in 1977? We’ve been impacting local adult education and opportunity ever since.
Thank you for all you do,
Jane
Jane Seiss, Executive DirectorAnne Arundel County Literacy Council
ProLiteracy has supported the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council through its Literacy Opportunity Fund. The grant we received will support operations and our ESL program, allowing us to better serve Anne Arundel County adults who are working to improve their English language skills.
ProLiteracy is an international organization that has been empowering adults through literacy for more than 60 years. The AACLC is a member, and we rely on ProLiteracy for training opportunities, student coursework materials, and more.
In case you’d like to know more about how reading is taught in American schools and how things are changing, check out this listen:
Hard Words: a podcast from American Public Media (APM) and journalist Emily Hanford. What happened in Bethlehem, PA, when the school district adopted methods of teaching reading that honored research findings?
On January 23, the Maryland State Board of Education called for the statewide adoption and implementation of literacy instruction based on the Science of Reading starting with the 2024-25 academic year. “Our goal is to ensure that more Maryland students have foundational literacy skills that equip them for lifelong success,” said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright.
Our volunteers working at both county detention centers see the value of education every week at the Ordnance Road and Jennifer Road institutions. Read about an unusual “Free Writing” program for incarcerated people at a jail system in Minnesota in this New York Times article (gift link). The piece explains what inspired the program and how writing has been a therapeutic, bridging activity for many.
Student success!
Read a recent student-tutor success story and peruse our website for lots of news and information on local activities and resources, including many that celebrate Black history.
March 2 Training Session Filled
Our spring tutor training session scheduled for March 2 at Woods Church in Severna Park, is now full.
The next session will be scheduled for June, 2024 and it will focus on training new ESL tutors.
Please continue referring neighbors or friends who you think could be committed AACLC tutors to us.
Stay tuned for June training details.
We are actively accepting new students
Our fantastic assessing team is hard at work meeting and placing students new to our programs. In March, our staff and trainers are looking forward to working with tutor trainees.
Interested trainees should contact Jane at director@aaclc.org.
Happy Black History Month,
Jane
Jane Seiss, Executive DirectorAnne Arundel County Literacy Council
Phil and his tutor, Elaine, have been working together since June 2023, and both find their time together rewarding. They meet twice a week for two hours per session, and Phil estimates that he spends at least another two hours on homework and reading.
Phil graduated high school and has a job with great responsibility and demanding hours. Despite these accomplishments, he has known that he wanted to improve his reading for a while. Phil and his fiancé have two young children. “I need to do this for myself and my kids as well,” he said.
Phil is a hands-on dad. He reads with his children, guiding them in sounding out and looking up words they don’t understand. He is teaching them to value reading and education. In his free time, they might see Phil reading a book and have asked to join him, bringing something they want to read together. His daughter loves the “Captain Underpants” series, and Phil says that his son is into anything about sports.
These days, Phil is reading NFL player Reggie White’s autobiography, “In the Trenches.” As he reads, he highlights new vocabulary for himself, writes it down, and practices writing short sentences using the words, helping him retain what he has learned. At the end of each of their planned sessions, Elaine and Phil take a little time to talk about the book. Elaine loves to read and admits she has a mobile library of used books in her car.
“My student’s goals are being met, and he has expressed sincere gratitude,” Elaine said. “His reading and writing skills have improved tremendously. He is reading novels, magazines, and newspapers with little difficulty.”
Phil has boosted his confidence and self-esteem, and he is preparing for the next chapter in his life. Besides improving his reading and writing, he aims to increase his career options through tutoring and the work he does on his own.
Reading and literacy have always been important to Elaine. She once volunteered with the Charles County Literacy Council. In addition, she enjoyed a long career with the National Park Service, where she spent some time as a trainer. “I implemented a program for employees needing assistance with reading, comprehension, writing/spelling, and resume and interview preparation,” she said. Now that she is retired and lives here, Elaine enjoys volunteering with the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. “I truly appreciate the opportunity to be part of this dedicated and life-serving organization.”
Refer a local adult to our FREE literacy, ESL, math, or diploma programs! Call 410-269-4419 or email director@aaclc.org.
