Cindy Toft is changing many lives through literacy! On Tuesday and Thursday mornings she tutors two moms, from The Head Start Program at Shady Side, MD., who are working towards their GED. These moms are proud of the example they are setting for their children and are eager to improve their literacy skills so that they can get a job. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, Cindy tutors a Davidsonville husband and wife who would like to improve their reading and writing skills to get better paying jobs. In addition to tutoring, Cindy is also an active Student Assessor for the Literacy Council.
“Volunteering as a tutor for the Literacy Council has been a blessing in my life” says Cindy. “I have had the opportunity to meet adults who want to become a better person by improving their lives and they decided to give themselves the gift of reading. What I like most about being a tutor is watching my student’s face light up when a word they had difficulty reading suddenly becomes easy for them to read. I can see their self esteem growing and they are eager to learn new words and before they know it they are reading an entire story on their own.””I try very hard to give my students compliments on how well they are doing and they reward me by wanting to learn more. We try to make it fun and laugh during our session. If the student is relaxed then we are able to accomplish more with our lesson. The greatest gift I can give a person is helping them make a difference in their life and become a more independent person and this is what I have accomplished with the Literacy Council.”
