Tutor Al Odierno and Marc Holland
“My everyday skills have gotten better, and I’ve learned to never give up! Everybody struggles with something and my work with the literacy council helps me to focus and realize I can achieve. It may be work, but I know I can do it.”
~student Marc Holiday
Often tutors and students find that the structured readings offered in the literacy council’s workbooks and manuals are jumping off points to even more compelling topics. For instance, in the two years that tutor Al Odierno and student Marc have worked together each week at the Edgewater library, their discussions have moved into investigations of various idioms and rhetoric, and explored history, geography, and sports.
“Marc has been an enthusiastic learner from the start,” says Al, “and as he makes more and more progress we’ve been able to pursue different learning strategies. Marc particularly enjoys selections in Challenger 4 where the reading material is more information-based, rather than simple narratives.” Al notes that while “both writing styles are worthwhile, in the non-fiction selections you’re both honing reading skills and learning new facts.”