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.
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.
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.
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 Director
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.
Anne Arundel County Public Library is celebrating Black history with a variety of events at multiple branches. Activities include music and dance performances, movie screenings, book talks, and history presentations. Visit the library’s website at www.aacpl.net/blackhistory for a schedule of in-person and online offerings.
Saturday, February 17, 1 pm – 3 pm
$24/adult & $10/child
The Kunte Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation and the Watermark tour company offer a ticketed two-hour African American Heritage walking tour starting at Market House Park in Annapolis, across from City Dock, where slave ships entered 300 years ago. Hear about Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, the importance of the Underground Railroad in our area, the contributions of African American Marylanders, and more. This event requires a photo ID for all guests 18 and older. More information and reservation details.
REVISIT/REIMAGINE Exhibit Opening Reception
Saturday, February 24 at 12 pm
From the museum’s Facebook event page: “Join us for the opening reception of REVISIT/REIMAGINE, a multidisciplinary exhibition that features historical photographs from the AFRO newspaper archive that chronicle the African American experience, civil rights leaders, and activities in Maryland. Artwork from Maryland Black artists are included to interpret the themes of the photographs.” The event will feature an artist talk led by Thomas James, the exhibit’s curator. The exhibit is scheduled to run through January 4, 2025. The Banneker-Douglass Museum is at 84 Franklin Street in downtown Annapolis, just off Church Circle.
Anne Arundel County Office of Equity & Human Rights Webinar
Tuesday, February 27 at 12 pm
From the event webpage: “Join the Office of Equity and Human Rights (OEHR) for a virtual Lunch and Learn event to celebrate National Black History Month… Asha Smith, director of the Office of Equity and Human Rights, will host a virtual countywide book study with author and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton. Antonia is the author of ‘Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.’ In this book, she recounts the 93-year-old history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums where records still exist and whose campus still stands today in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.” See more information and registration details.
Duolingo offers math courses on its app for mobile and desktop devices. Users who have the language learning app can choose math coursework when selecting what they want to learn in a session. (It is possible to practice languages and Math. Users can switch between subjects and work on both.)
Math practice is available in English and Spanish for now. It is offered in two ways: beginner math, covering foundational topics, or intermediate math, designed to enhance everyday skills with more challenging exercises.
According to Duolingo’s website, elementary math covers multiplication, division, fractions, area and perimeter, place value, geometry, measurement, and decimals. At the intermediate level, users practice similar concepts that are more advanced.
Free Duolingo courses are ad-supported. Users do not have to pay to download and use the app. Learn more about Duolingo Math.
Tutors may want to test the math exercises first to understand where their students should begin and to see how the practice works.
How can you help?Please review our February Available Student List when Wendy emails it to tutors. More than half of the people seeking a tutor are hopeful ESL students. Perhaps there is someone you could help. If you have questions or reservations about your ability to tutor an adult in English language learning, please let us know. We will work with you to give you the tools you’ll need. (If you are a trained tutor and have a willingness to work with someone from another country, you are already quite well equipped.) In 2024, in addition to two new tutor training sessions, we plan to offer an in-person training workshop focused on ESL tutoring. Please stay tuned for details in the months ahead. Trained tutors are welcome to come to our March 2 tutor training ESL breakout session in the afternoon. Please let Wendy know if you are interested in attending that portion of the day. |
Online Training for ESL TutorsProLiteracy offers free webinars in every subject that we tutor, including Low-Level English Language Learning and High-Level English Language Learning. Tutors can register for upcoming Teacher Training Plus webinars or watch videos of past webinars. There are videos on goal setting for high-level students, “starting from scratch” for low-level students, and more. ProLiteracy on YouTubeWebinars for tutors are available on ProLiteracy’s YouTube Channel, where you can watch them at your convenience. The YouTube Channel offers videos in all subject areas. |
Our spring tutor training session will happen on March 2 at Woods Church in Severna Park!
We’re always looking for new, dedicated tutors and have a special need for help in northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie and Brooklyn Park). There are always students on our waiting list from Annapolis and the Severn area as well. Please consider referring neighbors or friends who you think could be committed AACLC tutors.
ESL tutoring candidates will be particularly helpful. We’re also training basic literacy, math, and high school diploma preparation tutors.
Interested trainees should contact Jane at director@aaclc.org. Space is limited — there are only a few seats left.
Welcome, 2024! What will our students and volunteers accomplish this year? We are looking forward to finding out as the months unfold.
In 2023, our volunteers continued their great work, and students achieved a range of impressive goals, big and small — all contributing to a better quality of life.
Some highlights:
Our team is also celebrating these volunteer milestones:
Congratulations, all!
Thank you for making a difference in Anne Arundel County.
Happy New Year,
Jane
Jane Seiss, Executive Director* ICYMI, check out tutor Michael Green’s newsletter feature from last summer about the Literacy Council’s tutoring work at the Jennifer Road Detention Center.
| Thank you, Nora Roberts Foundation! The Foundation continued its support of adult literacy in Anne Arundel County with a $6,000 grant to the AACLC in early December 2023.
The Nora Roberts Foundation’s contributions to our work over the years have helped hundreds of low-income men and women pursue their educational goals and improve their lives and those of their families. |
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