“Ms. Susann, you have been such a blessing in my life. Your determination and flexibility to get me through what has been a challenge for me, allowed me to reach one of my goals. You were able to learn the way I think, how I process information, and with that, you developed a strong working system by developing visual examples, along with life skills. I am a strong believer that everyone can learn if you have to have the right teacher, which I did, and study, study, and study :)”
Jessica Fumando and tutor John Carley
John Carley, a retired EPA professional, has tutored several students since his initial tutor training in October 2016. After his retirement in 2010, he sought volunteer opportunities with other charitable organizations, but never found a good fit. He relishes the independence he has now as a tutor and feels that in tutoring with the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council, he has the freedom to figure out the best way to do things for his students and to focus his lessons on their needs.
John’s current student Jess has made significant progress since they started working together. Jess has enjoyed having John as a tutor, saying he is “great” and has helped her get over her “huge phobia of fractions.” She also appreciates the individual attention she gets during one-on-one tutoring. “I can say specifically ‘I’m not understanding this.'” she explains. “Then he can break it down for me in a different way so I’m able to understand.”
-Written by Trevor Stern
UPDATE: We were delighted to learn that Jessica and John were featured in a wonderful article on the ProLiteracy Blog “Literacy Changes Lives — When Life Grew Difficult, She Didn’t Give Up.” CLICK HERE to read this piece.
Your gift will go directly to help your Anne Arundel County neighbors who struggle to find a job or earn a GED because of their lower reading, writing, math and English skills.
The GED, as well as the entrance tests for the NEDP and Community College, have multiple choice questions which can be tricky to maneuver. Deena Fujimoto will break it down to help us mentor our students for these tests.
Please consider attending the workshop if you are currently tutoring a student for the GED / NEDP / Community College or would like to tutor one such student in the future. Also, this workshop is open to both our tutors and our students.
Be sure to RSVP so we can prepare enough materials:
Susann Felton, sdfelton@gmail.com
See you January 20th!
As we near Thanksgiving, we want to thank you for helping 223 low-income county adults receive free and individualized reading, writing, math, and English instruction this year. By improving their skills they are gaining jobs, better-paying jobs, acceptance into Anne Arundel Community College’s adult Basic skills classes, GED’s, and an improved quality of life. Your caring, kindness, and generosity made this happen!
Please take a moment to “meet” several of these students and tutor John Carley in this newsletter. Their passion and determination to succeed is inspirational and beautifully illustrates why we do what we do at the Literacy Council.
Also, we have exciting news. AACLC Executive Board member Debby Turner is pledging to match the first $2,500 in online donations on #GivingTuesday, allowing you to double your donation on November 28th. Thank you, Debby!
Kind regards,
r
Lisa Vernon, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
301-523-6750 (cell)
director@aaclc.org
Literacy Council staff, from left to right: Jane Seiss (tutor coordinator), JoAnn Cook (student coordinator), Emily Clement (assessor coordinator), Patti Durst (database coordinator), Lisa Vernon (executive director), Jill Mischo (tutor training coordinator), and Dr. Perinaaz Gandhi (math/pre-GED coordinator). Not present: Susann Felton (math/pre-GED coordinator), Bruce Phillips (database administrator).
Eirly, who contacted the AACLC last spring because she wanted to sharpen her literacy skills, brings a lifetime of experience to her reading sessions with her tutor Monica. Eirly is not only a mother of four and grandmother to nine; she is also a great-grandmother four times over.
Monica enjoys the personal stories and life lessons that Eirly has shared with her. From her vantage point of 74 years, Eirly knows herself well: “I am a go-getter and don’t let anything defeat me. You need to pick up what you have in life (both good and bad) and walk with it.”
Monica reports that Eirly makes continuous progress in their tutoring sessions, completing not only her assigned homework, but new lesson exercises, too. Monica is delighted by Eirly’s always-positive attitude. When Eirly reads aloud, for example, she becomes so immersed in the story’s characters that she cheers them on, exclaiming, “Bless you, Tom!” or “Don’t do that, dear … ”
In short, this tutoring pair not only respects and admires each other; they laugh a lot, too!
We are so proud of our students and their tutors for the remarkable milestones they’ve achieved this summer.
