As Database Administrator, I am the least visible member of the Literacy Council staff. But please know that each of you are very clear in my sight from the day you contact the Literacy Council until the day you end your relationship with us.
Tutors: I know that you are amazed at the determination and perseverance of your students, that you are alternately proud, concerned, frustrated and joyous at their progress. I know about the connections that you have developed with your students as mentor and often, as friend. I know how much you have grown through your experience of being a tutor.
Students: I know that you have, for the first time, read a book to a young child; that you have prepared a meal by following instructions you read in a cookbook; that you breezed through Laubach 2 but are stuck on lesson 4 in Laubach 3; that you passed your driver’s test; that you are struggling with the “ng” sound; and that you faithfully meet your tutor each week and work on the challenges of the day’s lesson.
I may not have met you, but I am incredibly proud of all that you, as members of this organization, continue to accomplish. And I look forward to another year of reading about how frustrated, hardworking, shy, determined and totally awesome you are as you faithfully pursue the often snail-paced process of improving lives.
Christine Harrison
Database Administrator
Forty dedicated, trained Literacy Council volunteers have assessed and tutored 19 out-of-school youth at the Annapolis Phoenix Academy this year. These students, ages 17-21, have improved their reading, writing and math skills during this time, several are making good progress towards achieving their GED, and others have received internship and job training through this program.
Last year, we spotlighted one of our students, Marc, and his dedicated tutor Al Odierno. You can read about Marc and why he came to AACLC for help in improving his reading skills: CLICK HERE for that story. In this post, Al Odierno and Marc give us an update on Marc’s progress.
“Working with the Literacy Council is worth the work and the time. We all struggle with something–for some of us it’s reading. To anyone considering being tutored I would tell them it’s well worth the effort.” ~ Marc
Tutoring One Year On
It’s now been a little more than a year since my student Marc and I began working together. During this time Marc has gone from a second-grade to a fifth-grade reading level–but this process didn’t happen seamlessly or overnight.
A year ago Marc was often late to our tutoring sessions, frequently forgetting his study materials. But just last week when I was 5 minutes late he was waiting for me in the library parking lot with an “…And where have you been?” knowing grin on his face. We’ve both learned so much from each other; early on our conversations were brief and monosyllabic. More recently, though, after reading news articles on current issues together, we share extensive give and takes, one literate person to another. Marc has emerged as a confident, engaged, clear-thinking reader and conversationalist.
In a year we have both learned that patience reaps big payoffs. Even heading out into the cold winter darkness to meet at the library after working at a job all day long doesn’t feel burdensome. So many good things have developed during our time together that we plan to continue our study sessions long into the future.
~ Alfred Odierno
Our supporters have spoken. Thanks to your votes, we’ve been nominated for a spot on the 2015 Top-Rated List! ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY LITERACY COUNCIL INC is one of the first nonprofits to be listed on their leaderboard here. We’ll be featured on their site, in their 2015 Top-Rated List, and distributed to media and corporate foundations. All we need to do is maintain an overall average of 3.5 stars to stay on the list.
These alarming statistics validate how critical our work is here at Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. We know we’re changing lives. Let’s not forget that when we help students of any age finish high school, we’re impacting our whole society in a positive way!
- Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day.
- About 25% of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time.
- The U.S., which had some of the highest graduation rates of any developed country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries.
- A high school dropout will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate over his lifetime. And almost a million dollars less than a college graduate.
- In the U.S., high school dropouts commit about 75% of crimes.
Dear Readers,
Join me here for a monthly book review from the best of modern literature and the classics. For my first selection, I have chosen a little light reading, something informative and amusing, to wile away the cold winter evenings by the fireside.
BOOK REVIEW: “THE A TO Z OF EVERYDAY THINGS” by Janice Weaver, 2004
If you enjoyed this review, join me on Sarah’s Great Reads (https://www.facebook.com/sarahsgreatreads) or book reviews, quotes, and audio extracts from the classics and modern literature.
Warmest regards,
Sarah M. Fredericks
Once Carlos sets his sights on a goal, there’s no stopping him. Back in Equador, Carlos had earned a degree as a systems analyst from the University of Quayaquil. He emigrated to the US more than ten years ago, and has diligently worked at improving his language skills ever since. He gets plenty of practice each day at Crofton Elementary School, where he works as a custodian.
Since last April, Carlos has met with AACLC tutor Lana Shires two times each week to improve his ability to speak, write, and read English. He also regularly checks out two to three movies (with Spanish subtitles) from the library to sharpen his grasp of the English language.
All this hard work is paying off. Just last month Carlos became a citizen of the United States. Now his ultimate goal of working as a systems analyst in this country looks like it may well be within his reach.
Nancy Lewis
Photo above: Tutor Lana Shires and Carlos Troya
Doris Ford, who served as our Literacy Council Director from 1990-1993, was 96 years young when she passed away March 4, 2015. Born in Annapolis and a lifelong Marylander, Doris was also a distinguished educator, writer, editor, and lifelong learner.
While serving as Director, the Literacy Council more than doubled the number of adult students tested and assigned to individual tutors, established outreach programs for inmates of the Anne Arundel County Detention Center, and supported ongoing students at Second Genesis in Crownsville.
Doris wrote in 1993, “My exposure to adult non-readers has been most rewarding, and I find great satisfaction in facilitating the aspirations of adult learners. Currently, I am tutoring a young woman who has progressed from a second grade reading level to a fifth grade level. She is now able to help her fourth grade daughter with her homework, and has written poetry of publishable quality. Her goal is to attend college with a view toward becoming a published writer.”
The family requests any memorial donations be made to Anne Arundel County Literacy Council (AACLC), PO Box 1303, Edgewater, MD 21037.
Please click here to read more about Doris.
