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Shine a Light on Literacy
 Literacy Action will host the 3rd Annual Shine a Light on Literacy fundraiser and silent auction on June 2, 2011 at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. This event helps fund our work in Pulaski and Faulkner counties, teaching adults to read, and non-native English speakers to read, write, and speak English.
Tickets can be purchased on line www.literacylittlerock.org or click on Shine Tickets. Call the Literacy Action office for more information, 501-372-7323.
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Adult Basic Tutor Workshop
 The next Adult Basic Tutor Workshop is scheduled for June 11th, 2011. Now is a great time to receive training as an adult literacy tutor. We currently have 20 adult students waiting for tutors to enter our Adult Basic Literacy program. The demand for basic literacy services continues to be very high. To register on line, visit the Literacy Action web site or contact Katie Keen, 501-372-7323. |
Shelly Owens Joins Literacy Action Staff
Please join us in welcoming Shelly Owens to Literacy Action. Shelly was recently hired as administrative assistant. She has just moved to the Little Rock due to her husband's job relocation. Shelly is from Beaumont, Texas, where she has been a high school English teacher in both private and public schools. Before becoming a teacher, Shelly was employed by the state of Louisiana in various social service agencies. She has also worked at the Children's Miracle Network office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Shelly is an avid reader of mysteries and crime thrillers, along with the occasional non-fiction work. She has two grown children, BriAnne and Dylan, both living in Texas. BriAnne is an English teacher in Beaumont, and Dylan is a student at Lamar University
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Tour de Toad
This year's Tour de Toad was marked by rain, high wind, and some hail, but the bad weather did not temper the enthusiasm for thirty-seven riders who braved the elements. The event chairperson, Bill Foster, smartly shortened the course to safely allow the participants to show their support for Literacy Action's work in Faulkner County. Thanks to all of the volunteers and riders that made this event possible. The odds makers are predicting predicting plenty of sunshine for next year's event... So keep those bike tires pumped up! |
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What's on your list? ..... A student's story
Almost everyday there is an advertisement showing an older adult talking about what they want to do when they retire. Take a trip? Work with kids? Build something? There seems to be a national obsession with making the ultimate to-do list. A popular movie,The Bucket List , tells a story of two terminally ill men who head off on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they die. There is even a web site, http://bucketlist.org, to help you develop your personal list. But for the 93 million adults struggling each day with basic literacy, far too few are able to take "learn to read" off their bucket list. Their dreams are simple accomplishments that most of us take for granted: get a drivers license, write a letter, read a book. Many adults are finding that it is never too late to learn to read. About 10% of Literacy Action's adult learners are over the age of fifty.
Tamela Anderson, who tutors in the Faulkner County Library in Conway Arkansas, tells a story of how her student is in the process of taking " learning to read and getting a driver's license" off his list.
A Student Story
Each Monday and Friday when the library opened, I would see my 56 year-old student pedaling up and chaining up his bike. No matter how cold or unpleasant the weather he still came twice a week. The only things that kept Richard from attending were snow and thunderstorms. Even in light rain he persisted.
When we began our lessons in November of last year, Richard was able to read very few words. He had memorized the names of people he was close to or had worked closely with and little else. We began in Laubach 1. I was initially concerned that I might not be able to understand him because of his speech impairment so I was surprised by how quickly we seemed to progress. He told me that when he was in school everyone thought he was mentally challenged because they couldn't understand him. He is very smart.
One of his personal goals was to get his driver's license. As we worked through Laubach 1, I would reserve a few minutes during each lesson to read a little to him from the driver's handbook he brought to class. He studied it at home and would usually have a section picked out for me to help him with. As we progressed to Laubach 2 I noticed he was asking for less and less help with his driver's handbook. Imagine my surprise when last month he came driving up on his brand new moped with a huge grin on his face. I don't believe I have ever been more proud. When I asked how in the world he passed the test he just said, "You're a great teacher. I made you a Best Teacher Prize." I must admit we got very little done that day because of our excitement. Still, it was the best lesson I've had so far.
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