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March 2014
Literacy Lines
Information and inspiration for our friends and partners.
Program Announcements

Welcome New Adult Learners 

Welcome to Veronica, Dely and Cecilia, new learners who started instruction with us in February.

Kathy Moran 
Program Coordinator

Tutor Appreciation

We would like to recognize tutors who completed in-service training last month: 

  • Carol Backe: Teaching Math
  • Ira Goodkin: Teaching Math (co-presenter)
  • Wendy Greenhouse: Literacy Works ESL Tutor Training
Group Learning Opportunities
Check our calendar for the schedule.  

 

Tutor Log Reminder

Help us make accurate and timely reports to our stakeholders; please submit your February tutor log by March 5th: Online, by email: [email protected], by fax: (708) 848-9564, or by postal mail: Kathy Moran/LVWCC, PO Box 4502, Oak Park, IL 60304. To download a blank log, just go to our website.

 

Public Library Emergency Closings
During times of inclement weather check the list to see if your library meeting place has been temporarily closed.

LVWCC Literacy Lines E-Newsletter Archives

Looking for previous editions of our e-newsletter? Click here for the archives.  

Tutor Tips & Resources

Tutor Training Opportunities

Email [email protected] for more information or to register.

  • Teaching ESL to Students with Low Literacy Monday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 19, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 
  • On the Road to Literacy: Literacy Volunteers of Illinois Conference Saturday, April 12, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

Website of the Month

U.S.A. Learns is a free website funded by the U.S. Department of Education to support immigrants who want to learn or improve their English skills as they become part of American society. The Web site consists of three unique programs: 

  • First English Course: a 20-unit, video-based beginner-level course 
  • Second English Course: a 20-unit, video-based intermediate-level course
  • Practice English and Reading: 44 intermediate-level stories and activities 

Designed as an online tool for learning English outside of a classroom, the site offers contextualized practice activities in listening, reading, writing, speaking and life skills necessary for success at work and in the community.

 

Adult Education Publications

Take a look at Notebook: Resources for the Adult Educator, Winter 2014. The sample health form on page 3 helps adult learners compile their health information for doctor visits and the pronunciation article on page 9 helps ESL tutors and learners understand minimal pairs.

 

Barbara A. Raispis Literacy Collection

The Raispis Collection has been streamlined and relocated to the Berwyn Public Library. To better serve tutors of low-level ABE and ESL students, we have compiled the most essential tools and resources on teaching beginner ABE and ESL, including phonics and beginner speaking.
 
The Raispis Collection is not kept in the public area; please call Esther at (708) 749-6328 or send an email to [email protected] if you would like to browse. Browsing hours are by appointment only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm, and Thursdays from 1 to 9 pm.  
Reaching Out
Tutor of the Month: Dick Rubin
Dick Rubin

by Natasha Neal

 

Dick Rubin, an LVWCC tutor for five years, sat down with me to discuss his tutoring experience.


How did you become interested in tutoring?


Dick has a friend who tutored for LVWCC, and upon retirement, he started tutoring too.


Before becoming a tutor, Dick was involved in survey research and taught at a public school for three years. He said he has always been interested in the learning and teaching process.

 

What do you enjoy about the tutoring experience?


Natasha Neal

Dick has been tutoring the same family since he began at LVWCC. He spoke fondly of the work they do together, and of the friendship that has formed between them over the years. He finds tutoring to be valuable work, and he especially enjoys getting to know people from different walks of life.


He also occasionally moderates at Conversation Cafe every few months. He finds it fascinating and says it's great to be at a table with people from all over the world. He enjoys how easily the conversation flows.


What challenges do you encounter while tutoring?


Dick is very thoughtful about needs of his learners. He enjoys the challenge of determining what skills needs improvement and hones his lessons to address them. He also emphasized the importance of understanding the cultural background of the learner and where their interests lie. He says is the tutor's job to be sensitive to the learner's culture and how they differ.


Do you have any advice for new tutors?


Dick had many great suggestions. He said new tutors should try to relax, keep a sense of humor, and enjoy each session. Tutors will learn as much as the learners do. It's important for tutors to be patient with themselves and recognize that it takes time to become skilled at tutoring. He suggested learning new techniques along the way and using resources at hand. It's a learning process, he stated, and it's important to allow yourself to go through the process naturally.

 

Student of the Month: Evelyn Peterson

Evelyn and her tutor, Joan

by Jasmine Brown

 

Evelyn Peterson, a Chicago resident, has been a dedicated LVWCC learner for almost two years.

 

What challenges stood in the way of your academic success?

 

Evelyn says she was 75 years old when she started learning with LVWCC. Growing up as a child she was a good student, but as life progressed she herself had 6 children. At times she worked 2 jobs was a single mom--often the only reading she had time for was just enough to "get-by." At 78 years of age, she has lovingly taken up the responsibility of raising her 7 and 8 year-old great-grandsons.

 

Jasmine Brown 
What accomplishments have you made since you started with LVWCC?

"I read more and have more of an understanding than before. I also speak more clearly. I do my own writing now, and when I am reading, if there is a word that I don't understand I go to the dictionary. I just have so much more confidence, and it's not that I couldn't do it, but working with Joan has helped me to do it, and I just feel so much better about myself!"

 

Evelyn also relates that in honor of Black History Month, she was invited to read a poem entitled "One More River to Cross" at her local church. Evelyn says about her experience, "I did so well, the whole congregation told me that I did a great job. Some even said, "We didn't know you could speak so well, you read like the actress Cicely Tyson!"

 

Evelyn was very excited to be chosen as our student of the month and she hopes that her story will encourage others to reach their literacy goals.

 

Library of the Month: Maywood Library 

Maywood Library
by Jasmine Brown
 

Does your library have a defined adult literacy or ESL collection?


Yes. While the third floor is currently functioning as a closed stacks, patrons who wish to use the materials from the Adult Literacy Room may visit with a Reference staff member, who will accompany them to the third floor. Materials in the Adult Literacy Room can be checked out.


Does your library have independent study materials for English language learners and/or adult new readers?

 

Yes, we provide some materials for independent study, along with math sheets, workbooks, and flash cards. The Library also has a number of books on CD. Adult Literacy learners may borrow and listen to books while they read using the Library's CD player. The Library also has a large collection of books in Spanish. English learners may check out the same book in Spanish and English and read them side-by-side. Lastly, the Library has low-level fiction books designed for adults who are learning to read.

Victor Dixon, 
Head of Adult Services

 

What kinds of materials do you have that would help volunteer tutors work with adult learners?


Computer literacy is becoming more important, so a computer is provided in the Used Book Store of the Library. Maywood Library was recently awarded a grant through the Secretary of State to improve computer literacy. Very soon, we will be expanding our computer literacy collection and offering computers classes. One big benefit to lesson planning at Maywood is that tutors are not charged for print outs.


For adult basic education, the third floor has free math workbooks for learners. Tutors may also find titles from the Endeavor series, along with some books to help prepare for the TABE test. ESL students may find the Ingl�s sin Barreras series useful. All of these materials, along with a student dictionary, can be found in the Adult Literacy room on the third floor.
Leadership
Recent Donors
We would like to take the opportunity to thank those who made donations this fiscal year:
 
One-time Gifts
In Kind Labor
Adele Cannell, $1,096
Esther Chase, $20,800
Jolinda Cappello, $75
Laura Jane & Myron Colber, $50
Esther Chase, $70
Sarah Connelly & Arden Realty, $1,100
Katie Frankle, $50
Dina Guirini-Gordon & Greg Gordon, $100
Greg Gordon, $100
HuaYi He, $100
Sheila McDonnell, $75   
Mario K. Medina, $125
Claudio Antonio de Oliveira, $100
Betsy Snyder, $200   
Rob and Rebecca Streit, $50   
Cristen Vincent, $42
Jeriann Walsh, $50
Michael Warnock, $30
Anonymous, $12   

LVWCC Board of Directors


Name
Resident of
Since
Current Role
Esther Chase
Oak Park
2010
Board President
Tanya Sobosan
Riverside
2008
Board Member
Mario K. Medina
Berwyn
2011
Board Member
Ron Harper
Oak Park
2012
Board Member
Adele Cannell
Elmwood Park
2013
Board Member
Jolinda Cappello
Elmwood Park
2013
Board Member

Katie Frankle
Oak Park
2013
Board Member

Board Membership 
Would you like to serve on our board of directors?  Board members must:
  • live in our service area, and
  • attend 6 board meetings per year, and
  • have at least 2 years of volunteer tutor experience with us, or
  • be a current student with professional experience we need, or   
  • have extensive non-profit directorship experience.

Please send an email to [email protected] for more information.

 
Board Meetings
Board meetings are held every other month. Our next board meeting will be held on Monday, March 10, 2014 at 7:30 pm. We invite you to share your concerns about the organization and ask questions during our open session. If you would like to join us, please send an email to [email protected] for the location details.
Who We Are
LVWCC has been developing literacy skills with adults in the near-west suburbs of Chicago since 1987. We provide free customized tutoring to adult learners through a network of trained volunteers.
 
Our unique service area includes disadvantaged communities where 25% of residents have not completed high school, in addition to well-educated communities where 99% of residents have completed high school. Together, we are literally changing lives. Learn more. 
 
Our program is made possible by a grant from the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds designated for literacy. We are thankful that the State of Illinois continues to invest in our program. Find out more about how public libraries play a key role in the provision of literacy services.
 
Additional support for the work of LVWCC is made possible through an annual competitive grant from the Donley Foundation, which helps us achieve our organizational mission in western Cook County. We appreciate the legacy established by Edward and Inez Donley and we are proud that the Foundation considers us a partner in their effort to help adults advance in life and contribute to society.
Give
Donate
 
Would you consider a monthly donation to our program? Small dependable gifts from friends like you help sustain our program each year while the state of Illinois works to release annual competitive funding. If you have already sent us a donation, thank you. Your support helps us train more tutors and reach more learners who need us.

Volunteer
 
Helping an adult improve literacy skills can be a rewarding process for both you and your adult learner; the effects can last a lifetime and impact generations. More than reading, writing, or mathematics, improved literacy leads to greater self-confidence, engaged parenting, increased employability, and a desire for lifelong learning.
 
Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County (LVWCC)
Mailing Address: PO Box 4502, Oak Park, IL 60304 
Office Location: 1010 W. Lake St. Suite 603, Oak Park, IL 60301 
P 708.848.8499 � F 708.848.9564  www.lvwcc.org [email protected]