ADULT BASIC LITERACY NEWS
August 2016

Links:

Tutor education & events
Registration is now required. Please click here to register for all opportunities.

Professional Development Opportunities:

One-to-one coaching
Get the just in time support you need for working with your student! Email Cydne or Nancy to arrange a time.

7 Keys to Comprehension
 book club
This study group will meet for 4 sessions to learn about reading comprehension strategies and how to model them for your students.
Using the book 7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann, we will explore how proficient readers comprehend texts. 

Copies of the book are available in the Literacy Connects library. Please register through the link.

9:30 - 11:30 am Mondays from Sept. 19-Oct. 10

TAWL/LC Literacy Conference
Join us on Saturday, November 5 for literacy keynote breakout sessions that will give you new ideas and approaches with your student. Theme: the reading/writing connection.

Refresher Training
There is always more to learn after some time spent with your student! Join us for all or part of the training in September to refresh your knowledge and get some great new ideas.

Evening/weekend session; Starts September 14
Celebrating our students!
Students from the Writer's Workshop at Literacy Connects presented their original writing this past Thursday to tutors, staff and community members. We love to hear about and celebrate our student's achievements! Please keep us informed with stories and pictures of the achievements your students have attained. 

Here's a photo of our proud authors and their tutors.


 
"Telling stories is that thing that makes us human. Stories ignite our imagination, and let us leap over cultural walls and cross the barriers of time. They bring us to other worlds and let us explore other lives and yet, at the same time, give us a better understanding of our own time, place and emotions." http://blog.ted.com/framing-the-story-ted-radio-hour-takes-a-look-at-the-power-of-narrative/

I've spent the last 3 days on Mars. Obviously, that's not 
exactly a true statement...but I definitely experienced life on Mars. It was lonely, barren, and harsh; a planet that "keeps trying to kill me," according to Mark Watney, the fictional NASA astronaut in the novel, The Martian. I was convinced we would die at least every 5 pages!

This is not a book I would normally choose. It's not my genre. I almost gave up on it at one point because I was frustrated with the acronyms and all the science and math that I was too lazy to make sense of. But I stayed with it because of the story. I cared about Mark's survival. I cared because he was funny in the face of a murderous planet and almost certain death, and because he was a brilliant scientist who blew me away with every problem he solved. I also stayed because I loved the contrast of the scenes on Earth at NASA-all the complex relationships and the difficulty of making decisions in a huge bureaucracy.

I have to admit that I completely relished spending a weekend deeply engaged in a book. I haven't done that for a while, and it was relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Hours on the couch with a book could be seen as time wasted ... but stories matter. They matter because I will never actually get to Mars, but I can now describe the atmosphere there and how life support systems work. I can empathize with the crew that left him behind and with the NASA leaders who have to consider every decision from the data first (% of risk, money spent) instead of from the heart.

I'm not much of a NASA person. I'm not really into space travel or exploration. But I care about Mark Watney. He had a story, and I had to know how it ended. In your work as literacy volunteers, you meet learners that you have to care about, too. You may have nothing in common ... but you both have stories, and stories bridge a myriad of differences and allow us to explore other lives. It is said that Fred Rogers used to carry this quote in his pocket. "There isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story." 

As you interact with your learners this month, where is the story that connects you? That engages you? That reveals the humanity in another person's life? 

~ Edie
Director, Basic Literacy Programs
(520) 882-8006 x 203
New Security Protocol
For the protection and safety of all our volunteers, students, and staff, we've implemented new security procedures.
  • Everyone who comes to the Literacy Connects campus must sign in at the front desk each day.
  • All tutors must wear lanyards when they're on campus. Temporary lanyards are available if you forget your own. Students will also pick up a lanyard to wear while they are here.
  • Please positively reinforce these new protocols with your students.
Thank you for helping us keep a safe space for learning. Please contact Cydne if you have any concerns.
Seeking Amazing AmeriCorps Volunteers!
Interested in making a difference in the life of a child or adult? Work with one of our great programs!
 
Visit our website for details on these four AmeriCorps positions:
  • Infusion Project Site Coordinator (0.5 FTE - 900 service hours)
  • Reach Out and Read of Southern Arizona (RORSA) Assistant Program Coordinator (0.5 FTE - 900 service hours)
  • Reading Seed Coach/Peer Mentor (300 service hours)
All job descriptions are available on our website.
Affiliate of ProLiteracy