Palmdale Library - Literacy Tutors Sought

Literacy Tutors Sought
Volunteer training set for Saturday
Antelope Valley Press: 9.09.08 By Kim Rawley

Larry Evans was 49 years old and functionally illiterate when he arrived at the Palmdale Literacy Program with a yearning to read books. Today, at 52, he is a tutor with the same program and a college student. Oh, and an avid book reader. When asked his favorites, Evans says, "I like all books. I haven't read a bad book.

"But then, I haven't been reading long enough to distinguish a good book from a bad book," he said with a laugh.

The retired carpenter and Palmdale resident may be a stellar example of the literacy program's success, but he is not the only one. There are about 95 learners in the program right now, and new tutors are always needed. A new class begins Saturday.

According to the program's coordinator, Rod Williams, even with roughly 60 tutors it still takes learners between two to six weeks to get started with one-on-one tutoring, although they can begin the process with an assessment and participate in small-group workshops.

Evans arrived at the Palmdale Literacy Program reading at a roughly third-grade level, even though he had graduated from high school. "I played football, so they just scooted me right on through."

"The literacy program broke the language down to be so understandable," Evans said.

According to Evans, you don't have to have teaching experience to be a tutor, just empathy.

"A good tutor is someone who will listen to students to get an understanding of their level."

It takes a lot of talking and listening for tutors to get a sense of what learners already know.


As well as becoming a literacy advocate, Williams said Evans "has been working with New Beginning Outreach and the city of Palmdale's Neighborhood House, creating and facilitating a vocational training program aimed at helping to teach prevocational skills (such as how to dress for an interview, interview tips and general expectations of the workplace) and providing job leads to those who successfully complete the course."

"The class is structured to remind the students that in order for people to want to write a check to you, you have to be productive every day," Evans said.

He sees his community work as a way to honor the volunteers who helped him achieve literacy.

Literacy training is a free service for English-speaking adults. All tutoring is done by volunteers, who need to be able to commit to a six-hour training session and two to three hours a week.
For details, call (661) 267-5682. READ MORE