Monrovia Library - Local Volunteers Promote Literacy at the Library

Local Volunteers Promote Literacy at the Library
Monrovia Patch: 2.28.11 by Christine Langteau

American-born Christine Langteau and Korean-born Grace Kim are two longtime California residents from different cultures who meet every week as tutor and student in the Monrovia Public Library’s Literacy Program.

"The best way to learn is to meet with a person who speaks English as much as I can," said Kim.

Langteau, who also works in the Los Angeles Law Library in the Pomona courthouse, said part of her interest in the literacy program came from seeing her daughter’s challenges with learning how to read. That made her appreciate how difficult English can be for any learner, from native speakers to ESL students.

"Having seen that, I come at it from a different perspective," said Langteau.

Langteau and Kim have been working together for almost a year. When they began, they focused on working out of a Voyager series library workbook for three months.

"Actually, I noticed I picked up a lot of words I didn’t know before," said Kim. Langteau said that while the Voyager series was helpful, some terms in the stories were not commonly used today. Kim said she felt she needed more that applied to her real life, so Langteau brought newspaper articles for them to go over together.

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In the senior adult day care where she works, Kim usually speaks Korean with her coworkers, but at times, she has helped them with English. For example, at election time, Kim read the propositions on the ballots and translated them for her coworkers. Reading the more formal writing was less challenging for Kim than reading the slang and idiom-soaked articles in the L.A. Times.

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One very meaningful experience that Langteau and Kim shared was when Langteau helped Kim write a letter in English to her son for his birthday.

Kim said her children have often been very helpful in explaining new English words to her. But now, she doesn’t want to ask them to help with her English anymore. She feels motivated to learn more English on her own, so she can impress them with her language skills.

"The reality is that we are living in America. Wherever we go, we are required to speak English. Whether we go to the market or DMV, that’s the reality," said Kim. She says the tutoring sessions with Langteau have helped improve her English on many levels.

"I feel confidence," Kim said. "Whenever I don’t know, I ask her. Sometimes I send text messages." READ MORE !