San Bernardino County Library - Teaching adults survival literacy returns

Teaching adults survival literacy returnsThe Sun: July 27, 2006 by Andrea Bennett

The revitalization of a program that helps area adults learn to read and which lost the wind in its sails for almost a year, rests in the youthful but capable hands of Cesar Lara, 24.

As the new literacy specialist at the Highland Branch Library, Lara appears to be just the right man for the job.

"I recruit adult learners who don't know how to read or write and I recruit tutors, and I match them up and they just kind of work on their own," Lara said.

The library's Adult Literacy Program faced a period of relative dormancy in September 2005, when then-literacy specialist Pat Purcio fell ill but retained the position until March.

Elizabeth Castillo, library assistant at the Highland Branch, said the program, and the many people it helped, suffered as a result.

"It stopped everything because the tutors we had didn't know where to go or what to do. There was no one to guide them," Castillo said. "Also there were people asking for tutors and we didn't have any."

Lara had been working as a library page for a year and a half when he was promoted to his current position, and already he has had an impact.

"I've got a handful of tutors and learners now," Lara said. "There are actually more learners than tutors, because a lot of people out there are illiterate. But hopefully -- little by little -- I can bring the program back to what it was."

His objective is to find at least 20 people in the community, with both a high school education and a desire to help others, who can volunteer at least once a week as a tutor.

Though Lara promotes the free tutoring through word-of- mouth, he said there is no real shortage of adult learners in the community.

"Actually a lot of people come in and ask for tutors, so the word gets out there," Lara said. "A lot of times, they come in here to learn the little things first. They want to set up an e-mail account or they want to be able to write checks."

Harriet Foucher, Highland Branch librarian, said illiteracy is a rampant reality in the community and the program works to amend the social epidemic.

"The statistics keep showing us that 1 in 5 people need help reading," Foucher said. "They can't read things like prescriptions, they lack survival literacy, and these people fall through the cracks. They don't do well with group education situations, so we do one-on-one tutoring, where the tutor and new reader set goals together and work to achieve those goals."

Foucher said there are multiple things that push adults to finally seek literacy.

"Some need a GED for a job, or a driver's license. Many parents need it when their children start school. I think some want to read the Bible," she said. "There is a segment of the population that wants to be able to read. With the changes in welfare, they have to get some kind of job, and reading is so important to every job you do."

It's Lara's job to find an appropriate tutor to match with the individual and assist him or her in reaching set goals.

Due to the shortage of volunteer tutors, however, a surplus of adult learners -- Spanish speaking, or not -- who want to learn to read and write are forced to sit on a waiting list, he said.

The act of seeking help itself can be daunting for people who cannot read, so Lara said he does his best to ease their fears.

"It's difficult for some people because they're so intimidated when they come in," he said. "But the first step is to get in here and ask for help, and I've just got to reassure them they are going to get help."

His easygoing and nonjudgmental attitude makes Lara approachable to learners and the fact that he is bilingual helps calm nervous English learners.

As one who relishes reading and has devoted the past four years to libraries, Lara serves as a prime example of the joys of literacy.

"I like to read nonfiction. I figure if it's not true, why bother?" said Lara, whose favorite book is "The Motorcycle Diaries" and current read is "The Valachi Papers." "I love to read and I love the people who come in and out of the library. They have the same interests as I do -- reading and learning."

At only 24, Lara has already done some serious life learning after getting married at age 20. He and his wife, Virginia, 24, met their first semester at San Bernardino Valley College, and as Lara said, "It just felt right."

"When you're young and in love, you don't know any better," Lara said. "It's hard when you marry young, and you're still in school, with a part-time job, and struggling with money. We matured a lot and learned a lot about each other during that time."

Presently, Lara and his wife live in San Bernardino with their white Pomeranian, Q-Tip. Lara also works part-time as a bilingual tutor for Yucaipa School District, while Virginia works as a special education tutor for Pacific High School.

Lara returned to Valley College last fall, as waiting until his wife graduated from Cal State San Bernardino, was more financially feasible for the young couple. He said he plans to teach elementary school in the future, but the library will still likely be part of his life.

"I want to be here as long as possible, especially next year when we move to the new library," Lara said. "Hopefully, I can start English improvement classes there. Also, we'll have a literacy lab there."

The Adult Literacy Program is up and running under Lara, but there is still much to do in order to meet the literacy needs of the community effectively.

"We have a lot of low-income people in the area who want to improve their lives, but they don't have the time or money to go to college, especially when they have 3 jobs, but they want something better," Castillo said. "I think this program will help them a lot."

Lara is acutely aware of the struggle for self-improvement, and the library staff say his patience, passion and personable nature are certain to breathe new life into a program that makes a real difference in the lives of those in the community.

"Over the 21 years I've been here, I have seen a number of people get that little boost with tutoring to go on and do better things with their lives," Foucher said. "You have to overcome the attitude, 'I can't do it.' In a way, we're just being cheerleaders and encouraging people to use the skills they already have."

For more information about the Adult Literacy Program, contact Cesar Lara, literacy specialist, at the Highland Branch Library at (909) 862-6469 or visit 27167 Base Line in Highland.

Tutor Training - August 2007

Southern California Library Literacy Network
Tutor Workshops: August 2007
Tutor Training - San Diego County Library - Aug 9
Tutor Workshops and Events Presenter: LEARN. Ticket Phone: (888)466-0668. Contact: San Diego County Library. Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 5:30 PM – Thursday, August 9, 2007, 8:00 PM. El Cajon Branch El Cajon CA. For more info visitwww.sdcl.org.

Wilson Reading System - READ/Orange County - Aug 11
Tutor Workshops and Events Learn about the Wilson System. Presenter: READ/Orange County. Ticket Phone: (714)566-3067. Contact: READ/Orange County. Saturday, August 11, 2007, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. READ/OC Headquarters 1501 E St Andrew Pl Santa Ana CA 92705. For more info visitwww.readoc.org.

Tutor Training - READ/San Diego - Aug 14
Tutor Workshops and Events 1st Session: also Aug 18 and 25. 619 . 527 . 5475. Presenter: READ/San Diego. Ticket Phone: (619)527-5475. Contact: READ/San Diego. Tuesday, August 14, 2007, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Linda Vista Branch Library 2160 Ulric St San Diego CA 92111. For more info visitwww.sandiego.gov.
Wilson Reading System - READ/Orange County - Aug 18
Tutor Workshops and Events Learn about the Wilson System. Presenter: READ/Orange County. Ticket Phone: (714)566-3067. Contact: READ/Orange County. Saturday, August 18, 2007, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. READ/OC Headquarters 1501 E St Andrew Pl Santa Ana CA 92705. For more info visitwww.readoc.org.
Tutor Training - Los Angeles Public Library - Aug 18
Tutor Workshops and Events All Volunteers must be Interviewed First ! Contact: 213 . 228 . 7037. Presenter: Los Angeles Public Library. Ticket Phone: (213)228.7037. Contact: Los Angeles Public Library. Saturday, August 18, 2007, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Baldwin Hills Branch 2906 S La Brea Ave LA CA 90016. For more info visitwww.lapl.org.
Tutor Training - San Diego County Library - Aug 18
Tutor Workshops and Events Presenter: LEARN. Ticket Phone: (888)466-0668. Contact: San Diego County Library. Saturday, August 18, 2007, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Vista Branch Vista CA. For more info visit
www.sdcl.org.
Tutor Training - Burbank Public Library - Aug 22
Tutor Workshops and Events Register for the first session of a 15-hour workshop: also Aug 25 and Sep 8. Help an adult improve reading, spelling and writing skills. Learn how to use Discover Intensive Phonics. 818 . 238 . 5577. Presenter: Burbank Public Library. Ticket Phone: (818)238-5577. Contact: Literacy Office. Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Burbank Public Library Auditorium 110 N Glenoaks Burbank CA 91502. For more info visitwww.burbanklibrary.com.

Tutor Training - Santa Barbara Public Library: Aug 29
Tutor Workshops and Events Also Aug 30: Noon to 4:30 pm. Presenter: Santa Barbara Public Library. Ticket Phone: (805)564-5619. Contact: bschwartzberg@santabarbaraca.gov. Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM. Santa Barbara Public Library Townley Room 40 E Anapamu Santa Barbara CA. For more info visit
www.sbplibrary.org.

BlogAThon - Videos

Burbank Reads!
http://burbanklibrary.blogspot.com

Blogathon 2007 11.28 PM time slot

Blogathon - Videos

Reading Inspires Children

Blogathon 2007 9:06 AM

BlogaThon - Videos

Calgary Library: Story Time

BlogaThon 2007

BlogAThon - Videos

SCTV - Bobby Bittman public service ad.

Blogathon 2007

BlogAThon - Finale

Well, a long, long day. Let's just 'bookend' the event with a modified post announcing my first attempt at Blogathon.

Blogathon began yesterday at 6:00 am. Bloggers from around the world blogged for one day to help charities around the globe. We posted every 30 minutes over a 24 hour period; at one the time just became a blur -know there are extra posts, double posts, probably some within minutes of each other.

For this, we collected sponsorships and pledges. They could be a flat donation, or a certain amount for every hour we managed to stay awake.

It's not too late, go to Blogathon, choose ‘Southern California Library Literacy Network,’ and PLEDGE !

Or you can to go the SCLLN ‘Donations Page’ and send a Donation.

And continue to use GoodSearch: 1000 people @ 2 searches a day = $7,300

SCLLN is a network of literacy programs in public libraries from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

In 2006:
8,870 Adult Learners
5,586 Volunteer Tutors
358,604 Hours of Free Tutoring
Families For Literacy program
7,015 children under 5
8,844 children over 5
received 103,709 Free Books

SCLLN thanks you for your support !