Hemet Library - Longtime literacy director retires - Lori Eastman

Longtime literacy director retires

Valley Chronicle: 7.03.2011 by Charles Hand

Lori Eastman’s career as the adult literacy coordinator for the Hemet Public Library has ended after 17 years.

Maybe.

Though the newly retired Eastman says she plans to take some time off and do some traveling with her equally newly retired husband, she doubts that she can stay away for good.

“It’s not a job; it’s a passion,” Eastman said.

But her career was more or less an accident.

She was looking for a job when a friend, her predecessor in the coordinator’s chair, suggested she become a tutor. “I found what I needed to do in my life,” she said.

When the former coordinator retired, Eastman stepped into the job and stayed there until her husband decided to retire.

Thus it was that another veteran adult literacy employee moved into the job in much the same way Eastman had all those years before.

Lea Ashforth describes what she does in much the same terms that Eastman uses, as a passion that goes well beyond a job. She started as a volunteer more than eight years ago and has been an employee in the program more than five years.

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Though demand for the program’s services remains strong, hours of operation have been cut from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday to accommodate funding reductions.

The program is grant supported, but even grants have been reduced.

Ashforth said she hopes the remaining grant withstands the budget cutting at the state level so the doors do not have to close, but there is no way to know what the future will bring. READ MORE !

Los Angeles Public Library - We Are Here

We Are Here
by Susie Pae, Los Angeles Public Library Literacy
Women’s Perspectives: Issue 6, 2011 – page 41

When I worked at the post office in New York, I had a very hard time, because some of the workers were racists and prejudiced towards me. I didn’t resist them. I didn’t report it to the union either. At that time, my English was not fluent, so I was not interested in different cultures. Now I’ve learned to enjoy all kinds of different food and cultures, which makes me energetic and strong in my daily life. We can be a rainbow. Even though a rainbow has seven colors, they make a wonderful unified image. My open mind makes me want to learn new things.

After all, we are part of the world. Another quality I discovered in myself became apparent recently. When the copper-gold mine collapsed in Chile, I was reminded of the 6.7 earthquake in Northridge, California. I was stuck in my apartment. First of all, I couldn’t get out of the room. All the furniture had fallen down and blocked the door. That happened at 4am, so I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. As soon as the rescue team came to the apartment, my son shouted to them, “We are here!!” But I closed my son’s mouth right away, because I was afraid of people whom I didn’t know. I thought they would kill us. After they disappeared, my son prayed, “Oh, God. Help us get out of here.” I said, “If I die now, I want to go to heaven with my son.” Finally the sun rose, my neighbors came to my window. I came out of the room through the broken window. All the trees celebrated that I was born again. It was the most difficult event in my life. It made me strong and determined to go on in my life. READ MORE !

Women's Perspectives showcases writings and artwork by adult literacy/basic education students across all levels. These collections provide a forum for ABE learners to consider and further their knowledge about a variety of issues relative to women's experiences that continue to impact their lives. We hope these collections will not only encourage students to reflect and write but to also learn from the each other through their stories and opinions.

CA & National Library Literacy Calendar: July 2011

California Literacy Calendar: July 2011

Summer Reading @ Your Local Library:

“One World, Many Stories”

SCLLN

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

- local, California and National -

visit

Southern California Library Literacy Network

                                  for more information

Info about local Tutor Training Workshops is always Scrolling in the Right Frame.

Local Literacy Events: July 2011
Jul 2 National Literacy Day Proclamation 5507
Jul 2 10am Sensory Friendly Films - Cars 2 AMC Woodland Hills to San Diego
Jul 18+ Orton Gillingham Method - IDA, Inland Empire
Jul 23 10am Sensory Friendly Film - Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 2 AMC Theaters

California Literacy Events: July 2011
Jul 2 National Literacy Day Proclamation 5507
Jul 11+ Mental Health - Learning Disabilities in Children San Diego
Jul 18+ Orton Gillingham Method - IDA, Inland Empire
Jul 21+ Comic-Con International San Diego Convention Center
Jul 22+ Sierra Storytelling Festival Nevada City CA

National & International Literacy Events: July 2011
Jul 2 National Literacy Day Proclamation 5507
Jul 2 10am Sensory Friendly Films - Cars 2 AMC theaters around the country
Jul 6+ Autism Society National Conference Orlando FL
Jul 11+ NIOST Summer Seminars Boston MA
Jul 17+ Correctional Education Assn. Conference Charleston WV
Jul 21+ Conference of the Americas San Antonio TX
Jul 23 10am Autism Sensory Friendly Films: Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 2

Literacy Jobs - AmeriCorps - California

AmeriCorps - Literacy Jobs
California

Reading Partners
Student Coordinator: Apply
Operate innovative literacy intervention programs at elementary schools in California (San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles).

CalServes
Leaders: Apply by Jul 15
Serve as a facilitator for a team of AmeriCorps members at one of eight school sites. Focusing on either after school or one-on-one literacy tutoring, you will develop and apply your leadership, teaching and youth work skills in the coordination of the program.

Girls Inc – Alameda
Elementary School Group Leader: Apply by Jul 15
Lead daily literacy/self-esteem/enrichment programming for 15-20 students. San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose

First 5 Mendocino 
Literacy Coordinator: Apply by Jul 20
Pursue fundraising opportunities for the program, provide outreach to the community, increase enrollment in the program and maintain the database for the Imagination Library Program in Mendocino County.

Notre Dame Mission Volunteers
Tutors: Apply by Jul 31
Assist in classroom teaching - tutoring in schools - Manage, organize, and teach after school enrichment programs for students - Mentor children with incarcerated parents. San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose

Monterey County United for Literacy
Literacy Tutor: Apply by Aug 20
30 members will provide one-to-one tutoring to a minimum of 515 students in kindergarten through fourth grade in Salinas and South Monterey County to help them improve their English language development, vocabulary acquisition, fluency and comprehension and develop the habit of independent reading.

MAAC Project
Literacy Tutors: Apply by Aug 31
Focus on literacy tutoring, creating youth leadership opportunities, and leading youth and adults in service learning activities. Members will also assist families/individuals with asset building and income supports services.

Support READ ACROSS CALIFORNIA MARCH 2012

Read Across California Month
Will be presented for
an Assembly Floor Vote
Monday, June 27, 2011

Resolution ACR 62 by Assembly Member Julia Brownley would proclaim March of 2012, and each following year, "Read Across California" month, encouraging Californians to read at least 30 minutes a day for 30 days.

Children who independently spend time reading score higher on tests than children who do not read. Unfortunately, 23 percent of Californians lack basic literacy skills. This measure would help foster a love for reading and knowledge, and raise awareness of the importance of reading.

Support

READ ACROSS CALIFORNIA

Assembly Education Subcommittee

Your Assembly Member or State Senator

AuthorJulia BrownleyCo-Authors
Mike FeuerTed LieuCarol LiuFran PavleyBetsy Butler
March 2 is Read Across America Day, NEA’s national reading celebration of the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books.

Lompoc Library - Literacy program in jeopard

Literacy program in jeopardy
Santa Maria Times: 6.18.2011 by Christina Chill

Consider your own life and how you would function without the ability to read and write. Simple everyday tasks like reading your emails, deciphering driving instructions, or writing a check would be daunting.

More challenging tasks like reading the want ads, balancing a checkbook, or filling out a job application could be virtually impossible without help from a confidant.

Nearly every thing we do on the job, at home, and in the community requires a certain level of reading, writing, and reasoning skills, yet nearly one-fifth of English speaking residents in Lompoc are illiterate.

Many are immigrants, who have learned to speak English well enough to get by, but lack the literacy skills to compete for 21st century jobs. Others were born in the United States, but for a variety of reasons failed in our traditional school system. A few have learning disabilities. Others are dropouts. Some have graduated from high school without having acquired the necessary skills to function in today’s information driven society.

For 21 years, the Lompoc Public Library has been giving these adults a second chance and an opportunity to succeed in life through free individualized tutoring by professionally-trained volunteers. Our “Each one Teach one” method is not only cost effective, but has helped 2,000 residents improve their skills and achieve their goals, from getting a job to enrolling in college. As a result, many have moved off welfare or other governmental services, and are productive citizens in our community.

The economic crisis in Lompoc has put our Literacy Program in jeopardy. Without community support, we could face elimination of these vital services in the upcoming months. You can help to keep our program afloat by supporting the Friends of the Library food booth at Flower Festival. All proceeds benefit literacy. We will be serving barbecue chicken dinners, jalapeno chicken poppers, drinks, and almond brittle. We will also have a slide show presentation at our booth, so you can see some of the faces of those we serve and the volunteers who make the program possible. Hope to see you there.

Christina Chill
Literacy Coordinator
Lompoc

Lompoc Valley Flower Festival
June 22 - 26
Ryon Park

The Times in Plain English

The Times in Plain English

A new newspaper for adult learners that has important news from America’s best sources of information. The writing is in clear, readable English.

The stories with links to the full articles come from these newspapers:
Arizona Republic
Los Angeles Times
Miami Herald
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post

Topics Include:
Education
Health
Immigration
In Brief
Law
Money & Work
New York
News
Of Interest

The editor of The Times in Plain English is Arthur Schiff, the publisher of City Family magazine published in New York in the 1990′s.