Riverside County Library - Hooked on helping others learn to read Library tutoring program also assists those not fluent in English

Hooked on helping others learn to read Library tutoring program also assists those not fluent in English
Desert Sun: Feb 18, 2006 byK Kaufmann

Joan Robinson never wanted to be a teacher.

But, the Cathedral City resident said, five years ago, a friend suggested she become a volunteer tutor for the Riverside County Library Adult Literacy Program, and she was hooked.

Her first student was a dyslexic adult who "wanted to read stories to his children," she recalled. "We took it slowly, and he was able to do that."
"I feel like in some tiny way I'm helping people," Robinson said. "Our program here is not only teaching people to read but trying to assist them in speaking English correctly."

California has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the country, more than 10 percent, according to 2004 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. And in the Coachella Valley, Violeta Torres, area supervisor for the Riverside County program, said her classes for non-English speakers are packed.

"In Desert Hot Springs, we're going to start a waiting list," she said.
Torres estimated her English classes and one-on-one tutoring program are serving about 140 students - 75 percent non-English speakers and 25 percent adults who can't read or write.

"It's a lot of work, but it is definitely satisfying," said Torres, who was a teacher in Texas before moving to the valley. "A lot of people come in with literacy problems, and we end up helping them with different things. It seems like literacy and social services," Torres said.

Opening new doors

About 16 students turned out for a recent Wednesday night class at the Cathedral City Public Library, where they spent two hours mastering basic English vocabulary and conversation skills.

Among them was Guillermina Macias of Cathedral City, a hotel housekeeper originally from Mexico who is learning English so she can eventually become a U.S. citizen. "I need to learn to converse," she said, with Torres interpreting, "for my job and for my kids."

Repeating words and phrases over and over, Macias and the rest of the group learned the difference between words like "moon" and "moan" and used hand mirrors to watch their own teeth and tongues while forming unfamiliar sounds, such as the "th" combination in words like "three" and "thumb"

"Stick out your tongue," Torres said, providing a tip on how to make the sound. "It'll happen so fast, no one will notice."

Like Macias, most of the students around the table are highly motivated, Torres said. "Many of our volunteers are (encouraging) our students so they're pursuing something much higher," she said.

Minerva Juarez, another Mexican immigrant who works as a housekeeper, would like a better job. "More than anything I need it (English) for work," she said, again with Torres interpreting. "When they ask if I know English, I say, a little."
She said she communicates with supervisors on the job through small phrases and gestures.

Anxious to learn

Having students who are eager to learn is a big draw for Nita Eklund of La Quinta, another volunteer tutor. But, she said, "you need patience, especially with people who are really trying. You have to get to know the students and the pace they can learn."

Eklund began as a volunteer tutor in Los Angeles about 12 years ago, she said, and signed up with Riverside when she moved to the valley four years ago.

The rewards come in good feelings, she said, "especially when I have a student who I think is really eager and advancing in their employment.
"(Learning English) enables them to cope with society today," she said. "They have to and they need to, to advance."

GET INVOLVED

The Coachella Valley office of the Riverside County Library Adult Literacy Program is always looking for volunteer tutors and teachers for its English classes. No prior teaching experience is required, said Violeta Torres, the area supervisor. Volunteer tutors have to commit to meeting with a student for at least one one-hour session a week, though many do two, she said. Seasonal tutors, available for three or six months, are welcome.

For more information, call 342-2580.Volunteers are also needed for adult literacy programs at the Palm Springs Public Library. For information, call 322-8369.

Escondido Library - Word wizard to help out literacy program

Word wizard to help out literacy program
San Diego Union-Tribune: November 9, 2005 by Pat Sherman

Vocabulary virtuoso and grammar grandmaster Richard Lederer has a term for the condition in which a person transfixed by a radio program is unable to remove himself from his carincarceration.

People who are reluctant to exit their vehicles and enter the supermarket or office during Lederer's weekly show, "A Way With Words," will get a chance to see the Presley of parlance in person. The KPBS host and self-described "verbivore," or one who "devours words," will give a presentation to benefit Escondido Public Library Literacy Services at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The literacy program offers adult language tutoring, bilingual computer classes, a mobile library and other services.

The evening with Lederer is free. Proceeds from the sale of Lederer's books, "Comma Sense: A Fun-damental Guide to Punctuation," "Anguished English" and "The Cunning Linguist" will benefit adult literacy services at the library. Lederer will sign books starting at 6:30 p.m. and again after the one-hour presentation.

Lederer co-hosts "A Way With Words" with etymologist Martha Barnette at noon Saturdays. It is rebroadcast Sundays at 10 a.m.

National Spelling Bee champ Anurag Kashyap of Poway has been a guest on the show. Other young listeners with language conundrums often phone in.

"I think our youngest caller has been about 5, and we get a lot of 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds," Lederer said.

He knows the value of a population who can read and write. According to READ/San Diego, a service of the San Diego Public Library system, 422,000 adults in San Diego County cannot read and write well enough to pursue their professional goals or meet daily needs. There are 2 million native English speakers statewide who are functionally illiterate, according to the National Adult Literacy Survey.

"Literacy is a gateway to reaping the full fruits of our civilization, because books allow us to enter other people's minds and lives and emotions," Lederer said. "If somebody is shut out from that, that's just a terrific shameand it's contagious ...

"An adult becoming literate almost guarantees and assures the next generation in that family or circle being literate, so it's really a multiplier."

During his presentation, the Scripps Ranch resident will have fun with language, while taking a moment to talk about breaking the cycle of illiteracy.

"We fight the good fight for standard English, not that it's superior, but it is more useful when you're trying to communicate with other standard speakers," Lederer said. "We would prefer that people pronounce n-u-c-l-e-a-r correctly. Some people in high places say nuk-u-lar, and we're not in love with it," Lederer said.

Literary Services Coordinator Josephine Jones said the number of people seeking the library's literacy services is on the rise.

"As the high schools are now going through exit exams, what happens to all these kids who can't pass the test?" she asked. "Is it tied to literacy issues? Will we be seeing more of them coming through our door?"

Jones said the program has helped many people learn to read and write.

"Some of the greatest success stories are parents who are now able to read to their children and help them with their homework," she said. "We've had learners who've won awards through the various literacy coalitions throughout the state."

The program currently needs volunteers to help adults on a waiting list, Jones said. For more information, call the literacy hotline at (760) 747-2233 or visit www.ci.escondido.ca.us/library and click on "literacy."


What: Literacy benefit with KPBS host Richard Lederer
When: 7 p.m. tomorrow
Where: Escondido Public Library, 239 S. Kalmia St., Escondido
Cost: Free
Information: (760) 747-2233

Orange Co Library - Sharing the need to read: Bakersfield transplant is booked as a literacy tutor for READ/Orange County

Sharing the need to read: Bakersfield transplant is booked as a literacy tutor for READ/Orange County
Orange County Register: Dec. 16. 2005 by Laura Rico

Local resident Laura Bryan was recently certified as a volunteer literacy tutor for READ/Orange County after completing a 23-hour training course. She currently tutors adult non-native English speakers to become, in the words of the organization "better parents, workers, and community members by gaining English language and literacy skills."

Bryan is currently working towards a master's degree in teaching English as a second language and teaches English to non-native speakers at two local community colleges. A recent arrival to south Orange County, the former Bakersfield resident is enjoying the cultural and employment opportunities that the region has to offer.

Q: Why did you get involved with READ/Orange County?
A. I heard about it through one of my professors at Alliant International in Irvine. I was looking for a way to get involved with the community, I just recently moved her from Bakersfield. I went onto their web site, found out more about them and then went to an information meeting.

Q. What are you studying at Alliant?
A. I am working on my master's degree to teach English as a second language. I have about a year left until I earn my degree.

Q. What did your training at READ/Orange County consist of?
A. I attended training for three Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We worked on group activities and strategies on how to help people learn how to read.

Q. Why was it important for you to get involved as a literacy tutor?
A. I feel that in my life I have been so blessed with education. I have had a lot of opportunities and I have also had a lot of experiences that have shown me that other people have not had those same opportunities. I want to help people work towards their own goals.

Q. Who are you tutoring right now?
A. I have been working with a woman for about a month. English is her second language. She is originally from China. We practice speaking English and reading English. She is really excited and is really a nice woman. It is fun to work with her, she is so appreciative and eager to learn.

Q. Have you learned anything from her?
A. We were talking about Thanksgiving traditions and I asked her about her cultural things in China. She was telling me about the Chinese New Year and the different foods they make, like dumplings. It was difficult for her to describe, but she was trying hard.

Q. Coming from Bakersfield, what are some of the main differences you notice between life in the Central Valley and Orange County?
A. There are a lot more job opportunities down here, it was a lot easier for me to find a job. There are more cultural opportunities down here, I can go to plays or to museums.

Q. What do you do for a living?
A. I teach English as a second language at two different schools, Newton International College and Kaplan at Irvine Valley College. At Newton, most of the students are from Korea or Japan. They are mostly older adults just trying to learn English and help their kids at school. Kaplan students want to go into the university or go back to their countries and do something with English there. A lot of them are from Asia, but I have a student from Turkey, one from Germany and another from the United Arab Emirates.

Q. How has it been to meet people from all over the world?
A. So far it has been really interesting. Some of the students just attend classes for a few months, so I am always meeting new people and getting new perspectives on their lives and their culture.

Q. What do you think your students gain from learning English?
A. It gives them self-confidence. Sometimes they don't need English, they have friends who speak their language and they can get around fine. But they feel more confident when they can do things themselves. It gives them more independence and the confidence of knowing they can learn a new language.

Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I speak Spanish, and my students teach me a few phrases in Japanese of Korean.

Q. Have you always wanted to teach English? A. I have always wanted to teach, but it took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to teach. I lived in Venezuela and Mexico and taught English there. That's how I got interested in teaching English. When I got back I started taking classes.

Corona Library :: Report claims literacy skills not improved

Report claims literacy skills not improved
Press Enterprise: Dec 15, 2005 by Linda Lou

By looking at the way John Zickefoose reads to children during story time at the Corona Public Library, you would think that he's at home with books -- as natural as a "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" in water.

But Mr. Z, as he's known to children, didn't read well until he was 35. His 7-year-old son started correcting Zickefoose when he read, which prompted him to enroll in an adult literacy program at the Corona library. Zickefoose is now the library's community liaison.

Today, many adults are still not functionally literate. About 11 million people 16 and older are nonliterate in English; about 30 million people have below-basic literacy skills; and about 63 million people have basic skills, according to a U.S. Department of Education report released Thursday.

The report showed that on average, adult literacy rates have not improved much since 1992. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy report, which was conducted in 2003, found that blacks and Asians are more able to read documents and complete forms than in 1992. Hispanics, however, decreased in being able to do these tasks.

On average, the study also found that women are more literate than men.
And the report showed that people with college and graduate degrees in 2003 had lower literacy skills than their same groups in 1992.

These discoveries on literacy and race, gender and education levels are eye-opening, said Mark Schneider, commissioner of education statistics at the National Center for Education Statistics. NCES is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

These three areas are wakeup calls on what needs to be further examined, he said.

Implications

Schneider and other experts say the decline in literacy for Hispanics isn't revealing. They attribute it to demographic changes since 1992. Most Hispanic or Latino immigrants arrive in the United States in their teenage or adult years and don't speak English, Schneider said. The NAAL report shows increases in the numbers of Hispanics and Asians in the nation since 1992.

Census data show that recent generations of immigrants are less educated than previous ones, said Robert Wedgeworth, president and CEO of ProLiteracy Worldwide, based in Syracuse, N.Y. Wedgeworth said the relatively static overall results are alarming. "The suggestion that literacy levels are remaining the same in a world that is changing so rapidly means we are becoming less and less competitive," he said.

But Alayne Sullivan, an associate professor of literacy education at Cal State San Bernardino said that research shows the claims of a national literacy crisis are greatly exaggerated. "We are doing a better and better job, and literacy levels are slowly and steadily going up," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said increases that the report revealed in abilities to read forms and documents among blacks and Asians are positive. "We haven't typically seen those kinds of changes to positive extents for many decades prior to that," she said. "There are reasons to feel uplifted."

The emphasis on literacy has come to the forefront in education in this era of No Child Left Behind and standards-based education, said Diana Blackledge, a Riverside Unified School District assistant superintendent.

The best way to achieve widespread adult literacy is to ensure that every child leaves the K-12 system literate, she said.

Next Steps

Now that a snapshot of adult literacy is available, it shows what needs to be done, said Sharon Darling, founder and president of the National Center for Family Literacy, a worldwide literacy advocate group based in Kentucky.
Literacy efforts should be more focused in the Hispanic community on both parents and children, Darling said. Parents need to be literate to find better jobs and need to be literate to help their children with education, she said.
Sherry Yeh, a Corona parent who emigrated from Taiwan, said she decided to improve her English-language literacy skills about two years ago. She is getting instruction at the Corona Public Library.

Yeh's daughters, who are in elementary school, are getting older and Yeh wants to communicate with their teachers and be on top of their education.
Yeh also said she would like to find an accounting job in the future and needs to be literate. She has seen improvements in her day-to-day life.

"Right now, I can pick up the phone and make a (doctor's) appointment," Yeh said. "Before, I need to ask my husband ... The other day, I took my kids to the dentist. I can fill out the form, but I still need to use dictionary."

Literacy, a Priority

It's more important now than ever to be literate in the 21st century, some say.
Zickefoose, who sits on ProLiteracy Worldwide's board of directors, said 100 years ago, no one would bat an eye if you couldn't read. Just be able to scrawl a signature, he said.

Today, illiteracy is not only a social stigma but affects the quality of life, Zickefoose said. Even with the advance of technology and computers, people need to know how to read to see what's online, he said.

Between 1992 and 2003, many manufacturing jobs have been lost in the United States, while high-tech jobs have risen, Darling said. "It sounds kind of trite, but (literacy) does open the doors for everyone," Blackledge said. "When you're literate, you have access to whichever profession you're interested in."

San Diego County Library

Librarian wants new programs on the books
Union Tribune: Oct 26, 2005 by Ruth Lepper

Jon Noland is adjusting to his move from the East Coast to a small-town atmosphere. If there is anything he wants to know about Julian, Southern California or the world, he has the information at his fingertips.

Noland is the new librarian at the Julian branch library.
In the past, there has been a branch manager working for the county but not a librarian.

"I'm the first one with a master's degree," said Noland, who holds a degree in library science from the University of Kentucky.

He found the job opening listed on the Internet while working for a library in Florida. His first day at the Julian job was July 1.

"I'm pretty busy adjusting to living 4,000 feet above sea level," he said.
Noland has been meeting a lot of local residents. The library averages 300 visitors a day. Many are from the adjoining schools. The library is on the campus of Julian High School. The junior high and elementary schools are nearby.
Noland wants more people to come to the library.

"We have a very good collection of materials: books, computers, audio books," he said. "But one of the things we need is to have a program to bring people into the library."

That has become his priority: establishing programs that will appeal to children and adults as well as entice families to come together. He especially wants to make the library accessible to youngsters who are home-schooled. At present, a home-schooled group comes once a month.

"There are a lot of home-schoolers in Julian," he said. "There is a need for the library to actively pursue the home-schoolers. They are an important part of the community."

Noland created a program for older people who are uneasy about using a computer. "It's computer instruction mainly for people who have not had access to a computer," he explained.

Twelve computers in the library are available for the public. Noland said there are plans to add six.

A recent project called for teens to record a day in their lives by using disposable cameras provided by the library. They made collages from the photographs taken on a specific day. The works are now on display in the library.

Noland also has added a movie night for teens, at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.
He said he plans to increase the library's magazine subscriptions from five to 80, with special emphasis on publications that appeal to teens.
"We'll have magazines about skateboarding," he said. "We'll have a lot of magazines about sports, health and beauty; those sort of stylish things. We'll also have some anti-establishment point-of-view (magazines) so you don't look at the media and believe everything you read. It's a balanced collection of views of life and culture in this society."

Noland, 60, has started an adult literacy program here. The Friends of Julian Library provides funding for the one-on-one reading sessions.

The Friends group has a room in the library where it sells new and used books. The room is staffed by volunteers and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Noland's dedication to his work stems from his teenage years and the time he has spent in libraries. "I've been working in a library for over 30 years," he said. "I worked in a library as a teenager and liked it."

Noland will discuss the new programs and plans at the Julian Merchants Association meeting Nov. 16.

The library is at 1850 state Route 78 in Julian. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call (760) 765-0370.

Photo: Jon Noland, Julian's new librarian, came here from Florida and is busy becoming familiar with the town.

Hemet Library - Gaining literacy broadens Hemet man's horizon

LIBRARY PLANS CELEBRATORY ACTIVITIES:
Gaining literacy broadens Hemet man's horizon
Press-Enterprise: August 20, 2005 by Herbert Atienza

Since Edwin Catte learned to read, many doors of opportunities have opened.

In recent weeks, the 57-year-old Hemet resident received a license to operate a ham radio, allowing him to participate in an activity he has been fascinated with for years.

Also recently, he passed a test allowing him to obtain a food handlers permit, which he needs for his job at the local Wendy's restaurant.

Catte is among the hundreds of adult learners over the years whose lives were changed with help from the Hemet Public Library's Adult Literacy Services Program. The program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and a number of activities are planned for September, which is National Literacy Awareness Month.

The Hemet program, which receives most of its funding from the California State Library, helps adults gain literacy, either by pairing them with tutors or through self-study with education materials and computer programs. The learners must be at least 16, out of school and speak English.

"It really has changed my life," said Catte, who received a diploma from a high school in Ontario years before, but is first to admit that he just fell through the cracks and never did learn to read in school.

"Literacy affects people's life, health and employability," said Lori Eastman, program coordinator.

She said learning to read lets adult learners engage in activities that other adults take for granted, as well as opens a door that lets them be heard and make informed decisions.

Last year, about 100 adult learners and about 50 volunteer tutors participated in the program, she said.

"I believe that there has to be trust that develops between a learner and a tutor," said Dennis Hatfield, a 67-year-old Hemet resident who has been tutoring Catte for the past year.

"The learners cannot be embarrassed about making mistakes and (tutors) have to admit that they don't know everything," he said.

Hatfield, who retired as a production manager for 3M Co. in St. Paul, Minn., said he has developed a deep respect for adults who seek to become literate because they want to take charge of their lives.

He and Catte meet for a few hours two or three times a week, and they use workbooks that help build vocabulary and reading skills.

They worked intensively in recent months as Catte prepared to take the ham radio licensure test.

Catte said he was inspired to learn to read because he has always been fascinated with ham radio. He said he built his first receiver when he was 16.

"I got tired of listening and wanted to do it myself," he said.

When Catte needed to get a food handlers permit, the two of them studied a booklet with information that food handlers need to know.

Catte said the tutorial sessions with Hatfield let him learn at a comfortable pace.

"He doesn't push me; he has a lot of patience with me," Catte said. "He's become not just a tutor, but a friend."

The Hemet Public Library is planning activities to celebrate National Literacy Awareness Month:

READ-A-THON to mark International Literacy Awareness Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 8, at the Hemet Public Library, 300 E. Latham Ave.

HOW TO READ ALOUD workshop, 6:30 to 8p.m., Sept. 13, Hemet Public Library Conference Room.

LITERACY AWARENESS FAIR and Adult Literacy Services Open House, 10 a.m. to 2p.m., Sept. 17, 315 E. Latham Ave., Hemet

S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E Tournament, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, Hemet Public Library

Ventura Co Library - Literacy gives adult a chance at a life that she'd never had

Literacy gives adult a chance at a life that she'd never had
Ventura County Star: July 1, 2005 by C Cason

Anne Frank spent years in the darkness. The windows of the Amsterdam attic where her family and friends hid from the Nazis were blacked out so passers-by would see no sign of the desperate existence within.

But when fear and depression closed in on the Jewish teen-ager, she would peer out a shattered skylight and hope for a better day, a better world and a better Anne.

Anne chronicled the days in hiding in her now-famous diary, which was published after she died in a Nazi concentration camp a few weeks before it was liberated by Allied forces in March 1945.

Lucy Newman also spent years in darkness. It was darkness imposed on her by a society that did not value her as a person.

Born in rural Mexico in 1958, she was put to work in the fields at age 6. Her father did not believe in sending daughters to school.

To escape his iron rule, she came to Oxnard to take a job as a baby sitter at age 21.

Unable to read or even write her own name in her native Spanish, she had no way to stay in touch with her mother.

"I was angry at myself because I couldn't do things like other people; I felt handicapped," she told me as we chatted recently under a pepper tree at Saticoy School in Ventura.

Soon after coming to the United States, she married a man who forbid her to go to night school to learn to read.

When Newman became a Jehovah's Witness, though, a volunteer taught her a little written Spanish using Bible stories. At least, it was a beginning.

Eventually, her marriage ended, and Newman, by then the mother of two, took a job in maintenance at Edison.

There she met her current husband, James Newman.

She spoke no English. He spoke no Spanish. A pocket Spanish-English dictionary got them over the rough patches.

Thrown into situations with her new husband's English-speaking family, Newman was so determined to learn their language she listened by the hour to English radio stations.

About 10 years ago, her husband contacted the Ventura County Adult Literacy Program to secure a tutor for his wife.

Lucy Newman worked hard during the one-on-one sessions -- this time with the encouragement of her spouse.

"You've got to read, Lucy," her husband told her when she brought home a container of sour cream instead of cottage cheese. Before literacy, she was forced to memorize the appearance of food containers. And mistakes were inevitable.

"I was like a baby learning to walk," she recalled. "I would take a step, tremble and then fall. And get back up again."

But then something happened that slowed her progress to a crawl.

In 1994, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She suffered severe side effects from the chemotherapy, including memory loss. Much of the written English she learned seemed to evaporate.

About the time she had licked the cancer, she discovered to her amazement she was pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy girl, now 9-year-old Janelle.

There were setbacks but also milestones. Newman became a U.S. citizen eight years ago after passing the written test in English.

Patience is a good quality for a driver in Southern California, and Newman has plenty. It took her four hours to complete her written driver's exam.

Every Wednesday these days, she and her volunteer tutor, Neill Robinson, huddle in a classroom at Saticoy School.

Lucy keeps the eraser end of the pencil poised to scratch out the slightest mistake.

She seems terrified to write down anything she finds stupid. If only I had the same good sense.

But a panel of judges found nothing stupid in one of Newman's recent essays.

In April, she was named one of 16 finalists in the California Writer to Writer challenge -- an essay contest for literacy students.

She wrote an open letter to Anne Frank, after sailing through her diary.

"The most important thing I learned from your story," she wrote, "is that to survive a difficult situation it's important to never give up hope.

"I think that you were very brave while being so young. You made me see things differently. Thank you, Anne. You changed my life."

Before reading "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl," Newman had never known about the Jewish Holocaust -- a chapter of history most of us learn about in school.

Now, she is determined to make up for all lost time. She is working toward computer literacy as well as English literacy at Ventura Adult School. She eventually hopes to earn a high school equivalency diploma and to attend community college.

"Now I can do this. My days of bottles and diapers are over," she said.

After years in darkness, Lucy Newman sees daylight. And you better believe she's going for it.

-- To find out more about free, one-on-one tutoring through the Reading Program for Adults, call 641-4484.