Written by Admin on 20/05/2024. Posted in ESOL Success Stories, Featured Articles, Success Stories

One of our students from Afghanistan and her family were granted asylum!

We’re so happy for them! Her incredible tutor, J.K., and her church organized a celebration party. There was ice cream, lots of yummy food, cake, and friends. However, our student’s favorite part was communicating in English with her new community!

Our student, who we can’t name for security reasons, came to the United States with her husband and two preschool daughters, fleeing her home country and the Taliban during the great international airlift of August 2021. After stops in Qatar, Germany, and New Mexico, the family arrived in Asheville in January 2022. She had no access to formal education in her home country and did not read or write in her native language. She’s been taking English lessons twice a week since May 2022 and can now help her daughter with homework and be herself at parties and events. She enjoys cooking food for her home country, making beautiful embroidered dresses for her daughters, and creating colorful jewelry. She has big dreams about her family’s future, and we’re sure she’ll accomplish them!

Thank you to her tutor for the continuous support! We love it when she comes to the office to tell us about her student’s small and big wins! Our tutors do so much more than teaching English. They’re cheerleaders, advocates, and friends.

Literacy changes lives! Would you like to become a volunteer tutor to support your immigrant neighbors? Learn more about the ESOL Program and how to become a volunteer tutor.

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Written by Admin on 20/05/2024. Posted in Corporate Partner Spotlight

Corporate Partner Spotlight: Heartwood Realty

What sets your company apart?

Alisha and Jess are part owners of a small locally focused firm at Heartwood Realty. Alisha is a former teacher who is passionate about educating clients and going above and beyond to be there every step of the way. Her organization and communication skills that she has carried over from teaching means that no detail goes overlooked and no questions goes unanswered. Alisha’s passion for passing on knowledge with clarity and honesty make her clients feel comfortable and confident from start to finish. Jess’ background is in therapy and mediation, and these strengths allow him to build strong relationships and carefully mentor and guide clients. The process of selling or buying can be overwhelming and Jess is really able to help navigate these tough transitions and help clients accomplish their goals. Also, his experience in construction and remodeling allows him to identify nuances of a property that might be overlooked by others. He aims to always help clients be prepared to be successful homeowners and he’s been known to go back and help with a home project after move in. Together, Alisha and Jess are a strong complementary team that have the ability to provide you more than the average agent.

Why did you choose to support Literacy Together?

As a former teacher, literacy is near and dear to Alisha’s heart. Jess also has worked with troubled youth in his past. They both know that literacy is the key to unlocking so many doors, whether young or old. In this profession, strong literacy skills support people’s ability to foster independence. They especially loved that this organization was supporting the students that Alisha cares so deeply for and the adults trying to better their lives through reading.

What is your favorite book? (Or what are you reading now?)

Alisha is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series and can’t wait until their son is old enough to enjoy the books with her. As a former middle school librarian, her favorite overall genre is middle school fantasy! Jess enjoys science fiction and is always reading something, often completing multiple books a week. His favorite series is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Please let us know if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a corporate partner. Contact LuAnn at LuAnn@lit-together.org. Thanks!

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Written by Admin on 25/03/2024. Posted in Adult Literacy Program Success Stories, ESOL Success Stories, Success Stories

Glory Andrade, one of our Adult Literacy/ESOL students, wrote an article for a national journal!

Glory Andrade, one of our Adult Literacy/ESOL students, wrote an article for a national journal! It’s called The Change Agent. All the articles are by ABE/ASE and ESOL students. Please see p.26-27 for her story. She is a superhero. For real.

Read the article here!

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Written by Admin on 25/03/2024. Posted in ESOL Success Stories, Success Stories

Literacy for all! (by our ESOL volunteer tutor J.K.)

J.K. is an ESOL volunteer tutor of a student who immigrated here in January 2022. She sent us this note last week, and we’re sharing it with you with her permission. Thank you, J.K.!

“My student’s oldest girl entered first grade this fall. The school recently reported that she was not doing her homework, which is learning her ABCs and numbers and reading beginning-level books.

At first, the family had the reflexive reaction that her father, who is university-educated in his country of origin, would work with his daughter on her homework. Her mom -my student- had no access to formal education in her home country and did not read or write her native language when she arrived in Asheville. She has been studying English for a year and a half and is now proficient enough in English to help her daughter.

She knows and writes both the upper and lower case alphabet beautifully. She can also write, read, and manipulate numbers into the 100s. She is accomplished in reading and writing the 40 Dolch Pre-K sight words and is working on the 52-word Dolch Kindergarten words. She is a great asset to her daughter, and her status in the family is raised by her role as a teacher.

The “Homework Project” is now a whole family effort! She is a joy to work with. I am so lucky to have her as part of my life!”

Would you like to support an immigrant neighbor who wants to learn English? Sign up for an orientation meeting and learn more about our English for Speakers of Other Languages Program and the other Literacy Together programs.

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Written by Admin on 04/12/2023. Posted in ESOL Success Stories, Success Stories

Sergio’s Success Story

Sergio is a local photographer and an ESOL student from Michoacan, Mexico. He came to the US 20 years ago and started taking classes with us in 2018. Sergio considers his one-on-one classes crucial to his success in learning English. Fluency in his adopted country’s language has also improved his business since he can now work with English speakers in addition to the Latino community. Watch this video where he tells his story, and check out his beautiful photography here.

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at Literacy Together, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam.

Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors. Tutors may choose to teach one (1) two-hour session or two (2) one-hour sessions each week and may do so online or in person. Sign up online to volunteer.

The ESOL Program welcomes volunteers from all over the world. We now have tutors in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Texas, the UK, and Germany! Read Barbara’s experience tutoring Maryna remotely, or Cecelia’s work from Germany as an ESOL tutor of six students.

Enjoy more ESOL success stories!

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