Being a tutor for Literacy Together (by Martha, an ESOL tutor)

Reading the local paper, I learned that 88 Afghan refugees were being brought to Asheville for resettlement after they escaped from Kabul. Wow, I thought, why Asheville?

The article said a local not-for-profit sought volunteers to become tutors. “No expertise is needed,” Literacy Together promised they could train volunteers to become effective tutors.

I did not believe they could train me to be a good English tutor, but they did make that promise.

I often thought, “I wish there was something I could do,” but the situations I read about seemed too enormous or global for me to make any difference. But here was this request, right before me, where just one person could contribute. All my doubts and insecurities about competence stayed present, but I decided to sign up and see what happened.

At the start of the first tutor training session with Erin, she said by the end of the lesson, we would all be able to read and understand the page of German she presented. I was sure she must be talking to others, not me! 

As the training session progressed, I saw what a great teacher Erin was and how she made it all seem effortless, fun, and enjoyable. Finally, at session’s end, I could read that page in German. Suddenly, this seemed possible. The textbooks Erin provided for us contained the same excellent teaching tools.

Now trained and committed, I waited. Once the refugees arrived, Erin would test and assess skill level to determine which refugee to assign to which tutor. I got to pick from several options of times and places for tutoring.  

I had picked Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 pm to 2 pm. Within a few weeks, I found out I would be tutoring an 18 year old female student. She was arriving in Asheville with a sister, brother, and cousin who would all share a small home for the next six months provided by Catholic Charities.

I was slightly nervous my first time walking into a tiny room at AB Tech to meet my new student. Elaha sat before me, quiet, demure, with barely audible replies to anything I said. However, she already spoke and understood quite a bit of English, and when I asked her how she learned English, she said, “Watching movies on the internet.” “They have American movies in Afghanistan?” I asked incredulously. “No,” she patiently explained, “English subtitles to movies.” I was already impressed.  

Of course, she also knew Hindi, Dari, and Urdu. Fortunately for me, Erin had given me the most brilliant student! She told me that she wanted to be a neurosurgeon and was soon asking which was the best medical school. It seemed absurd that I was the tutor!

My first tutoring session with Elaha was on Dec. 18, 2021. In the coming days, I would meet her entire family. I never guessed how enriched my life would be by knowing them. I have learned, grown, and loved more than I could have imagined or foreseen. Wanting to give and contribute was the motivation for volunteering, yet it seems the gifts have all been mine.

I learned I could make a difference, and how invigorating it is to be inspired by this partnership with my student.

I learned about a new culture that ended up revealing much about my own culture.

I learned to be proud of my city, watching the caring, compassionate, and giving citizens respond to these new residents. I now know the answer to “Why Asheville?”

I learned how self-centered the independent ethos of America seemed compared to the community family ethos of Afghanistan people. I learned that once you are ‘adopted’ into an Afghan family, you are accepted, just as you are, and then taken care of.

I learned the difference between education as a privilege (to Elaha) and education as a thing to do (me). What a world of difference and quite different results! I learned how privileged my point of view is and the many things I take for granted.

I want to thank literacy together for all the good things they have done. They gave me the most valuable gift, my friend Martha. She is a gift of God and Literacy Together in my life, and I am very thankful to Erin, that matched Martha and me together. In this new journey of my life, Martha is like an angel who helps me and teaches me everything, not just English. I am very thankful. ~Elaha

This story was published in the Mountain Xpress!

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.



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Congratulations, Iris, on reading your first book!

By Rebecca Massey, Adult Literacy Program Director
 
 
 
 
Iris called me this week to tell me she read her first book! She was so excited. I asked if she could write a few sentences about how that made her feel and why it was so important to her. She wrote a letter and brought it straight to me that day. And she picked up two more books to take home because she loves the feeling of reading now. Iris is an amazing and inspiring person, and we are all grateful to work with her. Here is what she wrote about this milestone in her life:
 

“Well everyone, I did something I never thought I could. That was to read a book. I did it all on my own. I accomplished it myself

I feel so good about it. It was 101 pages, WOW!! The name of the book is Never Going Back. That is so true for me.”

She thanked her two tutors, Jan and Ray, and the Adult Literacy director, Rebecca, for helping her reach this important goal:
 
“Thank you, I could not have done it without them.”
 
“Iris is an absolute delight! She has such a positive approach to learning and life! I hope to be able to work with her for a long time! ” 
Jan, Iris’s math tutor
 
“Through hard work and perseverance, Iris has accomplished something she thought was impossible:  read an entire book.  This is only her first goal in building her reading skills.  Congratulations, Iris!”
– Ray, Iris’s reading tutor
 

Read more Adult Literacy Program success stories

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Thank you, Mike!

Mike has been with us for ten years and has had three (sometimes overlapping) students: one for five years, one for almost three years, and Olga for 5.5 years. He is now 88 years old, and he retired. He had his last class with Olga on Friday. Thank you, Mike! Watch Olga’s experience working with Mike: 

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The Youth Literacy Program partners with Stephens-Lee Recreation Center

Our Youth Literacy Program has expanded its paid internship program to include the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, a program within the City of Asheville Parks and Recreation. Five teens participating in the Stephens-Lee after-school program were selected to be paid interns to provide one-on-one reading tutoring to elementary-age students enrolled in the after-school program.

The interns received training on effective literacy instructional strategies and have been provided resources and materials to use with their students. The tutoring pairs meet twice a week to work on literacy skills, including phonics skills, vocabulary development, fluency, and reading comprehension.

In addition, the tutors use literacy games, children’s literature, and engaging lessons to inspire the students to become strong readers. We’re so excited about this new partnership!

Lear more about the Youth Literacy Program.

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ESOL success story: Dulce’s dream came true!

Dulce has been an ESOL student for fifteen years. She started taking classes with a volunteer tutor five years after she moved to the country. She didn’t know much English then but strongly desired to learn. Our one-on-one classes were perfect for her and her learning style. She’s had many ups and downs during these years and sometimes had to take extended breaks from taking lessons due to life circumstances. She always came back.

Last year, inspired by an experience on the morning of her birthday, she wrote “The Sunrise and the Fog,” a book in English! Although she’s always had a passion for writing, it surprised her that she had the impulse to write her first book in her second language. Congratulations, Dulce! And thank you! You can read The sunrise and the fog here! (pay close attention to the dedication!). Watch the video below, where Dulce speaks about her book. Make sure you watch it on Youtube so you can read the subtitles. 

Dulce spoke at our 14th Annual Authors for Literacy Dinner and Auction. In this photo, she’s holding author Silas House’s book, and he’s holding Dulce’s first story. Dulce spoke to the audience and shared her experience as a student and her intention to be a writer and a motivational speaker.

 

Here are Dulce and her tutor Katherine:

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.

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