| Building a community of readers |
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Every year, Read Santa Clara, the adult and family literacy program of the Santa Clara City Library, publishes a book of writings by adult learners called In Our Own Words. The book, available for check-out in the Adult New Reader and the Local History collections of the Library, was made possible last year by a generous grant from the Mission City Community Fund and the Foundation and Friends of the Santa Clara City Library. The book includes contributions from 40 adult learners, several of them writing for the first time in their lives.
One of the adult learners wrote about how his life has changed since he joined the program: “Reading better gives me confidence in myself…I would pass by and see people writing notes and wondered why I could not do that. It didn’t feel good. I wanted to write notes for myself or leave a work note for the next day to give information to other employees. At times I wanted to have the same opportunities that others had. It feels good to make better decisions in my life.”
Kimiko, another learner, wrote, “The library has enriched my life greatly. If you cannot write or read well, you should knock on the door of your local library. The door will open and you will find a wonderful life.”
Read Santa Clara’s trained volunteer tutors provide one-on-one and small group tutoring to about 100 English-speaking adults each year who need help improving their basic reading, writing, and math skills. Prior teaching experience is not required to become a tutor. Read Santa Clara provides 12.5 hours of training to tutors before they are matched with adult learners.
“I thought I’d feel good that I was helping someone learn to read or improve their reading,” said Lois, a volunteer tutor. “Little did I know that I’d feel enriched in so many ways. My current learner serves as a role model for me -- how to truly be a life-long learner. Tutoring gives me glimpses into the lives of others, and I take away nuggets to improve my own life, to help me see life in more optimistic ways.”
The last National Adult Literacy Survey found that there are 30 million Americans nationwide at below basic literacy skill levels who find everyday tasks that involve reading and writing an ordeal. Share your gift of reading with an adult. Call Read Santa Clara at 615-2956 to learn more. |
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