January 2020
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Volume 8, Issue 1
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The Insider
The Insider, the monthly newsletter of LVA, Essex & Passaic Counties, will keep you in the loop on all of the organization’s upcoming events.
Tutors received important tips and techniques from Caitlyn Pezza last month during the “Getting Your Students Writing" workshop.
Literacy Volunteers of America Essex & Passaic Counties90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 566-6200, ext. 217 or 225 195 Gregory Avenue, 2nd Floor, Passaic, NJ 07055 (973) 470-0039 Cristhian Barcelos -Executive Director
[email protected] Jorge Chavez -Data Processing Coordinator [email protected] Debbie Graham -Education Coordinator [email protected] Ellen Rooney Martin -Recruitment & Training Coordinator [email protected] Mary O’Connor -Trainer & Tutor Support Specialist [email protected] Marisol Ramirez -Student Coordinator [email protected] |
Greetings LVA Family,
Well that was some year we just finished, possibly the best ever, according to a New York Times editorial, and scores of other publications that ran the paper’s story in their editions. “In the long arc of human history, 2019 has been the best year ever … since modern humans emerged about 200,000 years ago, 2019 was probably the year in which children were least likely to die, adults were least likely to be illiterate and people were least likely to suffer excruciating and disfiguring diseases,” the story offered. https://bit.ly/2QsVL1u For sure there was plenty to feel good about in 2019 but, when it comes to adult literacy, our work is far from over. We wish all of you in the adult education community a safe, happy, and successful new year as you continue your efforts. Last year certainly became a good year for New Jersey residents without formal legal status when Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill in December that made them eligible to obtain state driver’s licenses. New Jersey joined 14 other states, along with Washington D.C., that passed such a law. See news story below. If you’ve never heard the endearing story of Veronica Poole, an Irish woman who returned to school 50 years after dropping out and, 10 weeks later, was asked to write and deliver a speech on national television, please watch “One woman’s moving adult literacy journey.” Shivers. https://bit.ly/2QViUc1 In the News
To view the following stories, copy and paste the highlighted website into an internet search bar.
‘Undocumented immigrants will be able to get NJ driver’s licenses,’ NJ.com https://bit.ly/2MW8Uho ‘New analysis probes economic costs of illiteracy,’ Politico https://politi.co/2Mqpea2 ‘No Improvement in American Adults' Literacy, Numeracy, or Digital Problem-Solving Skills,’ Business Wire https://bwnews.pr/2Qf9V54 ‘Learning a new language is like an illicit love affair,’ TheWeek.com https://bit.ly/35TGtIt ‘U.S. Spanglish: How This Hybrid Language Ended Up as A Course in Over 40 Colleges Across the Country,’ Be Latina https://bit.ly/2rHoE0c |
Chaivarit, who goes by the nickname “Zeno”, is known for the long hours he spends studying English outside of weekly lessons with his tutors.
Tutor Training Workshops
Bloomfield Public Library
-by Mary O’Connor 90 Broad Street Bloomfield, NJ 07003 Tuesdays, 10:00 am-1:00 pm February 25, March 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31, 2020 Clifton Memorial Library, Allwood Branch -by Darnelle Richardson 44 Lyall Road Clifton, NJ 07012 Saturdays, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm April 4, 11, 18, 25, May 2, & 9, 2020 Tutor Support Workshops
"Taking the Mystery out of Lesson Plans,"
with Ann Moore Bloomfield Public Library 90 Broad Street, 2nd floor Boardroom Bloomfield, NJ 07003 Tuesday, January 21, 2020, 1:00-2:30 pm "Coffee with Friends," with Students & Tutors Bloomfield Public Library 90 Broad Street, Library Theater Bloomfield, NJ 07003 Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm |
Getting to Know Us
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‘Brain Waste’: Highly skilled immigrants struggle to fill workforce gaps
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Getting to Know Us
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Adult Literacy & Community Library Partnership Pilot Program
Hilton Branch, Maplewood Memorial Library
They came from Haiti, China, Turkey, Syria, Latin America, and the African continent, fleeing a war or the aftermath of a crippling earthquake or just seeking better economic opportunities. Yet, despite their different backgrounds, they worked together, and got along, as adult students in two English classes offered last fall at the Hilton Branch of the Maplewood Memorial Library. Several said that they hoped the classes would help lead to better jobs, new careers, or improved lives through basic English fluency.
The classes were offered through the Adult Literacy and Community Library Partnership, a state program that aims to create direct partnerships between local libraries and adult literacy service providers. Together, libraries and literacy organizations provide training or language instruction that help New Jersey residents increase their Adult Basic Education and language proficiency skills and improve their chances of finding employment.
Marie, a student in the program, was a teacher in her native Haiti and would love to continue her passion of teaching children, once her English improves. She came to the U.S. after losing her father in the Haitian earthquake of January 2010. But she is motivated by the principles he and her mother taught her, particularly the importance of an education. “Her participation in the ESOL program continues to help her reach her goal of understanding and speaking English,” said Glenda Wills, her teacher in the first level class.
For student Rita, the adjustment to life in the states was sometimes overwhelming, given that she left her entire family behind in Brazil. Things improved vastly after she married and had two sons, said Eidy Urena, her teacher in the intermediate class. “She’s excited about learning English and is happy to continue her life in America,” Eidy said.
The classes were offered through the Adult Literacy and Community Library Partnership, a state program that aims to create direct partnerships between local libraries and adult literacy service providers. Together, libraries and literacy organizations provide training or language instruction that help New Jersey residents increase their Adult Basic Education and language proficiency skills and improve their chances of finding employment.
Marie, a student in the program, was a teacher in her native Haiti and would love to continue her passion of teaching children, once her English improves. She came to the U.S. after losing her father in the Haitian earthquake of January 2010. But she is motivated by the principles he and her mother taught her, particularly the importance of an education. “Her participation in the ESOL program continues to help her reach her goal of understanding and speaking English,” said Glenda Wills, her teacher in the first level class.
For student Rita, the adjustment to life in the states was sometimes overwhelming, given that she left her entire family behind in Brazil. Things improved vastly after she married and had two sons, said Eidy Urena, her teacher in the intermediate class. “She’s excited about learning English and is happy to continue her life in America,” Eidy said.
Passaic Public Library and LVA Partnership
When Arlyn left the Dominican Republic, opting to raise her three daughters in the U.S., there seemed no urgent need to learn English, she said. Spanish was widely-spoken in her Bronx neighborhood and in the beauty salon where she worked as a secretary. But years later, when her family moved to Saddle Brook, NJ, everything changed. She found that she could converse with no one, especially not with her girls’ school teachers - - not without the aid of her husband. “Nobody understood me!” she complained.
So last fall, Arlyn enrolled in a beginner’s ESOL class at the Reid Memorial Branch of the Passaic Public Library where, according to her teacher, Jalaire Craver, her progress is obvious. “I feel good about this class,” Arlyn said. “The level is right for me and I like the people.”
Like Arlyn, dozens of adults enrolled in classes offered through a partnership between the Passaic Public Library and LVA Essex & Passaic Counties. One student, Liliana, a native of Ecuador who works as a nurse’s assistant, wants to improve her English so that she can study nursing and become a U.S. citizen. “This program exceeded my expectations,” said Liliana, who attended Grizzly Matias’s class at the Passaic Public Library’s main branch.
Some students left behind loved ones at home and struggled to adjust to lives in a new country. In the end, it was worth the effort, said Adriana, a student from Mexico. “I never imagined that my children would speak two languages, and that my older son would play the cello at school,” she said. “For me, it’s important that my children are happy, and that I can give them tools for a better future.”
So last fall, Arlyn enrolled in a beginner’s ESOL class at the Reid Memorial Branch of the Passaic Public Library where, according to her teacher, Jalaire Craver, her progress is obvious. “I feel good about this class,” Arlyn said. “The level is right for me and I like the people.”
Like Arlyn, dozens of adults enrolled in classes offered through a partnership between the Passaic Public Library and LVA Essex & Passaic Counties. One student, Liliana, a native of Ecuador who works as a nurse’s assistant, wants to improve her English so that she can study nursing and become a U.S. citizen. “This program exceeded my expectations,” said Liliana, who attended Grizzly Matias’s class at the Passaic Public Library’s main branch.
Some students left behind loved ones at home and struggled to adjust to lives in a new country. In the end, it was worth the effort, said Adriana, a student from Mexico. “I never imagined that my children would speak two languages, and that my older son would play the cello at school,” she said. “For me, it’s important that my children are happy, and that I can give them tools for a better future.”