October 2024 |
Volume 12, Issue 10
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The Insider
The Insider, the monthly newsletter of LVA Essex & Passaic Counties, will keep you in the loop on all the organization’s upcoming events.
How to Provide Adult Learners and Immigrant Women the Education They Need
The NonProfit Quarterly published an interesting article we thought you would like to read, as we prepare many of our students to move into higher education. The article recognizes the need to make changes to the current education system to better serve students. https://bit.ly/3A3dx5b 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] Sydnay Eckerling -Education Coordinator [email protected] Valeria Garrido -Social Media & Newsletter Coordinator [email protected] Cheryl Locastro -Tutor Support Specialist & ESOL Instructor [email protected] Marisol Ramirez -Student Coordinator [email protected] |
Greetings LVA family!
As autumn settles around us, we find inspiration in the changing season, a reminder of the potential for growth and transformation in each of us. This month, our focus is on the life-changing power of literacy—a cornerstone of personal empowerment and social equity. Literacy is more than words on a page; it is the bridge to opportunity, connection, and resilience. Take John’s story. "I wanted to educate myself and be able to read and write properly," John shared. He has been learning with LVA for three years and has made remarkable progress. His increased confidence, especially in speaking and understanding English, is a testament to his dedication and the support he’s received from his tutor. Equally inspiring is the journey of Kat, a volunteer tutor who brings compassion and dedication to each session. Equally inspiring is the journey of Kat, a volunteer tutor who brings compassion and dedication to each session. She was drawn to LVA’s mission of helping adults improve their literacy and English skills, inspired by her great-grandparents’ own journey learning English as new immigrants to the U.S. Across the nation, advocates are calling for a renewed focus on literacy as a critical component of equity, a point highlighted in “The Truth About Reading: Literacy is Equity.” This month’s feature story reminds us that when literacy barriers are removed, doors to opportunity open. It’s a truth we witness every day here at Literacy Volunteers of America in Essex and Passaic Counties, where each tutoring session chips away at obstacles and builds a foundation for future success. Thank you for being part of our mission. Together, we’re building a more literate, equitable world, one word at a time. Enjoy the stories and resources in this month’s newsletter, and thank you for supporting LVAEP. In the News
Copy and paste the highlighted website into an internet search bar to view the following stories.
“7 New Books Recommended This Week" The New York Times. https://bit.ly/48pwQCq “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Reading Every Day" Very Well Health. https://bit.ly/3UlX2rA “Factors affecting teacher-student interactions in a foreign language teaching class: a language socialisation theory perspective” Nature.com. https://bit.ly/40f0doV |
John is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. He was fluent in English when he arrived, but realized improving his reading and writing skills would open doors to further his education and create new opportunities.
Tutor Training WorkshopsOnline Training, by TBD
Platform: Zoom (sponsored by LNJ) Tuesdays, 6 to 8 pm Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, & Feb. 4, 2025 Online Training, by TBD Platform: Zoom (sponsored by LNJ) Wednesdays, 6 to 8 pm Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29, & Feb. 5, 2025 Tutor Support Workshops"Tutoring in a Cross-Cultural Setting," with Doug Allen
Platform: Google Meet Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 7 pm – 8:30 pm "USA Learns-Access America: A FREE Resource to Support ESL Students," with Alisa Takeuchi Platform: Google Meet Friday, December 13, 2024, 3 pm - 4:30 pm Coffee Hour with Tutors
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Getting to Know Us
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The truth about reading: Literacy is equity
43 Million adults in the U.S. are functionally illiterate. Until I learned to read and write at the age of 48, I was one of them.
Without the vital tools of literacy, I was left suspended in my childhood: academically, intellectually, spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally. As a man in my forties, I was unable to do what came easily to some: read the printed words that surrounded me. I know what it’s like to be seated in the “dumb row” of a classroom, to flip over a desk in rage, to feel like an alien in your own homeland, to learn how to camouflage as a means of survival. I know what it’s like to believe that there’s something wrong with you. Today, millions of children in America are victims of our still ongoing illiteracy and sub-literacy crisis. Reports from the National Institute of Health (NIH) tell us that though an estimated 95% or more of children can learn to read proficiently, over 60% of children in the U.S. are not reading at grade level. Further, while a small subset of children can learn to read no matter how they are taught, a majority of students require explicit instruction to learn how to decode and encode the written language, skills that the human brain is not naturally wired to do. This isn’t just an academic concern. Illiteracy and sub-literacy have serious implications on individual, systemic, and societal levels. According to a 2011 study by a Maryland General Assembly task force, children who can not read proficiently by third grade are significantly more likely to drop out of high school, and are therefore at higher risk of financial instability, reduced employment opportunities, and incarceration. There is no magic pill to cure illiteracy. The only cure for illiteracy is literacy–and achieving it requires an approach aligned with science. The Reading League defines the science of reading as “a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing.” For the full story please copy and paste this link on your browser: https://bit.ly/3YzYWaF Student Resources
Learning a new culture is more than studying a language. Tutoring is more than learning techniques. Our “Resources” webpage covers everything from legal matters, health care, & scholarships for immigrants, to professional development for tutors. Give us a look @: http://www.lvaep.org/students.html
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Getting to Know Us
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