Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties, NJ Inc.

September 2019

Volume 7, Issue 9

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.

There are all kinds of ways to teach your students. Here’s LVA tutor Elleen Hyeaman with her student , Luis working at the computers during tutoring at the Bloomfield Public Library.

Literacy Volunteers of America Essex & Passaic Counties

90 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
                                           cbarcelos@lvaep.org
Jorge Chavez               -Data Processing Coordinator
                                           jchavez@lvaep.org
Debbie Graham           -Education Coordinator
                                           dgraham@lvaep.org
Ellen Rooney Martin -Recruitment & Training Coordinator
                         emartin@lvaep.org
Mary O’Connor          -Trainer & Tutor Support Specialist
                                           moconnor@lvaep.org
Marisol Ramirez          -Student Coordinator
                                           mramirez@lvaep.org

Greetings LVA Family,

With the approach of fall, one of our favorite seasons, we’re working double time to ensure that this year’s Annual Awards Ceremony is an event the literacy community can take pride in. It’s that one time each year that we get students and their families together with tutors, teachers, and literacy advocates who give and hear some powerful personal testimonies about the struggles and joys of learning to speak, read, and write English.

This year’s ceremony will be held at the East Orange Public Library on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, from 6:00-8:00 pm. When you receive your invitation, please respond and feel free to bring your family and friends.

“What Would You Do?” The TV show that places actors in compromising public situations to see whether onlookers will get involved recently focused on adult illiteracy. An August episode featured two actors: a coffee shop cashier who belittles an illiterate customer who cannot read the café’s menu. It gets a bit emotional and is a good example of the barriers facing adults with limited literacy. You can view the episode here:
https://abcn.ws/2k3mODa

Good news for weekend students and tutors: The Bloomfield Public Library reopens on Saturdays, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, beginning September 7, 2019.

Don’t forget to check Page 2 and our website for upcoming tutor support workshops which are open to all, not just LVA members. Just remember to confirm your attendance.

In the News

To view the following stories, copy and paste the highlighted website into an internet search bar.

'Five reasons English speakers struggle to learn foreign languages’ The Conversation https://bit.ly/2XMvxvh

‘Can hearing lots of languages offer benefits of bilingualism?’ Futurity https://bit.ly/2jVlVwi

‘Newark Program Expands Literacy, Fitness for Children in the Community’ Tap Into Newark https://bit.ly/2lVogIm

‘How the limits of the mind shape human language’
The Conversation https://bit.ly/2lQxrJT

‘Adults who can't read are hiding in plain sight around Mid-Michigan’ ABC12 https://bit.ly/2lWwG29

Katty (left) and Solange, sisters from Ecuador, reunited in the U.S. after a long separation and now study together at LVA. They are shown here with their daughters.

Tutor Training Workshops

Montclair Public Library
-by Mary Kao
50 South Fullerton Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
Saturdays, 12:15-3:45 pm
September 21, 28, October 5, 12, 19, & 26, 2019

West Orange Public Library
-by Barbara Bagger
46 Mt. Pleasant Ave
West Orange, NJ 07052
Wednesdays, 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
October 16, 23, 30, November 6, 13, & 20, 2019

Tutor Support Workshops

"Teaching Struggling Readers,"
with Nora Devine
Bloomfield Public Library
90 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Tuesday, September 24, 2019, 1:30-2:30 pm

“Teaching Non-fiction Reading,”
with Erik Jacobson
Bloomfield Public Library
90 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 1:00-2:30 pm

Getting to Know Us
Solange & Katty, LVA student

Solange and Katty’s paths sprouted like different flowers from the same garden – growing distinct and unalike over time - but ultimately, they would cross as the siblings pursued the same goal: to learn English.

These Ecuadorian sisters were reunited in the United States - - Solange after spending a decade in Spain where she was raising a young son, and Katty after leaving Ecuador at their father’s request. “He thought we would have more opportunities,” Katty explained.

And indeed they did. Katty studied English at Essex County College, and Solange, the elder by one year, worked as a waitress in a restaurant where she not only earned a living, but met her future husband. They’ve been together seven years.

It was Solange who first learned of Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties. “Solange found out about the program through friends,” Katty recalled. “It is inexpensive, it is good, so, she asked me if I would like to come with her. In the car, driving to our first meeting at the library, I felt good. And our tutor is special.”

That would be Marianne, the tutor that Solange and Katty work with at least four hours each week. Four fun hours, we might add. Frequently, an office staff member has to remind them that in fact, they ARE in a library, a noise restricted zone.

Their main motivation for enrolling in LVA was to enable the sisters to help their children with schoolwork. Marianne first saw to it that they applied for Bloomfield Public Library cards which, although they are not Bloomfield residents, they obtained because they had LVA student ID cards.

Marianne weaves in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and comprehension into her two lessons per week. Topics are often centered around every day practical needs.

“I have seen that Solange and Katty have become more verbal and more comfortable with using the English language,” Marianne said. “LVA has given them more self-confidence in their oral and written English language skills.”

Literacy opens a wide door to life. Help us keep that door open with your donation!

Thanks in large part to you, we are able to aid hundreds of students each year. Please continue your efforts to improve the lives of others by giving the gift of literacy. You can contribute by mailing us a check or through our website @:

http://www.lvaep.org/donate.html

“For 60 years, Betty Kaeding was illiterate; now she’s publishing a book”

The Murray Valley Standard

By Peri Strathearn, August 12, 2019

She hid her illiteracy from her children and their teachers, and from anyone else who might have found out. “I used to pretend I'd lost my glasses,” she said. “I used to get strangers to fill out social security forms for me. It was very difficult, but you get through it."

Becoming a published author would be a life achievement for anyone.

So for Betty Anne Kaeding, who could not read or write for the first 60 years of her life, the publication of a book of her poetry and prose this Sunday will be extra special.

She missed out on much of her education when her childhood in England was interrupted by World War II, as she and her five brothers were evacuated to Wales.

She was married at 17, and soon found her abusive first husband wanted her very much to stay at home, look after the children and not enjoy any sort of independence - so she never learned.

"I thought I was just meant to be a mum," she said.

"I never really thought about it - I just focused on the children and doing what the man wanted."

The only letters she ever learned to form were those in her own name. She hid her illiteracy from her children and their teachers, and from anyone else who might have found out.

Reprinted from the The Murray Valley Standard. For full story, paste the following link into your favorite web browser address bar: https://bit.ly/2lvK0Kz

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

Getting to Know Us
Enid Friedman, LVA tutor

Engaging others in a good life experience story is something of an art. And there are few around who can still weave a good tale like tutor Enid Friedman.

It’s a joy to listen as she describes how, as a child during World War II, she stood in line with her family, armed with coupons to purchase eggs which, along with milk, butter, cheese, bacon, and sugar, was rationed during the 1940s.

And it’s a bit of a history lesson to hear her tell how children saved tin foil from their gum wrappers, rolling them into balls to be taken to collection sites, as the government encouraged citizens to recycle scrap metals, even cans and tin foil, to keep them engaged during the war effort at home.

For much of her career, Enid’s audience was students at Essex County College where she taught just about every course the English Department offered. After 46 years there, she decided to close the book on a long and fulfilling career. What she didn’t know was how much she would miss it.

“I missed the dynamic of the classroom,” explained Enid, a retired English professor at the Newark institution. “I missed the interaction of the students.”

So when the opportunity arose to tutor adults as a literacy volunteer, Enid grabbed it. She enrolled in an LVA tutor training program last year and has since been helping adults learn English.

“This to me filled a void after I retired,” she said. “Teaching at LVA gave me the opportunity to fill that void. It is a wonderful experience.”

Enid’s students are from the Dominican Republic and Turkey. She encourages them to read vocabulary-rich vignettes, which they discuss as they compare the stories to their own experiences. Students write about their lives in journals and play word games to learn syntax. “They are getting confidence in speaking, writing and reading,” she said.

And she strives to make her sessions interactive, something her students find comfort in.

“Enid is an excellent teacher,” said Rosa, a student from the Dominican Republic. “She creates a nice, friendly atmosphere in class. I feel like my English has improved.”