Literacy Live!

Requiring English Language on the Pathway to Citizenship

Long awaited comprehensive immigration reform is finally becoming a reality. While the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia supports immigration reform, it is a bit daunting. It is likely that any piece of legislation around immigration reform or a pathway to citizenship will include an English language requirement. There are thousands of adults living in Northern Virginia who will suddenly be very interested in learning English. And LCNV is very happy to teach them! Can our 15-member staff and 700 volunteers meet this demand? No. Even today we cannot meet the demand for adults seeking beginning-level English. There are over 80 adults on our waiting list. LCNV has the experience and the desire to teach everyone who wants to learn, but what we lack are resources. LCNV needs financial resources to grow its programs to meet the existing need and what could become a staggering need for adult English language instruction. With the hope of comprehensive immigration reform, comes a greater hope for increased funding, awareness, and support for beginning-level adult English language instruction.

Literacy Means Business, LCNV’s April 18 conference, drew together a distinguished group of panelists from business, government, and policy. Our tutors and students know full well that the work of literacy is serious business. Illiteracy, as the business community knows all too well, affects the ability of workers with low-level language skills to perform adequately and to advance on the job. Experts agree that the solutions will require the collaboration of the business, government, and education sectors. LCNV is eager to find more ways to partner with business. Our new Workforce Literacy Project will work with representatives from business, our board of directors, and staff to promote effective partnerships. Our primary focus will be to create a campaign to interest more companies to support literacy education for their employees, to promote tutoring opportunities for employees, and to obtain more corporate funding. Please contact us if you are interested in getting involved!

Patricia M. Donnelly, Executive Director,
and Carol Ashworth, LCNV Volunteer Basic Adult Literacy Tutoring Placement Advisor
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Sunmi: “I Don’t Give Up”

Rachel and her students practice English after class over coffee

Our students are amazing, dedicated workers who are passionate about their studies and the new opportunities that open up to them through learning English. I learn as much from my students as they learn from me. This is something you often hear teachers say, but in our classrooms it has never felt more true. Our students are from all over the world (85 different countries!) and they share their language, their food, and their culture with us every day. I feel inspired by their experiences and love learning more about their personal journeys.

Below is a short essay written by Sunmi, a student in our ESOL classroom program. Sunmi writes about learning English, her struggles with the language, and why it is important for her to keep trying.

English starts is difficult, but I am living in United States because I have to do study English. I would like to share the talk with the other people, but the English study doesn’t easy. I do the studying English every day. However I forget studied one every day. If the other people talk to me by English, a fear gets through me. While however I took to the English class. It was much comfortable with a teacher. A teacher understands my body language. It is so nice of teacher to understand me. So, I start the studying English again. I am yet bad but I would like to do English well on the next time. I don’t give up and makes the next English class.  Maybe I’m greater student will become to the next. 

Sunmi, you already are a great student and I love having you in my class! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Rachel Conn Martin, AmeriCorps Instructor
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Salonissima Book Group supports LCNV!

In 2003, my book group, Salonissima, read Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by investigative journalist Barbara Ehrenreich—who lived and worked as an unskilled worker at below-poverty wages for over a year. Our discussion led to the idea of donating as a group annually to help others.  For several years, we assisted one young woman studying at George Mason University whose family could not help financially. In 2012, we wanted to support a group that supports reading.  Since I was tutoring a student at the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, LCNV was an easy choice!

LCNV reached out to me recently to learn more about Salonissima–now 25-years old. One question:  how did we come to name ourselves Salonissima?

In 1987—before the popularity of book groups—several friends who work in development started a monthly book discussion group. The first book selected was Erica Jong’s Serenissima, which was very forgettable, except for the name. Later, when email and online meeting notifications became more common, we formed a Yahoo group listserv to communicate with each other. We needed a name and merged our first book’s title with Salon—to arrive at Salonissima. Salon is a good description of the wide-ranging discussions we enjoy each month in members’ homes; salon used to be a common term to describe a gathering at the home of an inspiring host to enjoy one another’s company and to learn through conversation.

Two of the original members continue to participate; one moved away for several years and is now back in the D.C. area. Approximately 18 members are active and 30 have participated over the years.  We observed our 25^th anniversary in 2012.

Since 1987, the group has selected and read at least 300 books—fiction, non-fiction, short-stories, and some poetry.

We evolved from a weeknight meeting with snacks to a Sunday evening with dinner.  Typically, the hostess provides a main dish and members fill in with sides, dessert, and wine.All members seem to have loved reading since childhood. This shared love of books has fostered a community for many book group members.  We’ve shared births, deaths, divorces, marriages, hip replacements, job losses, marital infidelity, book publishing, cancer, court cases, public acclamation, graduations, and more.  Thanks to the listserv, it’s easy to remind members of monthly meetings as well as mobilize in a crisis or for a celebration.

We can recommend a very efficient book selection process. Members bring up to two recommendations they have read (and can vouch for) at a January meeting and we vote until we get 10 books; we can now do this in about 90 minutes. Selected books are assigned a month/date; members volunteer their homes to host the meetings; the person who recommended the book leads or kicks off the discussion. Reading a book is not mandatory for attendance.  The discussion often entices reading.

Margaret McBride, Salonissima Book Group Member and LCNV Volunteer
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
http://www.lcnv.org

A note from LCNV: Thank you to the Salonissima Book Group for its generous donations to LCNV, totaling over $500! This amount will support a mother and her two children through a 12-week Family Learning class, which includes professional English instruction and books to take home that will form the base for their at-home library collection.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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I teach a class in Herndon that is part of LCNV’s Family Learning Program, which provides beginning English language and literacy instruction to parents and caregivers while providing their children with an opportunity to work on reading and writing activities or their homework. Twice per month, parents and children engage together in exercises that reinforce what they studied separately, which is called a PACT activity – Parents And Children Together.

My Family Learning class consists of only women. After getting to know them a bit more, I realized the majority of them are either mothers or have children in their lives for whom they are caregivers, whether they be relatives or friends. With Mother’s Day soon approaching, I want to take this time to recognize the mother figures in my classes and the work that they do.

As most people know, being a parent is hard work and very time-consuming. Having young children can be stressful and a lot of work. For parents that aren’t able to speak English, I can’t imagine the frustrations that they may have. Despite the commitment that these mothers have to their children, they also find the time to attend English class twice a week. After speaking with most of them, I find that they don’t want to learn English for their own gain, but primarily for that of their children. There is a strong need to learn English in order to help their children in school and to provide a better life for their children. They want to be able to communicate with their children’s teachers and to learn in order to find the best opportunities for their families. These mothers are some of the hardest workers I know, and I want to applaud their work in English class and show appreciation for all that they do both in and outside of class.

Katie Trizna, AmeriCorps Instructor
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Citizenship In-Service and Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, May 14, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Gloria Williams-Brevard from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will present an overview of the naturalization process and of the citizenship test. She will be joined by a panel of LCNV tutors who will provide tips on how they successfully prepared their students for the test. Questions and answers will follow. Light refreshments will be provided. If you are planning to attend,  please RSVP by May 10 to Natalie at 703-237-0866 or info@lcnv.org. This in-service will be held at LCNV’s main office at the James Lee Community Center.

Natalie Espinoza, Executive Assistant
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

WA TESOL Conference

On April 27, I attended the AUTESOL – WATESOL Joint Spring Conference. The conference was a collaborative effort between American University’s TESOL program and WATESOL, a nonprofit association for Washington, D.C. area teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The focus of the conference? Collaboration in teaching and learning. Which just so happens to be one of the core values of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia. Being an AmeriCorps member here, I could not pass up the opportunity of attending.

WATESOL’s membership comprises teachers in K-12, adult education, and higher education, so the conference offered a variety of discussions and breakout sessions catered to each area.

A highlight for me was the NEST-NNEST Caucus discussion. Erroneously, native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers are believed to be better than the other in certain language areas – NESTs in teaching speaking and listening, NNESTs in teaching grammar. The main crux of the discussion was that NESTs and NNESTs can work together to provide effective instruction.

Panelists during the discussion offered several examples of making NEST-NNEST collaboration happen. One such example was offered by an instructor at a Maryland community college. She talked about how she mentors novice instructors and instructors new to teaching a particular class. That she herself learned English as a second language matters far less than her experience and ability to foster new instructors. To recognize and build on each other’s strengths is the goal.

An attendee, a TESOL instructor in her native Brazil, shared her wish to have an American accent. Panelists and fellow attendees were quick to point out her ability to relate to her students on a level NESTs never could. She, like her students, wasn’t born speaking English. She learned it. She serves as a realistic non-native speaker model of highly intelligible spoken English to which students can aspire. And, anyway, to the ears of everyone else, she had a beautiful “accent.”

I was fortunate to be able to go to a conference to speak with others in the field of English language teaching. But the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia offers many trainings and in-services right here in Falls Church for your enrichment. Check out our website, www.lcnv.org/events, for more information!

Xavier Muñoz, AmeriCorps Instructor
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Tribute to Glen Borden-Somers

Glen Borden-Somers (far right) and two students. Picture from 1997-98 program year.

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of a dear and dedicated volunteer, Glen Borden-Somers. Glen started donating to the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia in the mid-1990s, and like many of our family members, as she learned more about the learners and mission, increased her involvement. In 1997, she started her volunteer service as a teacher’s aide in an adult ESOL class at Mark Center Club in Alexandria, and then quickly moved into the teaching role. Glen recruited her husband, Dick Somers to teach as well. The pair served as ESOL teachers at Mark Center Club for nine years, teaching hundreds of adults basic literacy and beginning English grammar skills, as well as American culture, life skills, and computer literacy. Glen and Dick also started an afternoon conversation class for ESOL students, which they particularly loved. I remember Glen telling me that she learned so much from LCNV students, “They have such fascinating backgrounds and stories to tell,” she would say. “I love the conversation class for the variety of topics we cover, and how much Dick and I learn from them!”

Glen was certainly loved by the adults she taught, because her classes were always filled with smiling students. Graduates hated to leave even when their English skills had advanced beyond LCNV’s instruction level.

Glen also served as a Literacy Council Board Member from 2003 – 2005, and she and Dick  were nominated by their students and recognized at LCNV’s Annual Recognition Award Ceremony three years in a row with Outstanding Teacher Awards. Both Dick and Glen gave 100% to LCNV as long as physically possible. Dick passed away in March 2012. They changed the lives of hundreds of adult learners through their dedicated service. The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia is truly grateful for their long-time service.

To learn more about Glen’s life, please see this article in The Washington Post: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-19/local/38669454_1_borden-jr-volunteer-work-literacy-council

Patricia M. Donnelly, Executive Director
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Become an ESOL Tutor!

LCNV’s “each one, teach one” model provides an opportunity for volunteers to be the English instructors to our 1,500 adult learners each year.

Each ESOL Tutor is matched with an adult learner who seeks help learning to speak, understand, read and write English. Tutors and students set their own schedules to meet at least once a week for 90 minutes at any public location. In the process, tutors get to know someone they may not otherwise get to meet. This is a flexible, creative, and rewarding opportunity that does not require any previous experience!

Training over the course of three consecutive Saturdays is required and a one-time $50 fee applies. The training is specially designed to prepare new tutors to provide individualized, goal-orientated English instruction to their students. Beyond this initial training, volunteer tutors receive the added benefits of ongoing resources and support through LCNV’s in-services and workshops, and LCNV in-house Resource Library, with over 4,000 ESOL and literacy resources. In addition, our tutors are eligible to take any VALRC class for free.

Here are some recent reviews from volunteers who joined the ESOL Tutoring program earlier this year:

 “I am enjoying the workshop, and looking forward to attend the third session and begin tutoring an Iraqi woman whom they have matched me with. I hope that I’ll be able to help her become independent by improving her English language communication skills. Thanks for encouraging me to volunteer and for your help.” – Shahla

“I just wanted to tell you – heading into the last training session tomorrow – that it’s been terrific!  Each session and each presenter has been excellent, and the overall training curriculum is a model of balanced presentation & interaction…Now that I know more about LCNV and have met some of the staff, I’m even more excited than ever about working with you!” – Rayna

Join volunteers like Shahla and Rayna and sign up to be an ESOL Tutor today! Training begins this Saturday, May 4, and continues on May 11 and 18. There are over 80 eager students waiting for a dedicated tutor to help them reach their goals. You can make a real difference! Complete a Volunteer Application or contact volunteers@lcnv.org for more information.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Ruba Marshood Afzal, Director of Volunteers
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Alexandrians: Act Now to Stop Cuts to Library Hours

We understand through an LCNV volunteer tutor that the City of Alexandria’s proposed FY 2014 budget calls for reducing the number of evenings each library branch will be open.  Since LCNV’s volunteer tutors rely on public libraries, we encourage you to call or write your public officials to urge them to maintain the libraries’ current hours of operation.

Go to http://alexandriava.gov/Budget to read more and to leave a comment directly on the City of Alexandria website. See below for sample text that you can modify and additional information about whom to contact:

SAMPLE TEXT

I am a volunteer literacy tutor for adults through the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia. Dozens of us frequently rely upon the branches of the Alexandria Library with evening hours in order to meet with their students. Plans to curtail evening hours will have an adverse effect on our ability to meet with adult learners, many of whom work during the day.

Making libraries less accessible can have far reaching ramifications. Please support the literacy needs of Alexandria’s adult learners by maintaining evening hours at your libraries.

Sincerely,

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You can post your comments on the budget on the City of Alexandria’s website at http://www.alexandriava.gov/Budget , or you can call and leave a message at 703-746-4550 or 703-746-4500. You can also email the following public officials:

Mayor William Euille: william.euille@alexandriava.gov

Allison Silberberg: allison.silberberg@alexandriava.gov

John Taylor Chapman: john.taylor.chapman@alexandriava.gov

Timothy Lovain: timothy.lovain@alexandriava.gov

Redella Pepper: del.pepper@alexandriava.gov

Paul Smedberg at paul.smedberg@alexandriava.gov

Justin Wilson at justin.wilson@alexandriava.gov

Thank you for helping our learners!

Elise Bruml, Director of Tutoring Programs
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
www.lcnv.org

Keep the Conversation Going

On April 18, LCNV began a critical dialogue about bridging the gap between adult literacy and language education, and our region’s workforce needs. Everyone involved – from the emcee, moderator, and panelists to volunteers, and in-person and online participants — helped make Literacy Means Business a successful forum.

Highlights included:

• Jeff Connor-Naylor, Northern Virginia Program Director for The Commonwealth Institute, affirmed the region’s need for workers with “middle skills” and a “long-term approach to training.”  (5:54)
• Ray Uhalde, Senior Advisor at Jobs for the Future, asserted that in the region over half the jobs will require some post secondary education and training. He stated, “Employers [face a] talent pool that is smaller and shrinking. In Northern Virginia we could import more labor, but prefer to grow our own.” Echoing Connor-Naylor, Uhalde suggested that “Northern Virginia build [the] career pathway system so [one] can move from basic literacy up to more advance skills, and we can grow our own talent.”
• Leslie Kronz, Training and Education Consultant at the Office of Health Equity, Inova Health System, called attention to the different ways Inova’s need for literacy and English language education affects both patients and staff. (22:47)
• Laura Patching, Acting Chief, Office of Citizenship, US Citizenship & Immigration Services, noted: “Citizenship allows full equality under the law. There is no straight path to [civic] integration. Our candidates have to be able to gain the English language knowledge to be able to be successful in the naturalization process.” Advocating for standards and research on adult education, she added: “We find in the citizenship realm that people come into our classes with very low literacy levels. The assumption is that along the way they would have had access to quality adult education and ESL – but that’s not the case. If you cannot build a quality program, you will lose people.” (26:03 and 47:08)
• Johan Uvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, also proposed that employers can help identify workers who they would like to progress and help those workers in the following ways: give them release time or situate onsite literacy programs; engage with service providers; and be sure their instruction is aligned with the needs of the workforce.(31:16, 53:27, and 1:11:43)