Patiently Waiting: LAI's New Learning Lab

LAI volunteer, Rob Boas, with student, Anna Young, in Learning Lab

Since February of 2011, Literacy Action has offered a learning lab for student to enhance their academic and work skills with the help of LAI volunteers.  Individual and small group tutoring is offered for students interested in receiving extra help with reading, math, job applications and work resumes, just to name a few.  One student explained that when she is in her Algebra class she understands the material, but when she works on it at home the information does not “click”. She enjoys the learning lab because it keeps her focused and she has a chance to go over her work with a volunteer.

The lab is not only for those students interested in building their skills, but those who have registered and are waiting for an available seat in a class. Thanks to the generous donation from Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the learning lab provides students on the waiting list with new materials so that they can begin working on the content being taught in the classes they will enter.  

Seeing the look on students' faces when they realize they got it is unbelievably rewarding.  Knowing that we have helped students take one more step in their journey allows us to remember why we have been helping students for the past 43 years.

-Blog written by Becky Lyons, LAI Volunteer Coordinator

Finding Your Personal Connection to Literacy: Guest Blogger Debra Semans Comments On Her Ties to Literacy and Literacy Action!

Debra Semans, Literacy Action Trustee

Have you ever know someone who struggled with a learning disability? Who hasn't, right? Whether your own child or another family member, a friend or their child, learning disabilities have become widely identified and treated by educators.

For me, it was my son, Paul, who was diagnosed as dyslexic when he was 5 years old. Fortunately, he was attending a wonderful school that identified this challenge and supported us with resources. We were able to move him to The Schenk School, where he learned to deal with this challenge. He graduated from the Galloway School, received his BA in English from the University of Puget Sound and today he is pursuing his Master's in Teaching English from Georgia State University. While he is still dyslexic, he has learned how to deal with his weaknesses and leverage his strengths-and he is never seen without a book (or more usually two or three books) in his hand.

When I was approached to become a Literacy Action Trustee, of course I wanted to visit the school and see for myself the great work being done. Imagine my surprise when I entered the classroom and found Karen Gregory, Paul's teacher from The Schenk School! After class, Karen and I spoke and she told me that many of LAI students probably had undiagnosed learning disabilities when they were at the age of learning to read. She also told me that LAI uses the same teaching method as The Schenk School, the Orton Gillingham method, the same method used when Paul was learning to read.

As I drove home after my site visit, I thought about this "coincidence." While schools today are getting better and better at identifying and dealing with students with learning disabilities, that was not neccessarily the case when today's adults were in grade school. And not all parents have the resources and inclination to obtain the special services and education needed to overcome learning disabilities. I decided that I was meant to pay back the blessing of Paul's learning to read by joining the LAI Board of Trustees.

I have been a Literacy Action Trustee now for a little over two years and I continue to be amazed and impressed with this organization and what they accomplish. The students are nothing short of amazing and their courage and tenacity is truly inspiring. My term may expire, but I know I will be involved with this organization for the rest of my life.

If you have or know someone who has a learning disability, I urge you to support LAI, for all those adults who were not able to get the specialized instruction they needed at the time. Donate, volunteer, attend events-please help in any way you can to make sure the work continues.

Why I Love Literacy Action: A Teacher's Perspective

Nioyonu "Ms. O", LAI Teacher (Math 2, Reading 4)

A Week of Literacy Love!

In the spirit of St. Valentine, this week will be a theme of love.  A love for literacy, our students, and our community.  Throughout the week we will share stories, pictures, and videos of why we love literacy and Literacy Action.

To start this week off right, we need to thank a few of our partners for giving us the tools to spread the word about our love for adult literacy.

Thanks to Cool Blue Interactive for designing our "cool" and improved website!  We Love It!

Georgia Pacific "you have our heart" for your 

continued support and the printing 

of our Valentine's Day cards!

Jackson Spalding, "you're the tops"!  

Thank you for the great design work for our e-mail blast!

One of YWCA's 2011 Women of Achievement Substitutes at LAI....Did We Mention She is Also Our Executive Director?

Emily Ellison, Executive Director at Literacy Action

 

Yesterday morning one of our teachers, Ms. Conley, called to say that she had been involved in a car accident.  Although everyone was safe, she was waiting on the police to arrive and would be late for her class.  All our other instructors were scheduled to teach their own courses, and so I went to the Reading IV class and had the privilege of serving as a “substitute teacher” for about 40 minutes.  There were approximately 20 adult students waiting for me, ready to review their homework, which was to draft a business letter.  Often the public thinks that Literacy Action’s clients “just” need to learn to read, and the assumption is that the learning-to-read process will be a speedy one.  For some, it is.  For others (for the majority), especially those entering our programs at very low levels and who have a learning issue such as dyslexia, it’s a journey that takes tenacity, courage, smarts, and sometimes years. 

During those few minutes in that classroom yesterday, I was taken away from the day-to-day tasks of a nonprofit ED (checking bank balances; drafting fundraising proposals; working on HR issues, payroll, insurance renewals; scheduling and rescheduling meetings; trying to decipher government documents – the fun stuff) and reminded yet again WHY literacy organizations like ours must exist.  For the thousandth time I was moved by how eager our students are to learn, how desperately they want to improve their skills, how hungry they are for anything that will better prepare them to navigate 21^st Century living and help lift their families out of poverty. 

There was the father whose letter was handwritten in pencil to his children’s principal.  He was concerned that the kids were not being assigned any homework and that they weren’t learning what he thought they should learn.  Here was a man whose own writing skills were limited, who was returning to school in his 40s, and who wanted something so much better for his children.  He smiled, nodded, and jotted down a note on the lined paper every time one of his classmates provided input on his letter.    

There was the 30-something-year-old woman who wanted assistance in writing a letter to Dollar General, where she was hoping to get a job.  She was excited by the fact that Dollar General is a generous supporter of adult literacy programs, and she was hoping that adding this information to her letter might distinguish it from others and might garner attention from someone reading inquiries.

There was the 70-something-year-old grandmother, who has for decades cleaned the house and raised the children of a family in Buckhead while also raising her two great grandsons.  Her goals have mainly been to help those grandsons (one now in college) with homework and be a model for them.

When Ms. Conley finally arrived yesterday, everyone cheered and applauded.  I’m talking about LOUD whoops and hollers, expressions of genuine thankfulness that their teacher wasn’t hurt and had rejoined them.  I was glad to see her too.  But I could have stayed happily in that classroom all day.  While I know nearly all our students by sight (if not always by name), I don’t always have the opportunity to interact with them other than brief greetings in the hallway.  But yesterday I was given a little gift.  A rare opportunity to refocus, recharge, remind myself that everyone in Atlanta should be able to write a business letter or read a story to grandchildren.   It’s what we do here – help adults regain their futures.  One word at a time . . . .  

Celebrating Achievements by Guest Blogger and Director of Operations Paige Pushkin

The beginning notes of Pomp and Circumstance swirl around you. The auditorium is dim with bright lights focused on the stage. The anticipation builds. And then you see them, smiling students in royal blue caps and gowns leading the procession of all Literacy Action's students, dressed in their finery, down the auditorium steps.

Do you remember what it felt like to graduate? I can recall elementary school graduation in 5th grade, dressed in the pink linen suit my mom made for me, standing on the cafeteria stage grinning from ear to ear, proud of my accomplishments. Many years later there was high school graduation, and then 4 years later, college graduation, and many more years after that, I walked across the stage to accept my Master's degree diploma. Feelings of pride, accomplishment and gratitude always accompanied theses days.

It is for these feelings, and the fostering of these feelings, that Literacy Action celebrates the achievements of all of our students every year at a Student Recognition Ceremony (SRC). While GED attainment is important, only about 10% of our students enter our program at the GED level. So we celebrate achievement at every stage--moving up a level in reading or math, completing the computer or work skills classes, perfect attendance, and special merit awards, to name a few. All growth is celebrated here.

This year the SRC will be held Thursday, June 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at the Georgia-Pacific Auditorium. We always have a student speaker, student performance, and a guest speaker from the community as well. Please join us as we celebrate student achievement. And relive how good it feels to graduate.

Living Beyond the Classroom: LAI Students Finding their Place in a Technological World



"It seemed like another world!" ~Judy Evans, LAI Student



Gazing at the double doors you would guess that what lay behind them was nothing more than a large storage closet. When Judy Evans, 52, opened the doors for the first time, she was shocked by what she found and what it meant for her future.

This will be Judy's second semester taking a computer class at Literacy Action. She continues to take the class because "everything is moving to technology. There is no more paper, everything is online." So, you can imagine her joy when she walked into the new LAI computer lab for the first time. The larger room, tables and chairs took her breath away, "it seemed like another world." Judy scanned the room quietly, sitting in the new chairs and examining the new tables. After a brief examination of the room Judy noticed the computers were nowhere to be found. She asked her teacher, Michael Northcross, when the computers were going to arrive. "When the teacher told me that the computers were in the tables I said 'this is too much!"

The biggest motivation for Judy is being able to use a computer without assistance. The irritated looks she receives when asking for help makes her loose confidence and feel self conscious. With the new computer lab, Judy feels that she will be more engaged and focused in the class, while the new computers will give her the practice she needs on upgraded software. "In the old lab the computers were nothing like the ones that you find outside of school. All computer programs look different and can be confusing."

Judy is determined to attend DeKalb Technical College in order to receive her nursing degree and she believes that taking computer and other classes at LAI will help her achieve that goal. "LAI motivates you and helps you believe in yourself. They tell you that you are not too old to achieve your goals and give you the confidence to succeed. Only I can stop myself from succeeding. LAI makes me feel like I can do it. I'm gonna finish. I'm gonna finish!"