ABE Tutoring Sucess Story with Cindy Ward

It is difficult to choose one success story in our ABE program. Just coming to Literacy Network to request help with reading is a monumental achievement for learners who have had negative experiences with school in the past and are reluctant to admit, as adults, that they are unable to read. One tutor reports that his student Dwayne "…told me that his texting has gotten much better since we've been working together. He now pauses and thinks about the correct way to spell words." Another tutor reports that "when the mail comes Derrick can now read it himself!! He does not have to rely on his daughter anymore. What an accomplishment!!"

Another learner, Cindy, has shown remarkable improvement through the five months she has worked with her personal tutor. Through her tutor feedback forms, her tutor notes:

• "I gave Cindy a test at the end of August that reviewed all of the spelling rules we've gone over so far and she passed with flying colors. She was very excited and couldn't wait to take her test home to her husband and show him. IT was a very rewarding experience for both of us."
• "Even though we had nearly 4 months off from lessons due to vacations, the holidays and scheduling conflicts, Cindy never gave up on learning and instead reviewed the content she had learned before our break during the break. She is very eager to learn and we have discussed her plans for the future, which is going to MATC to obtain a 2-year degree. She now has reading, writing, and spelling homework every week which she accepts with a smile. I have no doubt in my mind that Cindy will make it to MATC, because she is determined and driven."
• "Cindy previously had a tough time organizing and writing emails to her supervisor, so she would avoid doing so. This month, though, she carefully thought out an email with an intro, body and conclusion and sent it to her supervisor. She made the comment that after all of our lessons on grammar and how to properly write a sentence, she feels much more comfortable writing emails and even looks forward to it sometimes.

Cindy and her tutor are overcoming the challenges inherent in scheduling lessons around family, work, and other personal conflicts. They continue to diligently working on her sentence construction, vocabulary words and spelling skills with her goal of applying for a program at MATC in mind.

ESL Community Literacy Success Story

Conversational practice is always a high priority for students in the community literacy program. Better understanding and being better understood has a huge impact on the lives of our learners. Eusebio's story provides a great example. As a supervisor of other employees who also reports to someone else, he has gained a lot of confidence in speaking and problem-solving at his work place. His limited English ability was making it difficult for him to understand what his boss was saying. When a problem would arise, Eusebio was unable to provide detailed feedback so that his supervisor could understand the underlying issues. As a result, they were having misunderstandings and Eusebio became uncomfortable with his boss and at his workplace generally. Through his work in our community literacy program, Eusebio worked one-on-one with a variety of tutors giving him practice in making himself understood and in understanding a variety of different conversational styles. He shared his improved success with the tutor who has worked with him most often. According to the tutor, "Eusebio is doing so much better at work. He and his supervisor have a much better relationship. They are talking a lot more about work and life in general."

Eusebio is not an exception. Some other stories from learners about the impact.:

"I had difficulty with conversation. Whenever I was talking I was very nervous. Now that's improving".

Family Literacy Success Story

Throughout the year students were encouraged to participate in their children's education by reading to their children, singing songs, writing letters to their children's teacher, and engaging their children in conversations about activities and events in their school. As classes came to a close, parents shared their reactions and rallied for more classes. One even offered the use of her garage as a space to hold summer classes! Another learner shares the impact that her studying has had for her family, too. "I like the reading with my children. And my daughters say I am reading good and I understand a little better."

English in the Schools Success Story

English in the Schools classes clearly have had a positive impact on many families in Dane County. One of our most successful activities across sites was the Reading Log that teachers encouraged their students to fill out. Parents took home a reading chart and recorded how many minutes they spent reading on their own and with their children each day. This helped them establish a reading routine with their children. According to one student, "I need speak English for me. For my job, for my daughter. It very important for me. I need it for me." There are many other examples of student success from the program:

• Another student also reported now doing homework with his children nightly.
• Another set of parents report visiting their daughter's classroom and attending a local parade with their daughter.
• One parent took the Compass test and registered in an ESL 3 outreach class at MATC.
• Seven parents made appointments to receive personal tutors through Literacy Network to continue their language studies.
• One EIS class took a field trip to the local public library to apply for library cards and check out books.