Literacy Of NNY Seeks Tutors To Help Clients

By REBECCA MADDEN

Johnson News Service

Literacy of Northern New York is looking for more people to become tutors.

Executive Director M. Cecilia Brock said there are 150 tutors available to help the agency's 225 clients. Some tutors take on more than one student, but that's not required.

There's a need for English for speakers of other languages tutors, she said, because many Fort Drum spouses and migrant farmworkers in the area seek that service.

"We've even had people come here to study to be a U.S. citizen and pass the test, so we have the tools for that," she said.

Mrs. Brock said contrary to what many people believe, a person doesn't have to know a language other than English to become an ESOL tutor.

She said people can call her at 782-4270 for information on an upcoming ESOL tutor training course, as well as an adult literacy tutor training course.

The agency is hosting a training workshop for adult literacy tutors in St. Lawrence County, and within a few weeks 11 additional tutors will be trained. Additional tutors will be trained in Jefferson and Lewis counties later this year.

More adults are willing to come to the agency for help learning English because they feel proud they already know one language, but adults who can't read or write well are often ashamed of their inability.

Although the agency will serve clients ages 16 and up, the majority of students are 25 to 44. Many of those clients are high school dropouts, Mrs. Brock said.

When people drop out of school, it may take them several years to realize they need help in becoming literate to find a job or succeed in other areas of life.

"It does a number on you when you go through the school system and are a failure," Mrs. Brock said. "It's really devastating to be an illiterate person in this country. The tutors try to help where they can. A tutor is much more than a teacher. We also mentor people."

She said often a client is in crisis, such as getting a divorce from a literate spouse, when he or she visits the agency and asks for help.

Some clients can't use road maps, read newspaper ads, use a phone book, fill out a job application, write letters or use a computer or they need to study for a driving permit.

While some people need a tutor for only a few weeks, others have a tutor for months or years, she said.

Mrs. Brock said the most effective tutoring the agency offers is one-on-one help, but some tutors also use computer programs to help students with particular lessons.