Poetry Class with Prof. Zach Savich

I had the privilege of attending a poetry class taught by Professor Zach Savich and his advanced poetry students. The class helped individuals at the council who are working to take the GED test and covered important literary vocabulary like rhyme, alliteration, simile, and metaphor. I especially enjoyed hearing the creative work the students produced after two class periods and the ways that they applied what they read in other poems to their own work. Even better, I saw a lot of laughter in the class. Teaching to a test can be dry at times, but Professor Savich and his students created an interesting way to approach the test's poetry.

I think his poetry students learned a lot, as well-- not only were they asked to explain concepts in poetry to their partners, but they were exposed to how difficult the objective GED test on literature can be. All in all, I thought it was a good mix of test-taking strategy and creativity and I'm so happy I was able to attend.

Read Across America

Late is better than never, I hope? Here are some images from the council's Read Across America event in early March.

On Friday night, I dressed up as Cat in the Hat for the birthday party so I was too busy taking photos with kids and doing the Hokey Pokey on stage to snap any photos. These are from the next morning, when we had the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast at Bonanza. I split my time between photographer and server, where I came to respect anyone who works on a wait staff because it was difficult work at times.

PAACE Conference

Last week I had the honor of presenting at the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education conference in State College, PA. I spoke alongside Dr. Laurie Cella, Marie Steinbacher (FCLC Coordinator), and Megan Fick about the Community Connection Oral History project I wrote about in this post.

I presented the Americorps VISTA side of things-- my work as a facilitator and co-coordinator of the project, and also about my critical interpretation of the project's successes and what I would do differently. The title of our presentation was titled "Partnerships that Make a Difference in a Changing World-- A Successful Model of Collaboration between LIU12 Franklin County Literacy Council and Shippensburg University" and we pulled between 20-30 people. I got the opportunity to practice my presentation skills, especially public speaking, and also work on my professional development. The presentation went really well and I was asked a lot of questions about my work afterward, so I was happy to see that people were interested. It was nice to see that some people were inspired by our work to embark on their own collaborative efforts in their respective councils and programs.

I visited a few other panels as well: a presentation on teaching mathematics and one about beginner readers. I decided to see the math presentation because I haven't yet tutored math, so I thought I'd get an idea of what the test asks and how to teach the material. We were broken up into groups and had to solve problems based on math one might use in a career-- specifically, we looked at the health industry, construction, and food preparation. These careers, I learned, were high priority occupations for adult learners. Presenters also discussed the 4 areas of assessment the new GED will test. I may have moved from the FCLC by the time I'm ready to teach math, but in other tutoring or service learning programs I may be able to use some of the knowledge I picked up at this session.

I also went to a presentation on adults who are beginner-level readers, but I think it was mostly geared toward council coordinators and not tutors because the presenter discussed specific materials that could be ordered that have helped her with her students. The best part of the presentation was a video that her son put together with interviews from her students saying which materials were most helpful to them. Also, group tutoring was emphasized during her session. She touted tutoring reading in a group because it shows the student that others are struggling, which gives them a "we're all in this together" perspective, and also allows students to help one another and temporarily assume the role of teacher (which gives them confidence, something quite necessary for adult learners to achieve).

Overall, it was a great professional experience. The conference atmosphere is invigorating; today, I walked into my tutoring session with the conference in mind, trying to think creatively about ways to approach the day's lesson. A successful presentation, some new knowledge of adult education, and lots of available food and coffee made PAACE an event I'm sure to remember when reflecting on my years as an undergraduate.

Read Across America

There are two opportunities to volunteer with the literacy council in March, and both involve the celebration of our favorite children's book author, Dr. Seuss!

This year, the LIU12 Franklin County Literacy Council decided to have two events for their annual Read Across America celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday-- an early evening birthday party (including cake and games) at the center court in the Chambersburg Mall and their usual Green Eggs and Ham breakfast at Bonanza in the Chambersburg Mall.

If you remember my post about my first community event, the Literacy Carnival, you may also remember that I said one of the reasons it was such a success was because of the dedicated Ship volunteers who helped. The FCLC needs volunteers for this event as well! We're looking for volunteers for both Friday evening and Saturday morning. I can take interested volunteers to and from the event, so don't let a lack of reliable transportation keep you from joining us. Although the flyers say the events are from 4:30-6 and 8:30-12:30, for your personal scheduling plan to stay from 4-7 and 8-1 for set-up and clean-up.

If you are able and willing to volunteer, email me at fclcvista@gmail.com so we can work out the details. This event is a great way to meet individuals from the literacy council, learn more information about what we do, and spend an evening and/or a morning creating excitement about childhood and family literacy!

Feel free to email me with questions.

Tutor Training (and Why You Should Go)

With the start of a New Year, many of us make resolutions about our goals or dreams for the following 12 months. For those who have difficulty reading, many times the number one goal is to receive the help he or she needs to achieve literacy. To serve this increasing influx of motivated students, the Franklin County Literacy Council needs dedicated volunteers who are willing to guide a student to personal success.

Therefore, there will be another round of tutor tranining sessions for the spring semester; the first is February 18th from 9-3:30 and the second is February 25th from 9-3:30. Like all tutor trainings, you must attend both Saturday sessions to be paired up with a student and begin tutoring at the council. During these sessions, the council provides lunches and snacks and it is completely free to register. Simply call the council at 717-504-4459 to reserve your spot.

In case you are visiting this blog for the first time and have not read about the countless intrinsic benefits and personal lessons I have learned through my volunteer work, allow me the space to reiterate how fulfilling it is to tutor at the literacy council. The council does not just benefit the students that learn here; they benefit the tutors and instructors just as much. I began my work as an Americorps VISTA Community Fellow in the late summer of 2011 and was paired with two students who were studying for their GED. I was pretty nervous about it at first, but I quickly gainined confidence as I saw my students gain confidence in their answers. To see a student go from shrugging off a wrong answer to really paying attention, using process of elimination, and arriving at the correct answer on practice questions made me realize I was a part of that process. Later, I learned about tutoring techniques through experimentation, trial and error, and first-hand experience. I learned how to use my students' strengths and weaknesses to help one another, and I learned that establishing confidence in an adult learner is the first step to real success. I also discovered that adult learners have a unique set of personal issues that may interfere with their instruction that other teachers and educators may not experience. But most of all, I've learned about the powerful nature of giving back, of selflessness, and of the personal high that volunteer work can give any person if one allows it into her life.

Volunteer hours at the council are flexible, so do not be afraid to volunteer simply because you think you won't be able to make it during business hours. A tutor has several options, including time of day and number of times he/she tutors during the week. Currently, the council needs tutors in reading instruction and literacy  more than any other classes. If you feel like you have the time, the patience, the motivation, and the passion for helping others, reserve your spot at the next tutor training event!

Community Connections Publication Party

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Last Friday was the publication party for Ship and the FCLC's Oral History book. Students read from their essays and many of the community partners were able to join us. I thought I would share some photos from the event (you'll have to excuse the lighting...my camera isn't the greatest). There was a photographer a bit more experienced than I am there to take some other photos-- perhaps I can post those later.

I loved seeing the students meet again with their community partners after the readings and chat-- this wasn't a requirement but most of the students did it anyway and it was really sweet to see.

Also, doesn't the cover look fantastic? Megan Fick, the student editor, did a great job.