Literacy tutoring center coming to Decatur

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

— People who want to learn to understand, speak, read and write English will soon have a tutoring site in Decatur, thanks to sponsorship by the Dogwood Literacy Council of Siloam Springs andthe Literacy Council of Benton County.

Benton County has an estimated 20,000 people with very low literacy skills, according to John Marter, director of both theDogwood Literacy Council and the Decatur Literacy Council. Many struggle to learn English as a second language, while others are native born English speakers who need help learning to read and write.

As soon as several tutors have been trained, the Decatur program will begin enrolling students. Simmons Foods donated space for classes at the Decatur offices, which are located at 250 S. Main St. For more information call Northside Elementary School at 752-3981 and leave a message, or call 524-4009.

The Dogwood Literacy Council was founded about 20 years ago by a group ofwomen who saw the need in the area, Marter said. At that time most of the students spoke English as their native language, but needed to improve their literacy skills. Now about 80 percent of the council’s students speak Spanish and are learning English as a new language, he said.

The Dogwood Literacy Council has about 50 students, and serves between 150 and 160 people a year, Marter said. About 90 of those people stick with the program and make real gains, he said.

Northside Elementary School principal Leslie Sharp, said she sees a great need for a literacy program in Decatur. Sharp and Marter met because both Decatur’s preschool program and the literacy council are partially funded by the Care Foundation.

Sharp said many of her students struggle in school because they speak another language at home, but more surprising is the number of students from English speaking homes who struggle because their parents don’t know how to read and write.

The Decatur Literacy Council’s greatest need is for volunteer tutors, according to Marter. Volunteers can spendas little as two or three hours a week tutoring and can plan sessions to fit their schedule. People interested in tutoring do not need to know Spanish, he said.

Volunteers are provided with teaching materials and are trained to use a program developed at the Dogwood Literacy Council. The training handbook is about 27 pages long and the course takes two evenings to complete, Marter said.

The council uses a side-by-side method of teaching where tutors speak and then the student responds, then switch roles.

“We’ve found that a lot of people can understand a lot but they are very reluctant to respond,” Marter said.

The side-by-side method gives students more confidence to have a conversation. Marter used an example of a woman who did well on her homework, but had trouble speaking English. The student always had her husband or children translate for her and she never went out in public alone.

One day her tutor took her to a local coffee shop and had her order a cup of coffee.

“That was a milestone in her life. ... Now she goes to Walmart by herself all the time,” Marter said.

Another woman grew up in a Spanish-speaking country without learning to read or write - because her father believed girls didn’t need to go to school. Now in her 80s - at an age when many have trouble remembering what theyhave learned - she is learning English for the first time so she can keep up a correspondence with her grandchildren.

“What we need are volunteers who are at least 18 years old, willing tolearn, having a heart for helping people, and who are patient and persevering,” Mater said. “We have had tutors as young as 18 and as old as 85. All have enjoyed their tutoring experience.”

News, Pages 1 on 04/07/2010