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Back to School for LVGW Fall 2022-Help us Fill the Shelf!
Back to School for LVGW 2022 – Help LVGW Fill the Shelf!
We are in need of some specialty chapter books for adult early readers including some with embedded recordings. Our goal is to get enough books for tutoring sessions and some extra multiple copies for our students to take home to their families to share. Let’s promote personalized literacy tutoring programs that our students’ children can benefit from too! Many of our adult students have a tutoring goal to have the ability to help their children with their homework for the school year. You can make a difference today! Click the donate button above or you can mail your donation to : Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, 3 Salem Square Suite 332, Worcester MA 01608.
Thank you for your generosity and support of our programs! If you need assistance in donating, contact us at info@lvgw.org
Scrabble Tournament on May 2, 2020
Register today!
Olivia and Joan
Who we are:
Olivia: I’ve lived in Worcester for about one year. I am from China and I came here for school many years ago. I am thirty years old and I signed up for tutoring to improve my English speaking skills. I have been with my tutor, Joan, for about six months.
Joan: I am a retired lawyer and I became a Literacy Volunteer a few years ago. I wanted to work with people trying to find their place in a new country and community. Because that is a huge challenge, I thought students would be very motivated, positive and interesting individuals. And I was right!
What we have learned from tutoring:
Olivia: As I learned more cultural things and as my English has improved I have more confidence. I’m not afraid to talk with anyone now. I went to yoga class last week and introduced myself to a few people before class. When I went skiing I talked with people next to me in line and on the lift. I think understanding the culture is very important.
Things we have enjoyed doing together:
- Reading aloud and discussing books written for children or young people. These books have easier vocabulary, plot lines, are shorter than adult books and are fun.
- Reading and discussing newspaper articles about China and about American politics. This is difficult but rewarding.
- Finding and discussing unfamiliar vocabulary and idioms as we read and talk together.
- Talking about the similarities and the differences between China and America.
- Sharing some details about our respective cultures.
- Meeting in different places for weekly lessons. This gives us new topics of conversation and the chance for Olivia to practice conversation with other people. We have been to different coffee shops and the Courthouse where Joan used to work. We even spent one lesson talking about the American judicial system.
- Olivia was invited to speak at a Library Foundation event. She practiced her talk several times with Joan as the “audience”. We attended the event and Olivia did exceptionally well!
Favorite moments:
Both: When we have a conversation and are able to share our experiences in our families, our upbringing, and our different cultures with each other.
Olivia: Knowing I have the support of my tutor makes me happier.
Joan: Getting to know Olivia is a pleasure and having the opportunity to help her grow in her conversation skills and confidence is very rewarding.
Sheila McManus
Agueda Rivadeneyra is my student. We started meeting in June 2015. Agueda is a stellar student. She learns quickly and is extremely motivated. Our lessons start with conversation, and we discuss grammar, writing and vocabulary. Homework mostly centers on her interests and includes watching movies and listening to songs in English. Often, Agueda decides to watch an extra movie and to listen to additional songs, in order to accelerate her fluency in English. We meet each week and Agueda takes one or two classes each semester with our faculty at Literacy Volunteers. Because Agueda has a very positive outlook on life, she is a joy to see. She loves her family and friends, and she is a kind, compassionate person.
Agueda moved to the United States from Mexico and plans to become a citizen. She has wide-ranging hobbies, including gardening, cooking, sewing and dancing. I look forward to each meeting with Agueda, she is my friend as well as my student. I learn more from her than she does from me! We also have coffee and lunch with her husband Jesus on occasion. Jesus is also a student at Literacy Volunteers. Agueda and Jesus would like to open a restaurant in the United States once they are fluent in English. Meeting Agueda and Jesus has been the best blessing for a new tutor. My name is Sheila McManus, and I am a Literacy Volunteers tutor.
Susan Crossley
My name is Susan and I completed the tutor training in May, 2015. I was interested in becoming more involved in helping new immigrants to succeed in our community. I heard about Literacy Volunteers by word of mouth and have enjoyed my experience in every way. I meet with my student every week – we play games, work with flash cards and mainly, I encourage my student, Melba, to speak English! We even talk on the phone twice a week because Melba is afraid to talk on the phone. I also volunteer in the Literacy Volunteers’ main office once a week. This experience is so meaningful for me and I’m not sure who gets more out of it.
ESL Tutor Training
Next Free ESL Tutor Training begins Fall 2015 (Dates TBD)
Volunteers must contact us to register for this training.
As a Literacy Volunteer, you can:
- Volunteer 2 hours each week
- Share conversation and American culture
- Receive free training and support
- Make a difference in an adult’s life
Durga Khawas
My name is Durga Khawas. I came to the United States on September 22 of 2009 from Bhutan. I was born there but I am ethnically a Nepali. Because of our Nepalese heritage, my family and many other Nepalese families in Bhutan were harshly discriminated against and we ended up in refugee camps in Nepal for a long time. It was wonderful to be allowed into the United States 5 years ago. There are over 250 Nepalese families living in Worcester now who originally lived in Bhutan.