Literacy Volunteers tutors needed

Thirty million adults in the United States have literacy skills so limited they can not use a TV Guide. That's the conclusion of a new national survey released last December. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAALS) stated that people in this group can complete only simple literacy tasks like signing a form or filling in a bank statement. Another 63 million can perform only simple reading tasks.

Literacy Volunteers of Wayne County exists to tackle this problem on the local level by training and placing volunteer tutors. To this end, LV Wayne will be offering a Tutor Training Workshop September 9, 16, and 23. All sessions run from 9 to 3 at the Family Education Center at 28 Canal Street, Lyons.

Once trained, tutors have a variety of possible assignments including tutoring either adults who are just beginning to read, high school equivalency students (GED), English-as-a-second-language students (ESL) or people wanting to improve their math skills. Tutors must be at least eighteen years old and have a high school or equivalent diploma.

The actual tutoring usually involves about two hours per week in addition to planning time and some minimal record keeping. Tutors do not need a background in education or knowledge of a foreign language.

LV Wayne does ask for a $15 donation to cover the cost of the training manual. Individuals interested in becoming a certified Literacy Tutor should call 946.5333.

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