GLA welcomes our new Executive Director John Jaraczewski GLA welcomes John Jaraczewski who comes to us from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where he served as the Associate Vice Chancellor . John is a passionate advocate for access to quality education for all and its critical role in the future success of students and the greater community. His understanding of non-profit leadership, education, and his talent for building community and business relationships will help GLA to continue to fulfill its mission to enrich our community by increasing the literacy and employability of our citizens. While John brings a wealth of experience to the table, he is also very personable and will bring a new and bold energy to GLA. His work in higher education is also a plus as he has an understanding of adult education. John’s wife and family arrived in Greenville ahead of him during the Fall when his wife took a position with St. Joseph’s Catholic School as the Director of the Middle School. We wish you every success John and look forward to working with you to further the mission of GLA.

Greenville Literacy Association

Tutor Talk Spring 2019

2019 GLA Spring Tutor In-Service

Please join us! Tuesday, April 9, 2019

9 - 11am & 6 - 8pm

Greenville Learning Center McAlistair Square

225 S. Pleasantburg Dr. Suite C-10

For the first 20 minutes if the In-Service we will celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month

with refreshments and networking. Breakout sessions relevant to ABE and ESL will

follow.

Tutor Highlights Tutor Highlights Tutor Highlights Simpsonville - Remembering Mary Lou Reeves

Mary Lou Reeves joined GLA in 2003 and over the years taught in both the ABE and ESL programs. A fluent Spanish speaker, she taught countless ESL students English and also helped them navigate the new and sometimes bewildering world of an immigrant in the United States. She went above and beyond being just a tutor. She attended traffic court with them and translated letters. She also tutored their children, helping them to adjust to new schools and a new language and culture. Mary Lou was beloved by all her students young and old. Nothing was ever too much trouble for her and she ex-pected nothing in return. On her 90th birthday her students honored her with a surprise party. For her it was completely unexpected because the only reward she ever wanted was to be able to make a difference in their lives.

GLA honored Mary Lou in 2009 by making her volunteer of the year. I remember having to work hard so that she wouldn’t find out ahead of time because she never wanted anything to be about her. Sadly we lost Mary Lou on Tuesday March 12, 2019 when she passed away in her sleep. We will remember her always with love for the selfless person she was and with gratitude for all that she did for GLA Simpsonville.

Greenville ABE and ESL would like to introduce...Fran Davidson! Fran currently tutors both ESL writing and Pre-GED Writing. She really enjoys bridging between ABE and ESL as it helps her understand the students' needs and goals as they move along the continuum of courses. Fran started volunteering with the GLA

over two years ago. She credits "the wonderfully welcoming and supportive staff and the earnest and conscientious students" for having made her feel such a part of the GLA community. Fran moved to Greenville to be close to her family. She had just retired from Mercer County Community College in NJ after teaching composition and litera-ture for thirty years, and wanted to find a place where she could continue her life-long devotion to education.. A friend told her about GLA and after her initial meeting and tour of the facilities she knew she had found a new home! Fran says "learning from my students and learning about my students are the best parts of my work. I am so interested in my students and in what motivates them to set goals for themselves and work hard towards realizing them. Getting to know my students and appreciating their uniqueness and dedication motivates me every time I step into the classroom. I also feel tremendously supported by the administrative staff who are always available and most willing to answer any

questions and help out in any way they can." When asked to share her favorite student story, Fran had a hard time narrowing it down because her students' share so much! She elaborates "In my Pre-GED Writing class, I love hearing about my students' experiences out-side the classroom. In my ESL class, we all travel to different parts of the world as the students share their culture and their countries. Now that I've been at GLA for several years, I really enjoy meeting students in the hall who have been in my class and greet me so warmly and appreciatively. We feel so fortunate to have such a dedicated and caring tutor like Fran. It's no surprise why the student's love her classes so much!

Greer learning Center Asha Carnell has been an Adult Basic Education science instructor since 2011. When she relocated to the Upstate, she wanted to help people improve their educa-tion. Greer Learning Center provided the perfect opportunity to do so. With ever-changing workforce skills, she enjoys teaching curriculum that aids in the students’ ability to support themselves and their families. She also loves witnessing her students replace their low self-esteem with pride in their achievements as they progress through her class. For Asha, the most rewarding aspect of being a volunteer are her students’ “aha” moments when the lesson finally clicks and they understand a concept for the first time. She believes the world would be a better place if we helped one another just a little more with the time & talents that we have.

ESL Margot Campbell Andrea Durkin Brandi Whatley Rebekah Taylors Jodi Glasser Claire Petersen Jrssica Thomas Robert Bertinelli Dieter Raabe Gabriel Aragon Charlotte Abrahams Wesley Howell Jessica Barrett Caroline Bishop Lisa Franklin

ABE Jessica Barrett Ivette Arellano Karen Dye Tiffany Webb Nannette Latesta Ashley Williams Claire Lang Dana Jackson Bob Glick Carolyn Zinnk Robert Soto David Collao

Tiffany Webb Ann Larson Josh Csire Monika Schoeffel Michelle Willard

GLA Welcomes Recently Trained New Tutors

We want your ideas!

Tutor talk is a forum

to exchange ideas.

Just like you, we are

always looking for

new and better ways to help

students. If you have an inter-

esting idea, valuable tip or a

great website to share, please

email Harriet at

withers@greenvilleliteracy.org

If you change your email ad-

dress, please let Elizabeth

know at:

roser@greenvilleliteracy.org

GLA Calendar

March

28 - Spelling Bee (See ad on pg . 3 for details)

April - Volunteer Appreciation Month

5 - Last day of Winter Semester

8 - 18 No Classes

9 - Tutor In-service (see ad on pg. 1 for details)

19 - Spring Break, all offices closed

22 - Spring semester begins

May

21 - GED graduation

Book Sale reminder:

We are collecting books for this year’s books sale. As you

do your Spring Cleaning please remember us if you have

books you need to get rid of. All books can be dropped off

at the McAlister Square location. Call 864 467-3456 to

get help unloading. Also, consider volunteering for this

event it’s a lot of fun. You can sign-up online

at www.greenvilleliteracy.org

ESL tutor tips from Benedicte at the Simpsonville office……..Did you

know that the Ventures series offers a workbook of multi-level work-

sheets for each book level? Many lessons offer worksheets in three

levels so you can challenge your quicker students and give more guided

practice to those who need it. Did you know that the Heinle Picture

Dictionary has a lesson planner that includes a lesson plan for three

different levels using the same topic? Have you heard about

www.breakingnewsenglish.com? If you'd like to learn more about how

to create multi-level lesson plans, please talk to your Program Man-

ager about any of these resources or come to the Spring Tutor In-

Service where we'll be discussing how to use these resources.