By Marj Boudreaux
Special to the Globe
JOPLIN, Mo. —
Down the hall they come: Susana peering around the door, Manuel striding through the office, Pam smiling at us all, and Roger concentrating on paperwork.
Their abilities are as varied as their personalities. Susana speaks fluent English, but can’t read it well. Manuel reads English well, but stumbles when he tries to speak it. Pam wants to be able to handle her own correspondence, and Roger needs to pass a written test to get a promotion at work.
They come to Joplin Neighborhood Adult Literacy Read to improve their literacy skills in English, and we are committed to providing services to enable them to reach their full potential. To do that, we offer help in reading, math and English as a second language with one-on-one tutors and classes.
Fortunately for our three-person office, we have volunteers who teach and tutor. The three of us, Marj, Joan and Gail, would not be able to fulfill NALA’s mission by ourselves. We are grateful for all who volunteer their time, both with our students and in the office.
Right now we are looking for a few more good volunteers who want to take the training to work with our students. We will offer a tutor training workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at our office at 123 S. Main.
If you’d like to come, please call us at 782-2646 to register.
We’ll have coffee and snacks, but you can bring or buy your lunch during our 30-minute break.
You will find that tutoring someone to improve his or her skills brings great satisfaction. Come join us.
Marj Boudreaux
Director of Joplin NALA Read
Joplin
