The Gift of Reading

Matt and I have decided to attempt "quick hitter" blog posts from now on, so here goes:

This morning, I completed my training as a literacy tutor at the Durham Literacy Center. Now that we're getting more settled and have more free time, Matt and I both want to volunteer more. We've been exploring opportunities that interest us, and once I came across the DLC (as it's affectionately called), I knew it's where I wanted to focus my energy.

For the last several months, I've been thinking about literacy and just how crucial it is to daily living. Reading and writing are skills that truly open up a person's world of opportunities. When we got to Durham, I did some searching and came across the DLC. When I learned that they offered tutor training in January each year, I put it on my calendar.

This week, I became qualified to be a tutor after 12 hours of training. What will I be doing, you ask? I'll be teaching an adult to read and write. I haven't been matched with my particular student yet, but it's likely that he or she will be at a 2nd - 4th grade reading level.

During our training, we heard amazing and inspiring stories of several DLC students. For instance, one lady (now in her late 40s) got passed through the school system as a child despite the fact that she could barely read. Her boss discovered that she struggled to read and referred her to the DLC. At one point and time, she had to ask her kids to read her mail for her, but now she does it on her own.

Another man (now in his late 50s) had to drop out of school after 3rd grade to take care of his brothers and sisters. Most of his siblings went on to graduate from high school, but he was never able to go back. He runs a ministry for people on the streets and decided to learn to read so, among other things, he could read the Bible to people and answer their questions. When he came to the DLC three years ago, he couldn't read or write at all. Now he's reading and spelling some more complex words and able to write some simple sentences.

My commitment to the DLC is for the next 6 months. Since I'll likely be assigned to someone at the beginning level, I could see myself staying with it for much longer (provided they'll have me). Although I have long taken my ability to read and write for granted, this opportunity is helping me to see how literacy is truly a gift for which I should be thankful each and every day.