Volunteer/Tutor Information
Reading is the foundation for all other learning. By donating a few hours a week you can make a difference in someone's life.
Importance:
Our program is designed to meet the needs and goals of adults and to provide the reading and comprehension skills necessary to deal with everyday life.
The relationship between the tutor and adult learner constitutes the heart of our program. Many of our students have had great difficulty in standard classroom situations. Committed one-to-one tutoring can produce amazing results and open doors to success for the first time.
Personal Requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You must have a regular high school or GED diploma
- Have compassion, patience and a sense of humor
- Be sensitive to cultures other than your own
- Be prepared to tutor an adult in basic literacy skills or ESL for at least 6 months
- No prior teaching experience is necessary
Tutor Training:
Training Workshops are offered twice a year, in the
spring and fall. The 18-hour course takes place in three sessions, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
A registration fee of $25 helps defray the cost of training
manuals and includes current year's dues in TALC and a 6 month membership in ProLiteracy, the largest national adult literacy organization.
Tutoring:
After the workshop you will be matched with an adult learner. You and your student decide where and when to meet. The lessons will take place in a public setting, such as a library.
You will meet once or twice a week for 1-1/2 to 2 hours each time. Both you and your student are asked to make a 6- month commitment to the program.
You are also required to create a lesson plan for each session and to submit a quarterly report every 3 months.
Adults come to TALC with specific goals and interests:
- Reading and Writing
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- GED preparation
- Citizenship exam
- Obtain Driver's License
- Take a test at work
- Or other personal goals
If knowledge is power then nothing offers more power to change a life than the ability to read.
Before sending in your application, please view the online course
Orientation to Volunteering in Literacy, offered by Thinkfinity: http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/Fre-Online-Courses.21.0.html
If you don't have time to tutor, other volunteer opportunities are available.
Next Tutor Training Workshop:
Monday, Oct. 4, Wed., Oct. 6, and Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 (9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)
Location: Community of Christ Church
6912 40th St.
West University Place, WA. 98466
(The church has graciously allowed us to use their facility for training workshops and meetings)
Click Here For Map & Directions
Please use the Volunteer Application buttons above to register for the workshop. An application fee of $25.00 is required.
Tacoma Area Literacy Council
P.O. Box 7210
Tacoma, WA 98417-0219
For more information, call 253.272.2471
The application fee can be paid through PayPal:
"Transform a life - lift someone from poverty and chaos to dignity and independence. Education offers a ladder on which to climb and a foundation upon which to stand. In this knowledge-based world, earning depends on learning."
-- Margaret Spellman U. S. Secretary of Education UNESCO conference 2004
