Adult Literacy League has spent 56 years offering opportunities for skills development and personal fulfillment for those needing to complete their formal education. Its administrative offices are located at 2221 Lee Rd. in Winter Park, but classes and tutoring sessions are offered throughout Central Florida.
“We’ve been operating in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties since our founding,” said Development & Communications Manager Peyton Whittington. “Locally speaking, last year we noted a 23% increase in students from the Winter Park/Maitland area and a 59% increase in volunteers from the same area.”
According to the National Literacy Institute, 21% of U.S. adults were illiterate in 2022 with 54% of adults having a literacy below 6th grade level.
Group classes often meet in libraries and via live streaming, but one-on-one tutoring has become a mainstay service for its level of personal attention and scheduling flexibility. Tutors and students are paired according to student goals, instructor experience, and mutual scheduling availability. Sessions can occur anywhere from a coffee shop to a public park. “We tell our volunteers they are not just educators, but cheerleaders and mentors,” Whittington said.
The process for students begins with an assessment to determine the appropriate level of instruction. For volunteers, a three-hour training session offers information on meeting the needs of students, and the appropriate curriculum is provided for every tutoring session. “You don’t need a teaching background to be a volunteer,” Whittington said. “And we make sure volunteers are supported throughout the process with tutor education workshops and support committees they can turn to with questions.”
While previous teaching experience is not required, there are some volunteers who are more than a natural fit.
“I was a teacher for nine and a half years and a school psychologist for 35 years,” said Pam Abrams, who has been tutoring for Adult Literacy League since 2020. A passion for education inspired her to continue even in retirement, but her interest in the league spiked after discovering the diversity of its services and the people who require them. “My first student wanted to go into in military and needed help passing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test,” she said. “I helped him get a high enough score to qualify. My second student was a 65-year-old woman who never learned to read.”
Among Abrams’ recent success stories is 30-year-old Michael Spears, who needed help acquiring his GED. After unsuccessful studies in a group class environment, his results improved with one-on-one tutoring in all the required curriculums including reading and writing, science, social studies, and math. “It was difficult at first,” he said, “no one wants to admit they don’t know certain things, but it was something I had to get done.”
“The League helps with so much more than reading skills, but I didn’t really understand that until I looked into becoming a volunteer,” Abrams said. “And I think there are many people who also don’t realize that.”
While raising awareness may be a challenge, results are made possible through support. Plans are under way for the 16th edition of the league’s yearly Reading Between the Wines fundraising event, but sustainability is a year-round effort. “We’re very grassroots,” said Whittington. “We receive funding from foundation and government grants, faith-based and civic organizations, and private donors.” She adds that several former students have returned to offer their time to foster the success of others.
For those wondering if they have what it takes to be a tutor, the most valuable traits are patience and a desire to help. And for many in need of assistance, the stigma of an incomplete education is the first challenge to overcome.
“Give it a try,” said Abrams. “The league is great about supporting tutors; in more cases than not, I think anyone thinking about volunteering would like it.”
“Just do it,” said Spears. “Just because you may not feel like you’re smart enough, there are people who will work with you and do what’s best for you.”
For more information, enrollment and volunteer information, log onto adultliteracyleague.org.