11/02/2023
We're so proud of our library and its people ❤️
✨Tutor Spotlight!✨
John is a volunteer tutor with Literacy Services. He has helped six students gain their citizenship and is currently working with another five students with their reading and writing skills, as well as one student with civics.
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"I really had no idea what I might be doing when I started in Literacy Services back in 2018. My first suspicion was that I’d be reading stories to kids, but I was informed those opportunities were mostly reserved for high school students. So, I asked where they needed help. I was referred to the Literacy Office to be an English tutor. I was not an English major and I didn’t speak any other language, but I did really enjoy reading and writing. I went to a training and a week later I started with my first student. I felt totally overwhelmed, but I worked hard to overcome that. Slowly but surely, I improved in my ability to help students. I started with just one student one day a week for about an hour. Slowly over time I got more students.
Then, I was asked if I could teach legal residents who wanted to become American citizens. I didn’t feel qualified for it, but I did graduate high school and I enjoyed American history, so I thought I would give it my best attempt. I was surprised at how much I remembered and how much I was able to help them understand history and government.
I think we sometimes underestimate how much we know and how much we can really help people. This was very important for me, as I am a disabled person. A lot of people do a lot for me on a daily basis just so I can live. For me to be able to find something that I can do despite my limitations that offers real world benefits and hope to other people is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced. When I first started doing this, it felt more like a chore and a duty. But after years of doing it, it now feels like an honor and a privilege. I didn’t realize this up until recently, but apparently I was the only one at the library helping people study for their citizenship test. I was the Literacy Program’s go-to “expert” for something I never thought I would be known for.
I am very grateful to the library for this opportunity and that they believed in me enough to give me this chance. Before this, I had a couple rough years where I was struggling with depression and other difficulties. I needed to do something for other people because doing stuff just for myself ended up making me miserable and unfulfilled. This volunteer opportunity helped heal my pain and nurtured my spirit. I hope other people will hear this story and benefit from it, whether or not they’ve gone through what I’ve gone through."
