Change a life: Become a literacy tutor

Let me tell you about Emma. She and I first met a few months after she arrived in Santa Fe from Mexico with her two young children. She signed up with Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe to be tutored in English as a second language.

Shortly afterward, she enrolled at Santa Fe Community College to get her Associate of Arts. The two of us spent the next three years meeting in the library, speaking, reading and writing English. During those years, Emma and I became friends and have remained so since first meeting in 2008.

After getting her associate degree in 2012, Emma got a job as an early Head Start teacher. In 2014, she was promoted to site supervisor for the Head Start programs. A couple of years later, she enrolled at Highlands University, studying early childhood education, and ultimately earned her bachelor of arts in 2018.

She was able to do all of this while she was raising her two children and holding down a job. This experience sparked in her a keen interest in getting an advanced degree in helping children with disabilities, and in 2017, she enrolled in Grand Canyon University, where she worked online on her master’s degree as she continued to tutor children with disabilities. Two years ago, she received her master’s degree in special education. She continues to teach children with disabilities.

Both her son and daughter are living productive and happy lives. Her daughter, Amy, has married and has two children. Her son, Eddie, has a successful career as a real estate agent and technology entrepreneur.

Emma often speaks about how much her initial tutoring in English as a second language made her feel confident enough to go out and meet the world. She had been self-conscious about speaking in public in English, but learning to read and write English — as well as speak it more comfortably — offered her the opportunity to consider her options in creating a new life for herself and her family.

Emma encourages anyone interested in tutoring to consider volunteering for Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, as do I, wholeheartedly. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

There are over 37,000 adults in Santa Fe County who are at the lowest literacy level. People need strong literacy skills to get good jobs, stay healthy, be active in their communities and raise their children, as well as to avoid human rights abuse. Literacy begins when parents read and talk to their children and encourage their children to read. When young children are not read to, they enter school less prepared than other children, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage.

You don’t need to know a second language or have a college degree to volunteer as a tutor. You just need to speak English and want to play a role in changing a person’s life. The next ESL training sessions are April 11-13. If you are interested in learning more, call 505-428-1353 or check out the literacy volunteers website at lvsf.org, and help change a life.