A cadre of 25 trained literacy tutors at the Truckee Library seems like a lot, but with 38 students to serve and a waiting list of 12, more are definitely needed. The county-wide ‘Read Up’ program has been matching committed volunteers from all backgrounds and professions, with students who want to improve their English language and writing skills, since 1998.
Read Up’s Director Rolann Aronson, a retired Washoe County teacher, was once paid to run the program, but is now working on a volunteer basis. Budget cuts throughout the Nevada County Library system have hit Read Up’s bottom line hard, but certainly haven’t dampened Aronson’s enthusiasm and dedication to providing literacy services. ‘I’m very happy to be a volunteer because the program helps the community,’ she says.
Read Up is an accredited program and tutors are screened and prepped for their volunteer positions well before they ever meet students, by pouring over training manuals and a variety of resource books and videos in stock at the Truckee Library. New tutors are also required to participate in a five-hour training class. Students complete an in-depth skill assessment before being paired with an appropriate tutor. Once a match is finalized, the student and tutor begin to meet at least once a week for an hour at a place of their own choosing. Both come prepared, and work as a team to develop goals, objectives, and lesson plans. In most cases, the relationship becomes a very special one for both as a mutual bond of respect and understanding develops. As the students learn and grow, a whole new world opens up to them. Tutors are rewarded with the immense satisfaction that comes with making a significant difference in another person’s quality of life. In the end, the entire community reaps benefits as students continue to improve their communication, employment, parenting, and citizenship skills.
A training class for new tutors will be held on Thursday, June 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the second floor conference room at the Joseph Government Center behind the Truckee Library. Info: Rolann Aronson, Literacy Program Coordinator, (530) 575-7030, truckeefol.org/readup.htm
