PRINCE FREDERICK, MD. – Imagine if you could not read this newspaper to learn of community and world news. Imagine not being able to read a map, use the Internet, follow prescription directions or prepare a meal from recipe. How would you help your children with school work, fill out a job application or understand important papers? That is the reality for more than 9,000 Calvert County residents.

 

But the Calvert County Literacy Council (CCLC) has been advocating for and supporting these people through free, one-on-one tutoring since 1983. CCLC volunteer tutors teach adults to read, write and speak English proficiently, compute and solve problems and use technology to function in the family, on the job and in society. Programs include Basic Literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family Literacy and Workplace Literacy.

 

Maria Birnkammer, executive director of CCLC, says that the ability to read and write is one of the most empowering skills an adult can possess. “Adults who cannot converse fluently, both in writing and in speech, are at a serious disadvantage in our society and these disadvantages are often passed on to their children. The Calvert County Literacy Council helps break this cycle of illiteracy and allows people to become life-long learners, set and achieve personal and career goals and greatly improve their lives.�

 

CCLC will offer free tutor training for new tutors on April 1, 2, 10 and 17 at the Calvert County Library in Prince Frederick, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Tutors will receive training in the methods of working with literacy students, information on resources and tools to assist in lesson planning and learn the techniques that can make a tutor/student relationship a life-changing experience for both individuals.

 

Tutors and students typically meet once per week for a couple of hours in a public place like a library or coffee house. No special education is needed for tutors, just a little training and a willingness to give the gift of literacy.

 

“’Each one, teach one’ is the motto of the Calvert County Literacy Council,� says Birnkammer. “It’s a simple goal that produces very powerful results.�

 

For more information on the Calvert County Literacy Council’s programs and services or to sign up for free tutor training, e-mail Maria Birnkammer at calvertliteracy@somd.lib.md.us, visit online at www.somd.lib.md.us/CALV/Literacy, or call 410-535-3233.