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Oakland Literacy Council

Everyone Has a Fundamental Right to Literacy


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Returning to Literacy After Dropping Out of High School

Students who miss out on basic literacy as children often drop out of school as teenagers. Just ask Vida, who turned to Oakland Literacy Council as a retiree to get the education she never received as a sharecropper’s daughter in the Deep South in the early 1960s.

“At nine, I was in the cotton fields,” Vida recalls. “I was a water girl.” She carried a bucket of water and a dipper through rows of cotton so that her parents, older siblings, and other field hands could take a drink without leaving their work.

Although her family never went without food or clothing, Vida did go without an education. “Looking back, that was the worst for me,” Vida says now. She and her younger brother sometimes took turns sneaking away from the fields to attend the local school. After her family moved to a different plantation, she could attend school fairly regularly from the age of 10 to 12. However, when the family later moved to Indiana, Vida was placed in a grade in school based on her age, not her abilities. “I was lost,” she recalls, shaking her head. “I didn’t know what was going on. I was embarrassed.” Prejudiced peers at the mostly white school only made her more uncomfortable, she says.

“With everything I have been taught, I can sit up straight,” Vida says.

“They kept pushing me through school,” Vida says, even though her difficulty reading made it all but impossible to grasp the lessons in the thick high-school textbooks. “I couldn’t do the work,” she says. At the age of fifteen, she gave up and left school altogether.

She began supporting herself as a babysitter for working couples. At the age of 18, she began styling hair after receiving training. She was self-employed for 30 years. “People didn’t know I wasn’t educated,” she says. “I worked all day, all night, to make ends meet. I’ve always been independent. That’s how our parents raised us.”

However, she had a hard time understanding texts that most adults take for granted. Items like utility bills, newspapers, instructions on household appliances, and nutrition labels confused her.

Moreover, Vida struggled to converse with educated adults, including those she met through her partner, a doctor. She felt she didn’t have the vocabulary or grammar to articulate her thoughts. She finally decided to get help. She discovered the Council’s tutoring program online.

She has been matched with tutor Marsha Owen for the last two years. Marsha began teaching Vida phonics so she could sound out words. Vida quickly realized she had never learned this foundational literacy skill. “I just wanted to hug Marsha and hold her and not let her go,” Vida says of Marsha.

“Marsha isn’t just a teacher to me; she’s a friend,” Vida adds. “I would have still been in a dark place in my life without Oakland Literacy Council.”

As a result of her hard work, Vida’s reading level has risen from third grade to advanced. She comprehends written instructions and apps on her phone. She feels at ease in social situations. “With everything I have been taught, I can sit up straight,” she says.

 

Check out these articles about Oakland Literacy Council!

The Joy of Being a Literacy Tutor
Read between the ‘lions’
Give a little, give a lot
Seeking volunteer tutors

The Oakland Literacy Council is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity that relies on the financial support of individuals, businesses, community organizations, and foundations to fulfill its mission. Your tax-deductible financial gift can be made online, by mail or by Donor-Advised Fund. The Oakland Literacy Council also welcomes gifts of Stock and Legacy Gifts.

In celebration of Oakland Literacy Council’s 35th anniversary, we’ve invited students, former students, tutors, donors, and other advocates to share their stories. Read all of their stories here.

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Oakland Literacy Council
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Lesley TauroLesley Tauro
12:43 05 Sep 24
I love being a English Tutor with Oakland Literacy Council on a one-on-one basis as well as for a conversation group. Through OLC, I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people, many who have become friends.
Cynthia WersteinCynthia Werstein
23:48 04 Sep 24
I have enjoyed my ESL tutoring with Oakland Literacy Council. We received training to help us, help our students. I feel like I can reach out for additional help if needed. Not to forget, they offer outside activities, on occasion, so that the students and tutors can do some typical, but fun activities! OLC is a great organization to volunteer with.
Lisa BurnsLisa Burns
21:33 04 Sep 24
I've been volunteering with the OLC for about a year and a half, and it's been a great experience! I very much enjoy the tutoring sessions with the student whom they paired me with. She is a lovely person and I've learned a lot from her too. OLC makes tutoring easy for volunteers, with an easy-to-use curriculum, training, support, and social events. Highly recommend!
Qambar Ali SarwariQambar Ali Sarwari
19:50 04 Sep 24
Great team, motivational atmosphere, Thank you for your always support and help, especially the refresher training you provide to the tutors.Warm regards ,Ali
Brad RothBrad Roth
19:07 04 Sep 24
When I retired in 2020 (in the middle of the covid pandemic) I wanted to find ways to volunteer. As a former college professor, I am particularly concerned about education and literacy. Working with Oakland Literacy Council has been a wonderful experience for me. The staff at OLC (particularly Laurie Weeks) is so helpful and appreciative. I've gotten more hand-written thank you notes from Laurie in the last four years than from everyone else throughout the rest of my life combined. Volunteering for OLC lets me give back to society but enjoy retirement too. I highly recommend it.
Kelly TurnerKelly Turner
11:12 23 Aug 24
I would like to say How amazing Oakland literacy Council is I came in May To Continue my education and I thank god I found them they where at the bottom of the list when they should have been at the top of the list first off the staff is amazing they did everything by the book I did placement testing to figure out where to place me they took the time out to get the best tutors they also called and checked in on me and also motivated me to keep going and never give up they gave me the option to go online for tutoring or in person Stewart my tutor was amazing he took pride in educating me and never made me feel like I was bothering him patricia was amazing she stayed on me and stayed consistent they made me feel like familythe icing on the cake was how they acknowledged me on graduation day the whole team was there for me and my family and I was so happy and me and my kid's could feel the love it's nothing that I would not do for Oakland literacy I will be there spokesperson for life cause it's worth it and they have top notch tutors employees and the online tutor services is Phenomenal if you're seeking to continue your education look no more this is the place to go
Sanghee HanSanghee Han
11:59 22 Aug 24
I was so lucky to meet oakland literacy Council. Since OLC has been a great institute for me almost 2 years. And they helped my english improve and give me some good talking classes for learning new culture here as well. Now that I graduated from a reading program at OLC, I feel like I'm still with them. Really appreciate it.
BAIYANG LAIBAIYANG LAI
19:36 15 Aug 24
In the past three years I learned English with Oakland Literacy. I met quite a few tutors in one by one tutoring and some conversation groups. Those tutors were so incredible and awesome! They really really helped me a lot in my English. My gratitude to all of them is beyond words!
jung min sonjung min son
17:36 15 Aug 24
Thank you for having me with your excellent support.. I really enjoyed learning English and having conversation class with others. I made some good friends and I think Oakland Literacy Council is very good for people who need English support 👏 👍
Joseph Lee (Jo)Joseph Lee (Jo)
16:39 15 Aug 24
Oakland Literacy Council was a very good program for me as my second language. I evaluated my English ability through English listening and reading tests and matched my tutor accordingly. As a result, my English improved a lot. And most of all, it was free.
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OAKLAND LITERACY COUNCIL 51111 Woodward Ave., Suite 720, Pontiac, MI 48342

(248) 253-1617, info@oaklandliteracy.com

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