Bloomfield Hills, MI – Oakland Literacy Council announces the appointment of four new members to its board of directors following its annual meeting in January. Joining the board are Mita Bhavsar, Ashelin Currie PhD, Ellen Lipton, and Robert Steeh. Also at the meeting, John Almstadt was elected as the new board chairperson, succeeding Judy Lindstrom, who held the position for 18 years.

“Our new board members bring to the organization a wealth of government, business, and education expertise,“ says Executive Director Lisa Machesky. “I am looking forward to the unique guidance and opportunity that Mita, Ashelin, Ellen, and Bob will each provide as we continue building reading, math, digital literacy, and workforce preparation programs and continue taking steps to reach community members who most need literacy services. I am also excited to see the outcomes of this new leadership. John was instrumental in building a strong transition plan over the last year, and he will lead us into a new stage of growth and community impact.”

Mita Bhavsar is a director at FINNEA Group, a financial services firm in Oakland County. She is an industry expert in data modeling, with over 20 years of experience across multiple industries. Mita is a community advocate with a focus on math literacy. She is “passionate about education and believes that knowledge truly is power.” Mita has served as a volunteer GED Math instructor and worked with multiple nonprofit organizations leading math boot camps, promoting STEM education for young women, and ensuring that teenagers at risk for dropping out of school have a path to higher education and trade programs.  She is a certified diversity and inclusion facilitator. Mita graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Mathematics. She lives in Farmington Hills.

Dr. Ashelin Currie is a literacy consultant at Oakland Schools. In her role, she supports school district leaders, literacy coaches, and teachers, with the goal of delivering effective and appropriate literacy instruction to all students. Ashelin is the president of the Detroit Affiliate of the National Black Child Development Institute. She works extensively with children and families and other community organizations to implement systems to improve the academic lives of students beyond the school setting. Ashelin obtained her Doctorate in Reading and Language Arts with a concentration in emergent literacy from Oakland University. She earned her Master of Arts in Reading Education from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University. Ashelin lives in Pontiac.

Ellen Lipton is a member of the Michigan Board of Education and president of the Michigan Promise Zone Association, which supports free community college tuition, technical training, and certification to students in select communities in Michigan. She previously served six years as a Michigan State Representative. Ellen has been a tireless advocate for education, committed to eliminating educational inequities and ensuring affordable higher education. A patent attorney, Ellen graduated from Harvard Law School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Williams College. She lives in Huntington Woods.

Robert Steeh has spent his career dedicated to community education. He recently retired after 22 years as director of community education for Novi Schools. For the previous 22 years, he served as assistant community education director for Brighton Area Schools. Bob currently serves as past president of the Michigan Association for Community and Adult Education (MACAE) and is a member of the Oakland County Workforce Development Board. “I look forward to serving on the OLC board. With my 44 years working in adult education, it is my hope to help bring greater access to literacy programs for adults,” says Bob. He received his master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University and bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University. Bob lives in Brighton.

John Almstadt, new OLC chairperson and longtime board member, has over 30 years of experience in workforce development. He is the former director of Oakland County Michigan Works!. He lives in Oakland Township. His predecessor, Judy Lindstrom, was appointed chairperson emeritus in honor of her 25 years of service to the organization and advocacy for adult learners in Oakland County. Robert Gaylor, Judy Bryce, and Paula Brown were reelected as vice chairperson, secretary, and treasurer, respectively.

When Oakland Literacy Council board member and volunteer tutor Ann Manning was just 12, her mother, Jeanine Nazareth, did extensive volunteer work to launch and operate the nonprofit organization, Pittsburgh Public Theater. Jeanine remembers that Ann grew to share her mom’s passion for the project and was soon busily recruiting other kids to help stuff envelopes and distribute flyers.

Decades later, the tables have turned, and Ann is now the one enlisting Jeanine’s help for a cause close to her heart. Ann, who has served on the board since 2013, has helped her mother, who is now 81 and lives in Portugal, to become a one-on-one virtual tutor for an OLC student.

Ann says that her mom has always been engaged in the community, but the pandemic’s restrictions and some health challenges had combined to limit Jeanine’s activities. “She likes being out there helping people so much. It was hard for her to be increasingly confined and isolated,” Ann shares.

When OLC moved from in-person to online tutoring, Ann realized that technology could now make it possible for Jeanine to volunteer and engage with others without the challenge of needing to be physically present. Jeanine jumped at the opportunity, learned how to use Zoom, and was paired with a student, Milene, who has lived in the U.S. for four years and came to OLC seeking greater English fluency.

Jeanine finds helping a foreign-born student especially exciting because she herself is not a native English speaker. Born in Belgium, Jeanine grew up speaking French. As a young woman she taught herself English and, with her Portuguese husband, moved to the U.S. for his education. Upon arriving in America, Jeanine quickly learned that while she was adept at written English, she struggled greatly with pronunciation, and it took years for her to master spoken English. Today, she helps Milene, who immigrated from Brazil, hone her English-speaking skills and gain confidence.

“My student’s husband and children have made a point to join our Zoom lessons twice just to thank me and encourage Milene,” Jeanine shares. “They say, ‘Jeanine, you did a miracle with her! For four years she’s been trying but had no one to correct her pronunciation. Now she is starting to speak really well!’”

Jeanine applauds her student’s progress and shares in her success. “I get equal reward,” Jeanine states, referring to the fulfillment and purpose that volunteering brings her. Jeanine’s daughter, Ann, concurs: “Every opportunity I find to help people is a real gift to me,” she says, “I’m grateful that as a child, my mom showed me the value of contributing, and now I’ve passed that along to my own kids.”

 – With special thanks to guest writer Anne Moyer for telling this story

 

After retiring from a career in engineering, Phil Swisher didn’t sit still long. His passion for personal connection led him to extend his cheery demeanor to help others as an Oakland Literacy Council (OLC) volunteer tutor.

Since joining OLC, Phil has tutored three students, all who have immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. His two former students have both graduated from OLC’s program!

Phil’s students have shared a common goal – to improve their English in the workplace. But that goal has meant something different for each student, so Phil has tailored his approach to meet each student’s needs.

2020 graduate Jeongmun, who was working in logistics and product control, became more proficient speaking with customers on the phone. Phil helped Jeongmun expand her vocabulary by providing vocabulary lists, practicing reading and summarizing articles, and giving creative writing assignments, including poetry. 2021 graduate Jihyun wanted to improve his formal presentation skills to better show his company’s automotive products to potential customers. Phil and Jihyun spent hours on Zoom rehearsing the presentations. Phil’s current student, Kunwoo, wants to improve his English to socialize more comfortably with coworkers, so Phil and Kunwoo focus on informal conversation and American colloquialisms.

As a tutor, Phil consistently goes above and beyond by creating extensive and individualized lesson plans and unique exercises to help his students build language skills. He designs his lessons around each students’ competency level and goals. Phil keeps personalized binders for each of his students, which contain their lesson plans and pictures of their achievements upon graduating. Jeongmun noted that Phil clearly understood her comprehension level and was able to advise her with whatever she needed. Phil also makes a point of checking in with his students who have graduated.

Tea-ching Words of Wisdom

Phil uses a large swath of resources, including article databases provided by Oakland Literacy Council. His hallmark exercise involves a collection of tags from Salada tea bags. Each tea bag features “Words of Wisdom.”  At the end of each session, students pick a tea bag. These special messages advance students’ reading, listening, writing, and comprehension skills and have the added benefit of some sage advice! (Phil also compiles posters on the computer that feature his students’ favorite Salada Tea Words of Wisdom.)

Despite his obvious passion for teaching and glowing reviews from his students, Phil is incredibly humble about his role, often downplaying his talent as a tutor. Phil prefers to highlight his students’ hard work and notes that, “Students don’t realize how good their English is!” Additionally, he maintains an open-minded approach to teaching his students and appreciates the opportunity to learn from them in return.

Bloomfield Hills, MI – Oakland Literacy Council announces the recent appointments of two new members to its board of directors. Joining the board are Shelley Taub and Damany Head.

“Our new board members bring to our organization valuable government and business expertise and belief in the power of literacy to advance communities,” says Lisa Machesky, Executive Director.

“We are fortunate to have Shelley, a longtime education advocate with 28 years serving in state and county government, and Damany, an entrepreneur and Pontiac business leader, to provide guidance and connect us to vital resources as we grow to meet the enormous need for adult literacy services in Oakland County.”

Shelley Taub was elected twice as Oakland County Commissioner, serving a total of 20 years until retiring in 2020. She also served one term as State of Michigan Representative. A former teacher, Shelley believes, “if you can ready, you can do anything.” As a member of the Oakland County Library Board, she worked to secure government funding for adult literacy. As a board member, Shelley wants to help open new sources of government and foundation funding.  Shelley graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and completed post-graduate work in education, business, and medical management at the University of Kansas and University of Missouri.

Damany Head is the principal owner of Essential Recycling, a Pontiac-based business that provides recycling services to the HVAC industry. He has served over six years as chair of the Pontiac Regional Chamber. He is committed to economic development in Pontiac and increasing the per capita income of Pontiac residents. Damany believes that workforce development and breaking the cycle of illiteracy in families is essential. “Oakland Literacy really focuses on adults and young adults in Pontiac. I think that’s really critical – to think about the forwarding of educational outcomes though the ongoing education of adults and the community.”  Damany graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

We are currently looking for a full-time student coordinator, find the job posting here:  studentcoordinatorjobdescriptionjuly2021

 

Thank You for shopping at Leon & Lulu, a portion of your purchase on August 1, 2021, went to the Oakland Literacy Council. The Oakland Literacy Council is the only organization dedicated solely to ending adult illiteracy in Oakland County.

Want to know more?

Watch our video:

https://youtu.be/glqK6Gc1nfI

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Become a tutor:

https://www.oaklandliteracy.com/become-a-tutor/

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Donate:

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https://www.oaklandliteracy.com/exlibris2021

Jiyeon wants to learn to play golf. Jeehye recommends trying snowshoeing. Mikyeong plays classical guitar. Sungyun loves sudoku. And Phyllis, who facilitates this conversation group of Korean women, makes a fabulous artisan bread!

Want to find out more? Just read their blog HERE. 

Phyllis White started the conversation group in early 2020. A tutor since 2018, she found that regardless of her ESL students’ different skill levels and learning styles, their overall goal was similar. She explains, “They are here with their family. They want to be able to integrate into the community and communicate.” For Phyllis, starting a conversation group was a natural next step.

The group bonded quickly. While their English language skills vary, they can help each other since they all speak Korean. They feel a commitment to each other. When one group member could no longer meet during school hours because her children were  in virtual school at home, they began meeting later in the day for what became “happy hour.” (Phyllis, who owned a graphic design business for ten years, even created a happy hour logo!)

As the year went on, Phyllis was looking for new ways to keep the group engaged online. She was finding it challenging because each student has a different technology system and a different skill level with technology. She found Google Workplace, which has been a platform they can all use. Phyllis guided the group through the Google platform until they were set up and ready to blog.

Students post their stories and picture on the blog, based on a prompt given by Phyllis. They also comment on each other’s posts, which provides more practice with writing and conversation. The blog also includes a group calendar and study materials.

Phyllis has enjoyed harnessing her creative skills into the blog. It has become a special “place’ for the group during this busy and complicated year. “The website has really helped us take a moment for us and connect and go from all the work to the fun.”

Phyllis is thrilled about the positive response from the students. Mikyeong says the blog is a “very, very great experience” and “she [Phyllis] encourages me always.” Sungyun agrees. “I have many stories. I want to share my story.”

Sungyun sums up the group best. “We are very synergy.”

 

 

In the last year, we have all felt keenly the loss of things precious to us – for some, the loss of a loved one or a job; for all, the absence of social gatherings, shared meals, outings to favorite spots, and hugging a friend. In the midst of so much loss, Rachester Motley set her sights on what she might gain.

Rachester remembers praying, “Lord, I want to come out of this pandemic with more. Let me come out with something new from this.”

Eight months later, that “something more” is coming to fruition in Rachester’s life. She’s enrolled as an Oakland Literacy Council basic education student and is making great strides in her reading ability.

At 66 years old, this step marks a big change. “I used to have the attitude that I was too old,” Rachester says. “But then something came over me and said, ‘you’re never too old to learn, you can do it’ and my thinking switched. I wanted to become more independent at my age.”

Following that realization, Rachester was introduced to Oakland Literacy by community partner Neighborhood House. Then it was time to tackle the first hurdle — learning to use a computer so tutoring could take place virtually. Oakland Literacy Council’s digital literacy coordinator, Patti Shayne, provided Rachester with a computer and helped her master the basics of using Zoom and the appropriate educational software.

From there, Rachester began meeting virtually with her tutor, Jill Cook, twice a week. She values the one-on-one instruction that makes the most of their lesson time.

“I love working with Jill,” Rachester says. “One-on-one, there are no distractions or interruptions. Jill works with me, she’s building me. It’s like I’m learning to crawl, then walk; each step is like a new beginning. Jill understands me and I feel comfortable.”

As Jill and Rachester work through the Barton curriculum, a multi-sensory curriculum based on Orton-Gillingham and adapted for virtual use through a tool called Whizzimo, Rachester is discovering the joy of reading.

“One day, I saw a book called Who Is Kamala Harris? and it just looked so tempting!” Rachester says, referring to the newest edition in “Who HQ,” a best-selling history series written for middle-grade readers. “I was so excited! I bought the book, and Jill and I went through it together. But I also re-read it by myself and I would highlight sections or put a question mark next to something I wanted to ask Jill. I love that reading lets me hear other people’s stories and learn about them.”

While literacy and digital literacy have immense practical benefits – Rachester’s goals include using email more often and learning how to securely pay bills and shop online – Rachester speaks most passionately about the personal growth she’s experiencing thanks to her newfound skills.

“I have more confidence in myself,” she says. “This is making me stronger, making me believe in myself. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

Rachester encourages others to push through the reluctance that once held her back. “Reach out and ask for help. It will make you feel very good to know you can do things for yourself; you have power. You can get help, hold on to it, and learn as much as you can. That’s true for any age.”

Opening a restaurant during the pandemic takes incredible courage, but then so does immigrating to a new country with one’s family. Daewoon Choi has done both.

Daewoon brought his wife and teenaged daughter and son to the United States in 2017 from South Korea. The primary reason for moving: to secure better educational opportunities for the children.

Although Daewoon had worked for the city government in Korea, he took a job in his sister’s sushi restaurant when he arrived in the U.S. After working in restaurant kitchens for three years, the 50-year-old took the leap to open his own restaurant with a business partner in May 2021.

Sushi Yeoubi is tucked into a strip mall in Lake Orion. For now, it has just three employees and functions as a carryout establishment, although the space has tables, where customers can eat the fresh California rolls, spiced tuna, and other specialties that they’ve purchased at the counter.

The restaurant’s name Yeoubi means “sun shining through the rain,” Daewoon explains. It is a fitting expression for something good happening in the midst of a difficult time – like launching a restaurant in a pandemic or learning a new language and new culture in a strange country.

Supporting Daewoon through the stress of establishing himself in the U.S. and starting a business has been his Oakland Literacy Council tutor, Sue. “I came here, and I had no friend in America,” Daewoon says. “I talk about my problems with Sue and share my ideas. She’s now a very good friend.”

In keeping with the Council’s mission to meet students where they’re at, Sue has helped Daewoon learn the language of day-to-day American life such as home, yard and car maintenance as well as the language of his new business venture such as the terms in the lease agreement with his landlord.

Although Daewoon had studied English in Korea, he struggled to speak English before working with Sue. “My pronunciation is so bad,” Daewon says. Sue gently corrected his efforts to pronounce words with difficult r, l, and w sounds, he says. Speaking is easier now, he says.

“The skill I am most proud of giving Daewoon is confidence,” says Sue. “Confidence to talk on the phone, to look at Americans and make small talk, to communicate with bankers and landlords and building inspectors. He was already brave enough to emigrate with his wife and adult children, and smart enough to use the web to learn how to fix anything and to start a new business with all the COVID-19 restrictions.”

 

As a dynamic leader and host of Council events, Alicia Stephens strives to make sure all who want to improve their literacy skills have the opportunity. 

Alicia Stephens already had a full plate as a mom and wife,  church volunteer, OLC board member, and executive at Comerica Bank, but when asked to lead OLC’s newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee last summer, she believed it was a cause deserving of her time. 

“Diversity is a differentiator of success,” Alicia says. “The more variation you have, the better chance you have of being able to put together a strategy or solution that’s going to lead to more positive outcomes.” 

Positive outcomes is what this dynamic advocate leader is all about. “Wherever I go, I want to bring a positive spirit and energy to the room,” Alicia says, “There are only so many hours in the day, and if you’re going to dedicate yourself and invest in something, you should always put your best foot forward and be an enabler of positive results.” 

Alicia first got involved with OLC just over two years ago while seeking opportunities to leverage her professional skills to serve the community. A passionate reader since childhood, she was immediately drawn to the mission of OLC. Her interest grew as she learned more about the organization. “Books and education open the world to you,” she remarks. 

“To lift the adult literacy level in Oakland County, we have to understand what are the drivers for inequalities.”

Early in her career, Alicia worked at a bank branch and recalls interacting with some customers who struggled with low literacy. “They were unable to fill out a deposit or withdrawal slip,” she recalls, “and some customers weren’t able to sign their names.”

As DEI Chairperson, Alicia is excited to help OLC always “interact in a way that communicates that all are welcome,” she says. The Committee is already making progress toward its initial goals of increasing diversity among board membership, selecting materials and resources for learners that reflect the varied cultures of our learners, and educating tutors about diversity and inclusion.

Alicia is also enthusiastic about OLC’s desire to explore historical and systemic sources of inequity in education and literacy. “To lift the adult literacy level in Oakland County, we have to understand what are the drivers for inequalities,” she states, referencing economic, gender, racial, and other influences.

Along with broadening diversity, Alicia reports that the Board recognizes growth as the Council’s most pressing current opportunity. Virtual tutoring has been well received and widened the pool of volunteer tutors beyond southeastern Michigan, communities are seeking to bridge inequitable educational gaps, and the Board is looking at ways to elevate fundraising to support the growing demand for literacy support. 

“The Oakland Literacy Council has been around for decades. The Board wants to make sure that it’s around for decades to come,” Alicia shares, “and that means always keeping our eye on not just today but tomorrow.”