Adult Education

Saturday was teacher training day at the Y for those of use volunteering to teach adult literacy. They started in the middle of the night (8.45 am), but as I managed to get to sleep before 2.00am the night before it wasn't too painful. We covered a lot of material in six hours, including some fascinating information regarding the difference between teaching adults and children, and the reasons why adults who have never read in the past come to the classes.

Here are some of the facts/stats that we were given:

General

- 90 million (nearly half) American Adults have limited basic reading and writing skills.

- 17% of Missourians score in the lowest five levels of literacy.

- 950,000 Missourians age 16 and older (28%) do not have a high school diploma.

- Children of parents who drop out of school are six times more likely to drop out than children of parents who finished school.

- Children's literacy levels are strongly linked to the educational levels of thier parents, especially their mothers.


St Louis City (pop age 16+: 306,308)

-35% at Level 1 (National Adult Literacy Survey)
-66% at Level 1 or 2
-37% lack a high school diploma or equivalent


St Louis County (pop age 16+: 775,060)

-16% at Level 1 (National Adult Literacy Survey)
-37% at Level 1 or 2
-17% lack a high school dipolma or equivalent


Missouri (pop age 16+: 3,939,284)

-17% at Level 1 (National Adult Literacy Survey)
-46% at Level 1 or 2
-25% lack a high school diploma


National (pop 191 million)

-21-23% at Level 1
-25-28% at Level 2 (46-51% at Level 1 or 2)

"Literacy experts believe that adults with skills at Levels 1 and 2 lack a sufficient foundation of basic skills to function successfully in our society."

Many factors help to explain the relatively large number of adults in Level 1: 25% of adults in Level 1 were immigrants with limited English. 60%+ did not complete high school. 30%+ were over the age of 65. 25%+ had physical or mental conditions that kept them from fully participating in work, school, housework or other activities. Almost 20% had vision problems that affected their ability to read print.

-adapted from NIFL: Frequently Asked Questions


There are, of course, more students than tutors. We do this all one to one. The students come to us requesting assistance, often they don't want freinds, family or collegues to know that they are learning. They need more people to help, it requires an hour or two of commitment a week and two Saturdays for training, they provide materials, locations for teaching in (public venues), matching tutors to students and assesing the level of the student. It is worth it.

In other news, I watched a hawk carry off the rabbit that had been eating my veggies today. Spectacular.

A Trip to Hermann

The invitation came in a thick cream envelope, and in the hand of a friend. I remembered that she had been pessimistic about this place on her first visit, more than a year ago. This time the pessimism was mine, for a different reason. I come from farms, from rolling countryside. I know it isn't romantic. I don't like mud, or biting insects, or long periods in the sun, or sleeping under the stars. I have a stubborn fondness for indoor plumbing and hot water. But the friend who gave me the invitation promised guest houses and good food, so on Saturday we threw drinks and lawn chairs into the car and headed out to our destination.

We arrived to see the Harpist, sitting under the tree, harp between his legs, playing 'The Ash Grove'. He told us that the others were inside, eating cheese and cracker for lunch. We went and introduced ourselves to the few who had arrived. Within the hour we were down at the creak. Something of the child had been released in me, I climbed a tree (despite the heels), and paddled in the stream (having tied my skirt up). One person fell in, the cows lowed, alarmed by the interruption. We lost Teabringer down there for two hours and he found snakes, Cray fish and minnows.

Our host took us on tractor rides (a tiny 4x4 in reality), and let one of the party drive. I sat for a long time taking with The Harpist, and he looked through my music and played for me while I sang. Dinner was served as a thunderstorm passed by to the North. Many of the people cooking also write for Sauce, and the spread was magnificent. We ate and drank. As the sun set we all moved towards the newly-lit fire and sat around it. I tried some of Transylvanian Dutch's white port. Papers, flies and musical instruments emerged. Everyone who had been invited had a talent to offer.

Readings and music went into the night. The red sparks from the fire drifted to join the steady stars in the sky. Lighting bugs flashed to their own music in the prairie. The frogs in the creak were audible from the farmhouse.

We left a little before midnight, after the host had gone to bed and the party was winding down. And I knew that we were lucky to have found such great friends here.