ESL training
I recently signed up to be an ESL tutor through the Literacy Council of San Luis Obispo County. I was inspired by a co-worker and good friend, Sarah Arnquist, who tutored an ESL student while working as a healthcare reporter for The Tribune. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people willing to volunteer several hours per week to help local residents essentially become self-sufficient. The program has about 300 tutors from around the county.
I’ve wanted to become a tutor for several reasons. The job market has been tough lately — even for working professionals with advanced degrees — so I can’t imagine what it must be like for an adult who can’t read and write English at a sufficient level. The woman who conducted the training said we can expect to get a student who is preparing to take their GED, hoping to become a U.S. citizen, or learning English to talk to their child’s school teacher(s). I’m also hoping my tutee can help me improve my español because I’m slowly starting to feel that I’m letting my Spanish degree go to waste. I’ll post more when I know who my student is! Every county has some sort of literacy council. If you’re interested in tutoring ESL you can likely find an organization that puts on such programs by contacting your city or county offices.
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