Student volunteers teach adults to read

The University is putting its resources to work for West Philadelphia. And dedicated students are leading the way. The Penn Volunteer Gateway is sponsoring a program designed to teach Philadelphia adults how to read. "Penn is a great resource for adult literacy," said University site coordinator and College junior Ellona Wilner. "And the community is in desperate need for adult literacy tutors." The University's program, which is a branch of the Mayor's Commission on Literacy, serves West Philadelphia and University City. The tutorees, who are known as "learners," range in age from high school students to the elderly. "My learner last year was a 70-year-old woman," Wilner said. "She had an incredible devotion to learn. But we could work for two months and she could learn two or three more letters. "The important thing is not even her learning how to read, but the sense of achievement she got," she added. "The moment she makes a connection, the sense of accomplishment she feels is really incredible." Tutors receive nine hours of training during one weekend in November and then meet with their learners for one to two hours per week or more, depending on the reading level of the tutoree. This year, approximately 20 to 25 students are expected to volunteer, according to Wilner. An introductory meeting will be held in late October or early November for all interested students. The program was started several years ago by former University student Deborah Greenberg. College junior Jessica Sadler, co-coordinator for the University's branch of the program, said the program is good outreach for the University. "Many of [the learners] want to get their GED. Some want to read Beauty and the Beast to their grandchildren and some want to be able to read a trucking manual," Sadler said. "It'll amaze you how much they want to learn how to read." Learners range in ability from beginners with no reading background to more advanced people with reading difficulties. "If you find someone who'll really stick with the program, they'll go to any length to learn," Wilner said. "But you have to work hard to put yourself back in their shoes." The training process teaches students how to approach this difficult process, Sadler said. "We sit down with a literacy coordinator from the Mayor's Commission in Philadelphia," she added. "We learn community relations and how to treat the people we work with. "You have to learn to read all over again," she added. Wilner said that although the sense of accomplishment is great, tutors often feel a great deal of frustration at the pace of learning. "You understand it so well, and you wonder how can they have to go over this 30 times before they understand," she said. "It's totally frustrating, but the end result is really rewarding." Sadler said the program gives students a great opportunity to volunteer in the local community. "It's a great way to get involved in West Philadelphia," she said. "A lot of people think that Penn is West Philly -- you definitely learn that there's much more out there." Wilner also said she hopes to improve this year's program by having the various tutors interact more than in previous years. "It's easy to be paired off without being part of the student group," she said. "But I want this to be a social outlet too." And Wilner added that the program is still looking for more interested volunteers. "If we had a hundred tutors, we'd have a hundred adults looking for help," she said.