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| navigate: home: magazine: fall 2002: article | |
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Penn State Delaware County students learn by teaching literacy to others By David Jwanier | ||||||
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Penn State Delaware County has a burgeoning English as a Second Language (ESL) student population from more than a dozen countries around the globe. At the same time, a recent Adult Literacy in America study released by the U.S. Department of Education indicates that approximately one-half of all American adults are either illiterate or possess limited literacy skills. During the summer, 16 ESL and traditional students at Penn State Delaware County participated in a 6-credit service-learning program called the Academic Community Connection. In addition to class time, a total of 40 hours of community literacy tutoring were required over the eight-week session. The idea is to bolster all the students’ self-esteem through volunteerism and to help ESL students gain a better understanding of the English language, according to Deb Seifried, who administers the program at the campus. “Students start the course doing what has to be done to get the credits, but many say that after doing it for awhile they learn so much, because when you teach, you learn,” Seifried said. Students in the program, who hail from Haiti, France, Pakistan and the Dominican Republic, agree that tutoring others is also a good opportunity to say “thanks” to those who may have helped them to learn English along the way. “At first, the students don’t want your help, but they kind of get used to you and then they want to learn,” said Canetti Hector, a 20-year-old junior marketing student who was born in Haiti. The Trenton, N.J., resident attended ESL classes in school until age 8. “There are a lot of young adults who have dropped out of school and who are trying to get their GED, and for me to help them, I feel good about it.” Michael Cheatham, a 20-year-old sophomore marketing student, was born and raised in West Philadelphia, but he appreciates the encouragement his parents gave him and would like to provide similar support for others. “It’s very beneficial and rewarding to me. I get to help someone who maybe didn’t get as much encouragement as I did and get them to maybe surpass me in some ways,” he said. Penn State Delaware County works in partnership with the Indo-Chinese American Council (IAC) in North Philadelphia to bring the Academic Community Connection to primarily minority groups in various parts of the city and also in Kennett Square, Delaware County. Cheatham has been doing his tutoring at the IAC. Maria Thuy, director of the Indo-Chinese American Council, said the program is helping her clients, many of whom have a limited education, to improve their literacy skills, get better jobs and live more fulfilling lives. She is thankful for the work of the student tutors. “There is no instant gratification, but tutors need to know that they touch (tutored) students’ lives in more than one way: academically, as role models and simply by showing they care,” Thuy said. | |||||
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© 2002 Outreach Communications, Outreach & Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-8108, fax: (814) 863-2765, e-mail: outreachnews@outreach.psu.edu |
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