This month as Alta continues recruiting volunteer tutors around Trinidad who are interested in teaching our adult students to read and write, we feature a ‘throwback’ to an article written by one of our tutors for this column three years ago!
“For the past couple years I have truly enjoyed being a part of Alta. It really gives me something to look forward to for the four hours a week that I am there.
During my time at Alta, I have served as both a Reading Circle guide and as a trained tutor. At Reading Circle, we use small guided reading groups and activities to enhance student reading, whilst the students get the opportunity to work with other students who have similar reading abilities. One of the most rewarding experiences that I have had, occurred when a group of reading circle students’ opted to mark the occasion of Alta’s 20th anniversary with a painting that they created themselves to present to the founder of the organisation. As a Visual Arts teacher, I was able to guide them through this creative process where, for most of them, it was the very first time holding a paint brush. Although we were challenged with ensuring that all 20 members of the group contributed to the project and maintaining the secrecy of the work until it was presented, the sense of excitement, pride and accomplishment that was registered on the students’ faces upon the completion the work will always remain vivid in my mind.
As a tutor, my students’ enthusiasm for learning and self improvement lifts me up every time. Moreover, knowing that some of them work two jobs yet find the strength to make it to class twice a week inspires me to be a better tutor for them. Having been a school teacher for the past seven years, I was unwise in my belief that teaching adult literacy was not going to present me with much challenge because of my prior teaching experiences. My introduction however to “the Alta way of teaching” presented me with the challenge of accepting an adapting Alta’s set routine teaching strategies, whilst integrating them into my normal teaching practice. However, with much practice and dedication during our training sessions, I have now found myself adopting many of the teaching strategies that I have learnt from Alta into my regular Visual Arts classroom settings.
Volunteerism has proven to be one of the best teachers and my time spent at Alta has provided me with the opportunity to grow and improve myself while making a difference in someone else’s life.”
More info
Alta is currently recruiting tutors to begin teaching in the next academic year (September 2017). If you have a Grade I or II in CSEC English (General Proficiency) or its equivalent and time to teach twice a week for two hours per session for an academic year, give us a call today at 624-2582. Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 624-2582 or email Altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with Alta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Alta TT
