Published: November 09, 2007 09:37 pm      

LOCKPORT: Literacy Volunteers director seeks more tutors

For someone dealing with illiteracy, the world can be a scary place.

Imagine driving on the Thruway and not being able to read the exit signs, or trying to figure out how many pills to take when you can’t read what’s written on your prescription bottle.

Susan Shaft, new executive director for Literacy Volunteers of Niagara County, meets people on a daily basis who want to start on the path to literacy.

“Some people just want to read a bedtime story to their grandkids, or they want to get their GED,” Shaft said. “It could just be a small thing, but it will open the doors for things down the road for them.”

When Shaft took over as executive director in October, she was surprised to learn the illiteracy rate in Lockport is about 16 percent.

“I had no idea it was that high,” she said.

The organization is holding its fall training session for literacy tutors. There are about 10 tutors in training right now, including Shaft herself.

Taking over as executive director is a natural fit for Shaft, a lifelong reader.

“I can’t imagine not being able to read,” she said. “I’m constantly going online and ordering books ... I’ve always been an avid reader, since I was little.”

Shaft and her husband, Roger, both Lockport natives, have two sons, Ethan, 8, and Devin, 5. Now that Devin has gone to kindergarten, Shaft said, she wanted to take on a job that would combine her love of reading with her desire to help others.

Shaft formerly was a counselor at Pratt Elementary School in Barker. She also was a counselor and resources coordinator for the National Cancer Institute at Roswell Park. She is state-certified in school counseling and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from St. Bonaventure.

Many of the people signing up to be literacy tutors are former teachers. The volunteer position is open to anyone over age 18 who can read and write, Shaft said. Volunteers work one-on-one with students one hour a week.

The training is tailored to the specific needs of people dealing with illiteracy, who may need more sensitivity and confidentiality than normal students.

A literacy volunteer can be “anybody that wants to make a difference in somebody’s life, to give somebody confidence, to boost their self-esteem,” Shaft said.

The students can either need English as a Second Language training or are “basic learners” — people who read at or below the fifth-grade level.

While basic learners look to improve their reading and writing skills, many ESL students aim to perfect their pronunciation and spelling, Shaft said.

When students come into the program, they are given an assessment test.

“That can really scare people, but it’s basically that we just need to know where they’re at academically so we can fit them with a tutor,” Shaft said. “After a year, we test them in the hopes they’ll go up a level or two.”

Because the program is funded by state grants, the state keeps track of the progress of the students, Shaft said.

Shaft said even small improvements in literacy can change a student’s life immensely.

“We had an ESL student come in and speak at the training,” Shaft said. “She said she was told she would amount to nothing. Now that she’s gained the ability to read and write, she’s got a full-time job. She’s accomplished so much.”

The organization, which has offices in the Lockport Public Library and at the Trott Access Center in Niagara Falls, offers books, workbooks, tapes and other resources for volunteers to use in their lesson plans.

Tutors are based all over Niagara County, but mostly in Lockport and Niagara Falls, Shaft said.

More tutors are needed because there is a waiting list for students. To sign up for the spring session, call 433-7014.

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.