Fallbrook needs volunteers to tutor English as a second language to adults

FALLBROOK – Ever been in a local store, bank or other facility and overheard and perhaps watched as someone with limited or no English skills struggle to complete the most basics of tasks? What seems like a simple errand to most people can be a daunting and humiliating experience for them. Imagine not being able to discuss a child's progress in school with their teacher or discuss medical issues with a doctor or nurse. Think of the challenge of ordering food in a restaurant, buying groceries or filling out an application for a job.

Laubach Literacy Council of San Diego County Inc. is a 100% nonprofit organization that has been providing tutors free of charge since the 1960s throughout the county to adults whose first language is not English.

In Fallbrook, many adults are in need of English lessons. Professional trainers are provided by Laubach to train tutors to teach English. Workshops are offered several times per year to provide free training. There is no requirement of experience, and anyone who can speak English can alter the course of someone's life, help individuals become assets to the community. Tutor can chose to teach one-on-one or tutor a small class for an hour and a half each week or more. The tutoring will take place in the study rooms of the Fallbrook Library or Monday nights at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Fallbrook.

As Lana Smith, the director for Fallbrook Literacy Council in the Fallbrook Library, said, "Seeing and hearing your learners begin to communicate effectively in English is exciting and so very satisfying. Here in Fallbrook, our learners hail from many different countries like Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, France, Vietnam and Thailand. A class can be like an alchemist's melting pot but with an end result of true gold – the ability to speak, write and read English at a level that assists learners not only in their day-to-day living, but also helps them work toward their goals. The day I began tutoring was the day I began to understand my world a little better."

At this time in Fallbrook, there is no shortage of adults waiting to be tutored in English, but there is a shortage of tutors. Anyone who is interested in helping can contact Lana Smith at [email protected]. For more information or to register for a training workshop, visit http://www.laubachsandiego.org. The next tutor training workshop will take place on two consecutive Saturdays, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, from 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Fallbrook Library in the Avocado Room.

Submitted by Laubach Literacy Council.