As Alta continues annual student registration at classes across Trinidad, we rally our readers to share the message of our anti-stigma campaign: No shame. Go brave. You can read. Alta tutors who have completed their first year teaching are sharing their experiences to encourage others to come volunteer their time to teaching adults to read. Here is one of our tutor testimonials:
Firstly, I must thank Almighty God for blessing me with the understanding, health and strength to complete one year of Alta tutorship. Additionally sincere thanks to my co-tutors, co-ordinator and regional co-ordinator for their support and guidance.
There were aha and wow moments. I have grown.
When I tell my friends that I am an Alta tutor, I have to explain to them the difference between literacy and English grammar. This is the first lesson I learnt as an Alta tutor. When I introduce the "schwa" to my learned friends, they are stunned. These two lessons are my El Dorado that Sir Walter Raleigh did not find.
Being able to make sense of phonics, eg the vowel-consonant-silent e pattern which brings out the long sound of the vowel, is my eastern route for spices that eluded Christopher Columbus. When I am not sure of the pronunciation of a word, I can rely on my knowledge of phonics to solve the problem.
Someone once said, "We are not only teaching to read and write, we are also helping to lift self-esteem." When students begin the academic year timid and hesitant to express themselves and then by the end of the year read aloud with confidence, I am buoyed and wowed. Additionally the camaraderie that is built among students gives both students and tutors that fillip to keep on keeping on.
During my first year as an Alta tutor I have heard of the longevity of tutors. Those who have completed four years, five years, 19 years–almost as long as the founding members–emphasises the distance I need to go. I recognise the sacrifices that these individuals have made to the sustainability of mankind and by extension our nation.
The question that is usually posed by interested parties including myself is: "Why do you want to volunteer to teach literacy?" There are a myriad of reasons: wanting to give back to society, assisting non-readers, empowering people and reducing the crime rate in T&T.
In retrospect, I am wowed by the delight on students' faces when they receive praise and when the tutor helps them to overcome the hurdles that they can't surmount on their own. In my recently completed year, I have benefitted from the lessons learnt and the alliance formed with fellow tutors.
–Alexander Bain, St Aidans, Arouca
MORE INFO:New student registration in over 50 communities. Call 624-2582/741-9454 for info. No shame, go brave!! Volunteer, Donate, Sponsor-a-student. Like us on Facebook or check our YouTube Channel: Adult Literacy Tutors Association