I like being a Literacy Coalition volunteer tutor because it is a way that I can help people improve their lives. I think all tutors at the Literacy Coalition feel that way. Some of us tutor people who are studying to take the GED test. After our students pass that test, they will be more qualified to get better, higher-paying jobs; and they will be able to lead more fulfilling lives. Most of the tutors at the Literacy Coalition teach reading and writing, which obviously improves the lives of those they tutor in many ways.

   I also enjoy the process of tutoring. I like helping people learn. When a student is having a difficult time learning something, it is very satisfying to me to be able to explain it so that he or she can understand it. That gives me a feeling of accomplishment.  

   Another reason I like tutoring is that all the people I have taught have been interesting and I have learned from them. A man I tutored, who was a good learner and very likeable, was a recovered alcoholic who had been homeless in San Francisco. He told me about his experiences living on the streets. He is the only person I have ever known who had been homeless. I admired him for making such an improvement in his life.

   A young man I tutored enjoyed playing paint ball games on Saturdays. He told me about them – the rules, guns, paint, clothing, etc. He suggested I go to watch some paint ball games, and I took his suggestion. It was interesting. I had never seen anything like it. Of course it is expected that students will learn from their tutors, but it also works the opposite way. I learn from my students.

   Sometimes I am able to help the people I tutor with something other than the subject they are studying. This isn’t necessary of course, but I like doing it. A woman I was tutoring in mathematics mentioned that she was having trouble using a computer to type a document. I’m not a computer expert, but I know word processing fairly well. I was glad that I could show her how to accomplish what she wanted to do on the computer.

   A man who didn’t have a car and rode a bicycle to our tutoring sessions told me the brakes on his bicycle weren’t working right. After our session that day, I went with him to where he had parked his bike. I could see the brakes needed adjusting. The next time I met with him I brought some tools and showed him how to fix his brakes.

   Tutoring at the Literacy Coalition has made me appreciate the happy, uncomplicated life I have. Often at the beginning of a tutoring session, I ask my students how they are doing at home or at work. Sometimes they tell me about difficulties they are having. Some of the issues they have to deal with are beyond their control. Others are the result of incorrect decisions they made in the past. I always listen carefully to what they have to say. I don’t make their problems my problems, and I seldom give advice. They seem to appreciate my listening to them and trying to understand them. I’m glad that by tutoring I am able to help them in a way that will improve their lives. I also can’t avoid comparing the situations they are in with mine and realizing how fortunate I am.

-- Submitted by Tom Anderson, Literacy Coalition tutor
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