Testimonials
"After 30 years as a classroom teacher, teacher-librarian, and learning assistance teacher one acquires at least some sense of what learning is all about! Couple that with a passionate interest in reading and a desire to help others and we have one volunteer tutor. It’s like a mathematical equation:
skill set + passion for reading + desire to help = volunteer tutor
In teacher training we were taught that we are not the “sage on the stage’, but rather the “guide on the side”. Tutoring at the ALC has given me the privilege of being with some very impressive people who at different levels and stages of their lives have set some goals and have asked for someone to “guide” them on the way. It is very much a shared experience and there are rewards for both the learner and the guide."
-Leslie Lindsay, Volunteer Tutor
"If you want to help others and make a difference in their lives, as well as make a difference in your own, and keep your brain sharp and just plain feel good, tutoring an ESL student is for you. By focusing on individual conversation and immigrant settlement needs, the learning sessions are meaningful, appreciated, relaxed, and can be filled with laughter as both the tutor and the learner find their way around the maze of learning English. I am finding the experience fulfilling and fun, and especially with the tutor training that was provided by the Adult Learning Centre, I have increased my skills and confidence. Volunteering as an ESL tutor is a wonderful way for me to give back to my community and still be productive and creative in my retirement".
-Linda Mclean
"Here I have a tutor help me to learn anything about life. To cook and the Canada way. Learning English is good. I need and I like."
-Peggy’s own words
"Why I volunteer at the Adult Learning Centre? The Learners. I have so much admiration for them; it must take so much courage and trust to make that first move to come to the Learning Centre. The reasons people come to us are many and varied, but the important thing is they come. Although they come to the centre to learn, I have found that much can be learned from them. One young man had been coming to the centre for a while to learn to print. Often when he was early for his appointment I would help him with his letters. On the day he wrote his name for the first time we were both so excited. If he had just received his PhD in physics, I don’t think he could have been happier. It is very heart-warming to see the successes, big and small. One learns that many things can be achieved with the appropriate amount of dedication and perseverance. Getting to know the other volunteers at the centre, and appreciating their strengths and talents also gives one a feeling of belonging to a group that is working together toward a common good."
-Pam Goodwin
"What qualities make a good Tutor? For many years I have worked with Adult Learners and have been asked this question. I do not have a definitive answer. Mostly, it’s a whole bunch of things. If I have to describe such a person in a few words it would be, “They are loving, caring and responsible human beings.” This person need not be an “expert teacher”, but rather, someone with a field of expertise who enjoys sharing and interacting with others. A good tutor is able to “walk with” the learner through their learning, to share in the joy of progress and to “hold hands” in time of difficulty".
-Terry Avery
Adult Learning Centre
