Chicago native George Henderson graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He learned about Literacy Action at a literacy festival, but his first exposure to illiteracy was through an adult family member who was being taught to read. “It was a surprise to me because he was getting through life and seemed to be making it okay.  Most literacy students are competent people, clever at hiding their handicap. I always loved to read and felt that anyone who couldn’t was missing a great deal.” George knows that more adults would seek help if it were not for the stigma associated with illiteracy. “The biggest hurdle is embarrassment.  People hesitate to seek help.”

George and his literacy student both work busy schedules but both make time to meet at least once during the week. George says that frequent communication helps the two stay on track. “I call my student every week to make sure he is going to make the session. The routine becomes part of your life.”

Like most tutors, George works with his student on practical skills that he can use every day. One of his student’s goals was to learn to write a check. “While we worked on his lessons, we also made check writing a side activity. The day he told me that he had written his first check without reservation or fear or embarrassment was a memorable reward for me.”

George had always wanted to give back to the community. At the end of every lesson, his student reads a little bit better. “He doesn’t struggle with the things he used to struggle with. Just knowing I have helped improve his life and opened the world of reading to him is all the benefit I need.”

Heidi Williams remembers well what it was like to move to a new country as a young girl. Her father was an American soldier stationed in Germany when he met and married her mother. When her family eventually settled in Little Rock, Heidi spoke only German and she recognized “how isolating it can be when you hear all the strange sounds around you and you cannot understand or make yourself understood.” But she quickly adapted to her new surroundings and started to learn English as a second language.

Little Rock has been Heidi’s home for most of her adult life and where she has worked for 43 years as an executive assistant. At her last employer, The Stephens Group, LLC, she had a conversation with a fellow employee about what she would do with her time when she retired. Her friend suggested that she should look into teaching others to read. “I knew I wanted to get involved in some type of community service, but I had not narrowed it down. After some research, I found Literacy Action and learned that the organization works with adult literacy and ESL students.” Based on her personal experience, Heidi felt that she would like to work as an ESL tutor.

After she completed her training, Heidi was assigned an ESL student from Thailand. “I have formal lesson plans for teaching my student to speak and write English, but we try to chat informally for at least 15-20 minutes at each lesson to give her the opportunity to improve her conversation skills.” Heidi adds, “The rewards are knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life by improving language skills and self esteem.”