 On March 22nd, I had the pleasure of meeting and being interviewed by Sarah L., a third grader in Roanoke City Public Schools. Sarah had decided to do a school project on literacy. Her mother called Jack Spraker and he put me in touch with Sarah.
We met at the Blue Ridge Library. Sarah arrived with a tape recorder, camera and a list of type-written questions. She conducted a very professional interview. Sarah invited me to come to her school a week later when she would be presenting her project.
I went to the school, and Sarah conducted the interview again for her classmates. All of the students in her teacher's reading class were bright, alert, well-behaved and very interested in hearing about our literacy program. They asked many questions of both of us. It was a pleasure for me to be there.
Of course, I didn't miss an opportunity to tell them to learn to read and read well so that they would never need to use our program. Perhaps they could be tutors someday!
-- Basic Literacy Tutor, Angela Rauenswinter
Below is a transcript of Sarah's interview
School Project: A Literacy Interview
by Sarah L.
My name is Sarah L. and my guest today is Angela Rauenswinter, a literacy volunteer. Hello Angela.
Sarah L.:
How do you teach people to read?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Well Sarah, there are a lot of different ways you teach people. It really depends upon how advanced they are, how many of them know how to read a little. If they don’t know how to read it’s a matter of starting all the way back, teaching the alphabet. Other than that we use spelling books and we just go through the whole thing. Through the vowels, through the consonants. We do a lot of reading and that’s how people learn to read.
How long does it take your clients to read?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Well, that depends again on how advanced they are. Some of our clients read quite well. We’re just getting them a little further down the road. Others don’t read at all. So like I said we just start all the way back at the beginning. And it could take any amount of time. Another thing that’s interesting to know is that adults do not learn to read like children do. It’s not that they learn one year way the way you do. You go , let’s say second grade and at the end of second grade you’re on a third grade level. Adults don’t advance that quickly.
Sarah L.:
What do a lot of your clients love to read?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Well, I can tell you my student. He loves to read anything about aliens, he likes flying saucers, and he likes mysteries. So those are the books I try to get because, like we all know, you learn better if you are doing something you like to do.
Sarah L.:
What is the average age of people who come for help?
Angela Rauenswinter:
That’s a difficult question Sarah. But we can look at some, some figures that we have. You already know that all of our students are over 18-
Sarah L.:
because they’d be in the school system.
Angela Rauenswinter:
That’s right, so if anyone, let’s say from 19 on. We’ve had people up to 60+ years. People at any age can become, it looks like in the basic literacy, a good deal of these people are in the 25-44 age group.
Sarah L.:
Do you like your job and working with your clients?
Angela Rauenswinter:
I really love my job and I really enjoy the young man that I tutor. We’ve been together about three years, and we look forward to meeting once a week. We like to know how each other makes out the week before and how we’re doing. And I really love seeing the progress that we make.
Sarah L.:
Who was the oldest person who came for help?
Angela Rauenswinter:
That I have no way of knowing. Like I say we’ve had people who are 60+. The oldest one I really don’t know.
Sarah L.:
How many people can’t read in Virginia [also in Roanoke]?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Okay. That’s kinda of an interesting question. And I can’t give it to you by numbers, but I’m going to give you something right here. 21 to 23% of the U.S. adult population is considered functionally illiterate. In the city of Roanoke, 25%. In the city of Salem and Botetourt County the adult illiteracy is 14%. And in Roanoke County, there is a 13% adult illiteracy rate.
Sarah L.:
What are the reasons your clients can’t read?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Well, there again. I guess everything is variety in this subject. Some students may have had learning problems and no one has corrected them when they were young and got them over the hurdle and you know if you don’t learn the basics you really can’t go on and advance. Some of these students just didn’t apply themselves. Some of these students were put in special classesand nobody really helped them out and some students just fell through the cracks.
Sarah L.:
In Roanoke how many literacy volunteers are there?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Sarah, I think that when we look at the figures here, the figures say there probably about a hundred.
Sarah L.:
What is the success rate? How many don’t succeed?
Angela Rauenswinter:
There again I can’t give you a figure on that, because I can tell you that people come to the literacy program for very different reasons. Some people might come for a one-deal. They might want to get a driver’s license. And they might need help in passing the test. Someone else might need a test at work. Some people come for a * GED. So it really varies and I couldn’t give you any figure on that.
* General Educational Degree
Sarah L.:
How do get the volunteers and supplies?
Angela Rauenswinter:
Well, the volunteers, the literacy volunteers of America here in Roanoke advertise. Right now they’re going advertising again, they’re going to have some tutor training on, on English Speakers of Other Languages [ESOL]. We’re having an on-going training right now for basic literacy and that’s basically how it get’s there. People do word of mouth. When I was interested, I found out from someone in Bank of America. She happened to mention it. Uh, supplies, a lot of things are bought with donations. There also are grants to the program and that’s basically how they get along.
Sarah L.:
When did you start this job? How long have you been in this job?
Angela Rauenswinter:
I’ve been doing this for three years. It will be three years in April. I started this job in April of 2000.And like I said before I’ve been working with the same young man and I love doing what I’m doing.
Sarah L.:
Thank you very much for being here today with me.
Angela Rauenswinter:
You’re very welcome Sarah. I really enjoyed it.
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