My Father's Books
Gift Of Literacy
New Readers Gather To Share Their Stories
By Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record. September 11, 2006
Photograph by Michael Reilly
Skyline Literacy Coalition tutor Besty Sayre, right, demonstrates how her student, Askool Faraq, whose native language is Kurdish, share a laugh during a panel discussion Thursday in Dayton. DAYTON, VA — For some people, literacy is not a guarantee; it’s a gift.
To spread that gift, the Skyline Literacy Coalition provides free, basic English literacy skills to adults in the Shenandoah Valley. The group matches students (80 percent of whom are learning English as a second language) with volunteer tutors on a one-on-one basis. The students and tutors then meet on a weekly basis.
On Thursday, three students and their tutors from the organization gathered to share the joys and struggles of learning to read and write.
‘I Tried For 40 Years’
"I tried for 40 years to learn how to read and write," began Donald Riggleman, 68, of Broadway. "My family had nine children, none of us could do it … I’ve made millions of dollars because I can count good, but I can’t read."
As a building contractor, Riggleman’s wife read his business contracts out loud while he memorized them. When his clients asked questions about the contract, he would answer from memory.
In February, Riggleman began meeting with his tutor Catherine Boyd.
"I push him, I time him," said Boyd. "We started with the alphabet and now, this fella is reading."
The teaching experience, she says, is one of the "most rewarding things" she’d ever done.
"I used to say, ‘I taught at JMU for 32 years,’" said Boyd, 65, of Singers Glen. "But it was only after I started teaching Donald that I realized that I lectured for 32 years. I never really taught anyone anything."
Awkward Moments
For Roberto Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant, not understanding English created some awkward moments with his managers at work.
"Sometimes they tell me to do something, and I do something else," said Ramirez, 35. "Sometimes they ask me to go somewhere, and I go somewhere else."
After working with his tutor Becky Liskey, 65, of Harrisonburg for three years, the awkward moments, he says, are gone.
"Now I can understand my supervisor," said Ramirez, 35. "Rebecca is one of the best."
Liskey, on the other hand also said the teaching fills a gap in her life.
"I always wondered, ‘What am I going to do when I retire?’" said Liskey. "I don’t want to sit around all day watching soap operas or something. Teaching Roberto is very rewarding."
Kurdistan To The ‘Burg
As a native of Kurdistan, Askol Faraq, 39, didn’t even read from left to right.
"Sometimes she still forgets and will open book at the back," said her tutor, Betsy Sayre, 77.
When Faraq came to the United States in 1999, she had never used the Roman alphabet and didn’t speak a word of English.
Faraq’s husband works during the day, at night she uses their only car to go to work. Meanwhile, she tends to her four children and runs the household.
"I cook a lot," said Faraq, who now lives in Harrisonburg. "I clean too much."
To learn the language, Sayre writes vocabulary on sticky notes, which Faraq places on the refrigerator.
"Everyday we do a little reading and a little writing," said Sayre. "We’re starting with the alphabet and we’ll go from there."
To volunteer with the Skyline Literacy Coalition, call 879-2933
Copyright © 2006, Byrd Newspapers, All Rights Reserved.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
