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FALL BACK REMINDER
Set your clocks back one hour before bed Saturday, November 5.
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Hello Friends!
For many of you, November is the official start of the holidays: a jam-packed season of gatherings with friends and family, presents and potlucks, decorating, errands, exhilaration, and exhaustion. We thank you for making Seeds a part of YOUR season!
Seeds will close for Fall Break in observance of Thanksgiving, and Winter Break at the end of the year. Please mark your calendars with these important dates.
Last month we asked how you define "community," a key word in our mission statement. There haven't been as many responses as we'd hoped, so we'd like to hear from more of you. The responses that have come through are extremely thoughtful. As tutors, you have a unique and critical perspective.
Here's some background about what we asked last month:
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Before COVID, Seeds was in the very early stages of securing a third brick and mortar location.
But then the pandemic struck, closing our physical sites for more than 15 months. As a result of that:
- the Virtual Classroom was created and quickly grew in popularity, attracting not only Clevelanders, but the attention of adult learners nationwide and beyond.
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when our brick and mortar classrooms reopened, students and tutors have been very slow to return. Attendance remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
Like all other organizations, Seeds has started thinking about new opportunities for a post-pandemic world. How does our mission fit with our new reality? How do we define "community"? Please take a few moments to complete this brief (10-question) survey and share how YOU think about and define "community."
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HAVE YOU STARTED HOLIDAY SHOPPING?
If you're shopping online this holiday season, there are two ways to help Seeds.
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AMAZON SMILE: If you choose Seeds of Literacy from the charity list using Amazon Smile, we receive a percentage of the profit.
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WISH LISTS: Seeds of Literacy has our own Wish Lists to ensure our tutors and students have everything they need for success (including lots of caffeine in our coffee stations!)
Log in to Amazon Smile to see our Charity Wish Lists!
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SEVERE WEATHER...IS SEEDS OPEN?
In Cleveland, Winter can show up as early as October and can stick around as late as April!
THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM REMAINS OPEN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.
If Seeds East and West need to close due to severe weather, you can find out about it in several ways.
1) Check your email. We'll send an email as soon as we know there will be a snow day.
2) Watch the news. We are included with school closings on all three Cleveland network channels.
3) Visit our social media. We'll definitely post that we are closed.
4) Visit our website at www.seedsofliteracy.org. If Seeds is closed, you'll see a pop up message on the website.
Above all, we want you to remain safe. If we are open but you aren't comfortable commuting in, we can always use help in the Virtual Classroom!
AGAIN: THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM REMAINS OPEN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. PLEASE CONSIDER TUTORING ONLINE.
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AIRLINE CAPTAIN COURTNEY IS STILL RUNNING FOR SEEDS
If you've tutored with us for some time, you may remember our friend Captain Courtney Schoch --- a GED grad who now holds multiple masters' degrees, and is one of a very small percentage of female pilots worldwide. She fascinated students who've met her: find out why.
Although she hasn't run with any lions lately, she's been busy in the four years since we met her. Speaking at our 2019 graduation was just the beginning. Courtney has since been a keynote speaker for ProLiteracy and Lancome Loreal International, was written a book, dealt with a pandemic disrupting the airline industry, moved... You know, the usual.
She's about to run her 3rd marathon in support of Seeds -- and this time, she's headed to Antarctica! Catch up with Captain Courtney here.
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"DO I HAVE TO?"
Child or adult, the age of the student doesn't matter. "Do I really have to...?" is a common question, especially when it comes to preparing for the GED essay.
Kara Krawiec (Seeds East Coordinator) recently presented as part of the ProLiteracy Teacher Training Program. Her webinar, "Do I really have to write an essay?" delves into making writing relevant for students. You can watch the webinar here.
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"But I Don't Do Math."
During every tutor training I have attended, someone says "I would love to tutor, but I don't do math." For most tutors, and even the staff, it has been quite a while since we have been in a math class ourselves, or since we have used the math that we have learned. Math is one of those things that you lose if you don't use it.
Here are a few things we would like you to know, ESPECIALLY if you are reluctant to tutor math.
USE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
There are several resources that you can use to brush up on math so that you can step in when we need someone to tutor math.
- First, you can ask for copies of the math materials and work your way through the packets yourself on your own time.
- Second, you can go to our website under the "Current Students" tab and access the "Lessons and Online Study Tools for Students."Not only will these resources help you learn math, but as you explore the resources you may find some things that help the students you are helping.
- Last, you can ask to observe other tutors as they tutor math to see how it is done, and to get a better grasp of the material.
THE MAJORITY ARE WORKING ON BASIC MATH, NOT TRIG.
Know that most of our students are doing basic math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals. If you aren't comfortable with algebra, you can completely avoid tutoring that. The Site Coordinators want you to enjoy tutoring, and will not ask you to do anything that you are not comfortable doing.
NOT BEING GREAT AT MATH CAN BE YOUR BIGGEST ASSET AS A TUTOR.
Often we find that the tutors who feel the least amount of comfort with math are the BEST at tutoring.
Why is this?
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Well first, those tutors for whom math did not come easily have incredible empathy for the students who have had the same experience. This often translates to having greater patience, and offering more detailed explanations.
- Second, those tutors tend to think about math differently as they re-learn it in preparation for teaching it. they tend to have the same questions the students will have and are prepared with those answers.
LEARNING MATH TOGETHER IS GOOD!
It is perfectly acceptable to say to a student, "I don't know, let's figure this out together." Students come to us for support. No one is expecting you to be a math genius. Students are sometimes comforted by knowing that we don't have all of the answers; it validates their experiences.
MY EXPERIENCE
I found that once I spent some time with math as I prepared to work with students, I began to love math learning again for myself. It is just as much fun as the Sudoku puzzles I enjoy. I also found that when I began to enjoy math, that fun carried over to my tutoring, and the students' attitudes toward math improved as well.
I hope that these tips will encourage and motivate you to push past any hesitance or fear. Our students need to know that math can be fun (and useful), and you have the power to change that narrative for them.
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THE MYSTERY OF OUTDATED PROMPTS
One of the most striking features of GED study prompts is the outdated language. Tutors often urge us to update our materials, not realizing the reason behind the problem.
It all comes down to the publishers who create the materials and the tests. By using passages found in the public domain, publishers are able to save money because they don’t have to pay for the prompts they use, nor do they have to reinvent the wheel by writing something new.
Learn more about this and how you can help struggling students.
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ZOOMSIDE CHATS
PREVIOUS ZOOMSIDE CHAT. Upcoming: Friday, December 2 at 11am
TUTORS NEEDED IN THE EVENING
Our evening class has exploded -- it's often the most popular class time for students. We average 24 students in the evening and have often had more. Unfortunately, it is the LEAST popular time for tutors. If you have the availability, we could use your help from 6pm-8pm ET.
FLUENCY TUTORS MONDAYS
We still need more fluency tutors on Mondays for half-hour sessions during orientation. Tutors needed:
- 11:30am - 12pm ET
- 6:30pm - 7pm ET
Please reach out to carminestewart@seedsofliteracy.org if you are interested.
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TUTOR MILESTONES!
25th Anniversary Drawing of Tutors with 25 Hours or More in October
- Kathleen Patton- East
- Mary Lynch - West
- Cecelia Hanline - Virtual
The following tutors are celebrating milestone anniversaries with Seeds!
Thank you for being part of the Seeds Family and giving so freely of your time and talent.
Celebrating 10+ Years This Month
Jeff Ali 21
Dolores Kirn 12
Bill Cook 10
Jessica Jensen 10
Celebrating 5+ Years This Month
Terry Carlin 8
Celebrating Up to 5 Years This Month
Jodi Rogoff 4
Cathy Wootan 4
Elizabeth Knaak 4
Lynne Brenner 4
Michael Ference 3
Stuart Spivack 3
John Brenner 3
John Tobey 2
Laura Chiracu 2
Pavani Nukala 2
Sanjay Garg 2
Celebrating 1 Year This Month
Marilyn Brooks
John Gannon
Kenneth Demming
Ben Feys
Carol Hochman
Char Rapoport Nance
Hannah Kelly
Indra Malhotra
Kate Carpenter
Matthew Schulgit
William Kenneweg
Debbie Reinhart
| STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS LAST MONTH | |
OCTOBER
This list may not include students who tested at the end of the month.
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SECTIONS PASSED - 80
Jamie Ales (Math)
Jasper Ash (RLA, Sci., SS, Math)
Muzainah Azhar (RLA, Sci.)
Chayce Bonchu (RLA, Sci. SS, Math)
Jessica Brahler (SS, Math)
Sonya Brazell (RLA, Sci. SS, Math)
Marsha Bridget (RLA)
Arlene Castro (RLA, SS)
Alasia Chann (RLA, Sci. SS, Math)
Maija Coleman (Math)
Destiny Cremeans (RLA, Sci.)
Sara Elek (SS)
Ramikka Fair (Sci.)
Cameron Frierson (Math)
Nakalyn Gardner (RLA, Math, Sci. SS)
Jessica Gomez (Sci.)
Natascha Grammel (Sci.)
Richard Hobbs (RLA)
Jessika James (RLA)
Hasan Lee (Math)
Isaiah Marimberga (Math, Sci. SS, RLA)
Dontai Mason (Math)
Vanessa Matos (RLA)
Carliah Morris (RLA, Sci.)
Refuoe Susan Morrow (SS)
Jaden Murlin (RLA, Math, Sci, SS)
Margaret Offredo (SS)
Emmanuel Quirindongo (RLA, Math, SS, Sci.)
Kassandra Rodriguez (Math)
Areil Smith (RLA, Math)
Creshawn Smith (RLA, Sci.)
Kirsten Snyder (Sci., SS)
Traci Sutton (RLA)
Jon Thomas (Math)
Leeanna Tizzano (Math, Sci. SS, RLA)
Zachary Wheelock (RLA, Math, Sci. SS)
Marnisha Williams (Sci.)
Alyssa Wilson (SS, RLA)
Jazmine Winston (Sci., SS)
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GRADS -20
Jamie Ales
Jasper Ash
Chayce Bonchu
Jessica Brahler
Sonya Brazell
Alasia Chann
Cameron Frierson
Nakalyn Gardner
Isaiah Marimberga
Dontai Mason
Refuoe Susan Morrow
Jaden Murlin
Emmanuel Quiringdongo
Kassandra Rodriguez
Areil Smith
Creshawn Smith
Jon Thomas
Leeanna Tizzano
Zachary Wheelock
Alyssa Wilson
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