With the unprecedented hot weather in Seattle and greater Washington, it's more important than ever to stay cool. Get your scoop on for National Ice Cream Day, July 18th 2021!
Welcome Note
Ah, summer. For many in the Pacific Northwest, it's their favorite time of year. Sunshine abounds, and the long days (hopefully!) offer more time for slow walks along the shore and taking time to smell the flowers. At Literacy Source, things slow down a bit in summer as well, with quarters spanning seven weeks instead of the normal eleven to twelve, less electives and tutor matching, and much of our instructional staff taking well-earned vacations!

It's also a time for preparation, and this year, it is one of the most exciting preparations of all: the opportunity to reopen for fall and see all of you in person again! As Seattle and the United States (and dare we hope, the world?) begin to open up again, we look forward to reopening and retooling our programs and services to integrate all the digital skills we have learned throughout the pandemic. This will help us to better help students master the skills they need to navigate our changing world and leverage digital tools to access education.

At Literacy Source, we always try to be mindful of the shifting and varied needs of students and include student voices in the decisions we make. We've heard from our students that for some of them online courses can reduce barriers and increase access, but we also have students who have opted out of classes and tutoring until they can resume in person. So fall 2021 will include a hybrid of in-person and online classes: our lower level day time classes (ESOL 1-3) are going back to part in-person and part on-line, as well as many of our partner RTW classes, while all evening classes will remain remote. Tutoring will also be offered either online or in-person.

Much like the rest of the world, things change every day regarding Covid protocol. In order to ensure the safety of everyone, in building use will be limited to vaccinated employees, students and volunteers. We’re formulating a vaccination attestation protocol, and will keep you in the loop as those protocols are rolled out. Right now, we’re still requiring masking in the building but that may change for fall.

Most of all, however, we look forward to continuing to learn and grow with you: our students, volunteers, staff, and supporters. Thank you as always for everything you do to support Literacy Source's vision of an inclusive and equitable society providing education and opportunities for all adults.

In community,
 Cat Howell
 Co-ED, Educational Director
Shira Rosen 
Co-ED, Managing Director   
Saying Goodbye: Americorps & Board Members
Americorps

As many of you know, Americorps service members are a critical part of our staff team here at Literacy Source, and three of our dedicated AmeriCorps service members are finishing up their years of service. This was an incredibly hard service year for them, everything was new and had to be learned and re-learned. Re-designing curriculum for online learning, working with students to provide support during COVID, plus helping with technology needs and skills for them to attend online classes. All three members maintained positive attitudes, a hardworking ethos and tackled it all with incredible grace and perseverance. Their hard work paid off with student success all round and some classes even wanting to stay learning online!
Cheryl Mineer, goodbye and thanks:

Completing two years of service at Literacy Source as the ABE and Digital Literacy Program Assistant. In her first year Cheryl was assisting in the Reading & Writing, GED Prep and Digital Literacy classes and her second year she has spent honing her teaching and curriculum design skills developing digital literacy classes.
  • Successfully navigated the transition to online teaching for her 2nd year 
  • Contributed on committees such as working on the LS Native Land Acknowledgement and Digital Skills Assessment
  • Brought her love of writing, language and graphics to enhance her work here
  • Designed the logo and artwork to enhance LS work in supporting Black Lives Matter (Check it out soon on our website!)
Audrey Bradshaw, goodbye and thanks:

Also completing her second year of service as the ESOL 1 Program Assistant. 
  • Successfully navigated the transition to online teaching for her 2nd year
  • Ran a tutoring workbook program for low-level students who either didn't have the tech skills or technology available to join Zoom classes. With hard work and perseverance, coordinated the transition for all these students into the Zoom/online classroom
Ruth Diaz, thank you for the year of service, we are excited that you are staying on!

Finishing up her one year of service as Citizenship Program Assistant and staying on to work full-tine over the summer to teach Citizenship and ESOL 2/3 classes.

  • Converted the Citizenship curriculum to online for the year
  • Supported many students on their journey to becoming American citizens
  • Designed the logo and artwork to enhance LS work in supporting Black Lives Matter (Check it out soon on our website!)
Board Members

We are also saying goodbye to three of our board members this month. Board members help support and enhance the Literacy Source mission by participating in long-range planning, providing overall program guidance, building a stable financial base for Literacy Source programs, and representing the organization and its mission to the broader community. Please join us in thanking them for their wonderful service to Literacy Source!
Kristin Knopf served for six years in a variety of roles and leadership positions. She was on the finance and personnel committees, and also served as treasurer and secretary.


Srijan Chakraborty served as the vice president for two years. He was also on the advocacy committee.
Leslie Handley served as a board member for three years and was on the governance committee.

All of these departing board members plan to continue volunteering with Literacy Source on committees and/or as instructional volunteers after completing their board tenure.

Thank you so much all the valuable time and energy you contribute to Literacy Source!

Volunteer Spotlight
Although we might be biased, we think our volunteer team at Literacy Source is one of the best around, and we literally could not do this work without them. This month we are excited to feature a two-year veteran ESOL and ABE tutor, David Johnson. David started with Literacy Source in 2019 and has contributed over 200 hours working with 3 different students. Phil Morris our ABE Instructional Advisor has this to say about David "David's success as a tutor comes from his empathy. He leads with compassion when engaged with a new student and works quickly to develop rapport, all the while making careful observations about his student's needs and desires. After reflection, he tailors his approach to coach and teach the student with good humor and targeted goals. We are lucky to have him on our team! Read on to find out his unorthodox life choices, including how he landed in Seattle!
Where are you originally from? If you’re not from Seattle what brought you here?

I was born and spent the first three decades of my life in Omaha, Nebraska, the second of six kids. As a young person, I embarked on the improbable and perhaps impossible life of an itinerant actor, knocking about in touring companies, apprenticeships, summer stock, etc.

At age 31 I ran off to New York City with my now wife, as actors have done since time immemorial. Then, (as couples have done since time immemorial,) we decided a child was called for, and that New York City was not the optimal place to raise her.

I picked up a book called “Places Rated Almanac,” and the data favored Seattle, a city I had visited as a little boy. So we washed up here on the shore in 1986. Our daughter has since drifted out to sea, living in Spain - but we remain (thanks to the wonders of technology) intimately connected to her, and look forward to a long visit from her this Summer. She teaches English to Spaniards of various ages, mainly kids - following in her educator/mother’s footsteps.

Please share something of your life so far and what you would like to do in the future.
 
Once the child was imminent, I settled into what actors call a “civilian job,” assisting attorneys. Except for a couple of substantial intervals, that is how I earned my bread until my retirement at the end of 2018. All the while, every spare moment, I was writing - literary works as well as music. Now, when I am not tutoring, I am compiling that lifelong work into an online archive that I share with friends.

For more on the life and times of David, please click here or visit our volunteer spotlights on our website...
Americorps Job Openings
We're hiring for the following Americorps position:


Please help us spread the word!
Thank you, donors!
Many thanks to those who have gone above and beyond in their generosity to Literacy Source this month:

  • Katharyn Alvord Gerlich
  • Yuki Nojo LLC
  • Srijan Chakraborty

We couldn't do this work without YOU!
Literacy Source is on the traditional lands of the Duwamish people, and we pay our respect to elders both past and present. To support the revival of Duwamish culture and the vitality of the Duwamish Tribe, please consider signing this petition to federally recognize them, or consider making a donation to Real Rent Duwamish.