12/27/2018 A Retirement Reflection'Tis the season for Christmas letters and hearty wishes for New Year 2019, but for me, this season marks my retirement from the Brunner Literacy Center. At seventy, I think it is time to hand over my BLC responsibilities to my capable team, Kateri and Joy. So, please indulge me as I reflect on my past while I prepare myself for this next life adventure.
I was blessed with parents who believed in the value of an education. Mom and Dad sent my siblings and me to St. Joseph School in Wapakoneta, Ohio, their alma mater. It wasn't easy for them to send all of their nineteen children through Catholic school, but they managed to do just that. They sacrificed common luxuries to do what was necessary to raise a large family while never wavering on their commitment to help us realize our educational dreams. My earliest recollections date back to sitting on Dad's lap while he read us Bible stories and rocking with Mom as she recited Mother Goose rhymes. As a young family we learned numbers by playing Steal-the-Pile and Seven-up. When we were five, we learned strategy through playing a watered-down version of chess with Dad. In our primary school years, we learned all about the art of gardening long before science was introduced as a required school curriculum. During the evening meal we learned civics as Mom and Dad argued the merits of their respective political parties: Mom, Republican; Dad, Democrat. By ten, Mom taught each of us how to follow a recipe so we had the pleasure of putting a meal on the table. As soon as we made our first dollar working outside the home, they no longer gave us our weekly allowance of 35 cents. With regular money coming in, they expected us to give weekly to the church, put money in the bank, and buy our own candy at Murphy's Five and Dime. Ah! What valuable lessons! Is it any wonder that in our free time we played church, school, and army? And being the fourth oldest, I had the fortune of watching my younger brothers and sisters as the three oldest had more household and yard chores to attend. That's when the role of teacher took hold of me from the outside-in. I went from teaching my younger brothers and sisters and the neighborhood kids in Dad's garage to teaching in Catholic schools for 41 years. When Sisters Maryann Bremke and Helen Weber opened the Brunner Literacy Center in 2011, I began my adult tutoring and Program Manager career. During these last two years and four months I was the Site Coordinator at the Day Reporting Center for the BLC. Full circle from those early days! I have been blessed with a rich educational history and a vibrant faith, and I credit my parents and the Sisters of the Precious Blood for endowing me with the gift of teaching and believing. They have modeled with their lives the adage that to those who have been given much, much is required. I do what I do to honor those who have given so much to me. Our mission at the BLC is to serve those who have been less fortunate when it comes to education. These are the folks with whom we share the good news of reading, writing, math, civics, and science. Their stories are far different from mine, and it saddens me to hear their struggles while growing up. These struggles spilled over into their school experience, and their dreams were snuffed out at a young age. What we offer is a chance to dream again. And, that is what we see in their eyes when they successfully finish a text book on adding and subtracting fractions or laughing while reading Dr. Seuss. And when they reach their final goal (no matter if it is to read, gain citizenship, land a job, or earn a GED), the tears in their eyes tell a new story. 'Someone believed in me and cared enough that I can now believe in myself.' Helping a person achieve what was long forgotten or deemed impossible is the best gift we can give. At the close of tutoring this past week, a successful week for students reaching milestones, I was reminded by my team of the joy that comes our way when students succeed. We'd like to think our motives are purely noble, but in all honesty, we gain as much, if not more, from these adult learners. Their determination empowers us to stay the course and not give up. I have received so much more from them than what I have given. For that, I am eternally thankful. So yes, I am retiring at the end of 2018 from the Brunner Literacy Center as Site Coordinator for the DRC, but I will never retire from tutoring. I am looking forward to no more meetings... just tutoring, just tutoring. And yes, maybe more time with my grandsons so I can teach them how to play Steal-the-Pile and read Mother Goose rhymes.
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12/25/2018 A Leap of Faith with ErrinErrin, a mother of three, is one of the most enthusiastic, optimistic students at the BLC. Her voice is soft, her laugh is warm, and she always has a smile on her face. Since March 2018 Errin has been studying for her GED at the Brunner Literacy Center. “I’m focusing on math,” Errin tells us. “And I started at the beginning: adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying, and fractions. Then you get deeper into, you know, graphs and geometry and polynomials. There’s just so much! And I think it’s exciting. And at the same time it’s like, how can I say this? It’s like you’re using brain cells that you never used.” While Errin has studied for her GED at other times, other places, it never really stuck. Being in a classroom environment just didn’t work for her, but at the BLC, Errin says she really appreciates the individual nature of learning. “I like that it’s one-on-one,” she explains. “You get more attention. It’s better than a class setting, or being in a class with a bunch of students, to pick up the knowledge that you need.” On top of that, Errin’s tutor, Mike, has really made a difference for her. “He’s patient, and before we go on to the next level he makes sure that I know it. If there’s something that I’m not catching on to, he will continue to go over it. That’s just so awesome. He’s just wonderful.” And has she seen improvement? Absolutely, in more ways than one. For one, her confidence and curiosity have grown as she has learned more. “When I got to geometry I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, what is this? What are these letters for?’ When I first started doing it and he was teaching me, it was going in one ear and out the other one. But the more we worked on it, the better it got. And I think it’s really cool, learning that stuff.” And for another, Errin says, “You know, back in the days I used to get a headache when it comes to math, but since I’ve been here and learning one-on-one, I haven’t had those headaches. When I came in and applied to come here, I had told Kathy that I have headaches, but since I’ve been here I don’t have headaches! Really!” Errin’s hard work is paying off. She is making steady progress in her studies, and looks forward to earning her GED so she can move her life forward. “I’m going to continue school,” she says, “maybe something that doesn’t take too long, but I’m going to go to school so I can get a good job, something that I can retire from and something I like doing so I can stick to it, so I can stop bouncing from job to job.” Errin relates to the fear and hesitation that many adult learners face when thinking about resuming their schooling, but she is full of advice for anyone who may be interested in pursuing their educational goals. “Just move forward!” Errin encourages, “Step out on a leap of faith. Be committed. You know, I went to school in a class setting and tried to study for my GED several times, and I would always go for a while, and I would always back out. And I’ve actually taken the test before and I’ve missed it by a few points, and it was in math, so that’s what I’m fighting for now, to get that math. But yeah, you just have to commit yourself. Don’t let anything get in your way. If you really want to do it, just go out there and get it. And one-on-one here at the Brunner Literacy Center, it’s more secluded. Everybody doesn’t have to know. Just do it and stick with it. I work now. When I first started I wasn’t, but now that I work and I didn’t want anything to get in my way, I work evenings even though I like day shift. I go and work evenings because I can stick to studying and GED.” Errin has advice, too, for young people: “To those that are younger than I am, I think that getting your education is really, really important. When you get my age, you’re gonna be in so much regret because, you know, years from now it’s like you could have had it over with! Getting older makes it harder to learn.” Despite the setbacks Errin has faced, and despite the challenges of managing employment, education, and a family, Errin continues to work hard to set an example for those around her. We know she will achieve anything she sets her mind to, and we are so glad Errin found her way to the BLC where literacy truly changes lives. Elinor Tootle’s life has long been one of caregiving. “As far as giving goes, I’ve [always] been a caregiver,” explains Elinor. “I had a grandmother who would always tell us we could do anything we wanted to do. And she told me that I was going to be a doctor.” An Atlanta native, Elinor moved a lot as a child, primarily between Atlanta and Dayton. After finishing high school in Atlanta, Elinor attended Spelman college, earned her B.S., and entered the Army where she was trained as a physical therapist. Elinor’s career took her to Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and eventually back to Ohio. Here in Dayton, Elinor’s legacy is deeply rooted in helping people through difficult times. As Chief Physical Therapist at Miami Valley Hospital, Elinor was a part of their initial burn team where she helped develop protocol for treating burns as a physical therapist. Then, still at Miami Valley Hospital, Elinor was chosen as chair of advisory board to develop the Physical Therapy Assistant program at Sinclair College, after which she became active in the local and state chapters of the physical therapy association. In time, Elinor decided to run her own practice, during which time she provided a wide variety of care - some office practice, some consulting work for local nursing homes, and some treatment focused on MRDD patients, individuals with Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. “From the cradle to the grave, I call it,” says Elinor. “I had the kids to the adults.” It should come as no surprise that after she retired from her practice in 2000, Elinor found herself called to new lines of work. “There’s no vacation from your vacation,” she quips. She cared for her grandson for many years, and when she was no longer his primary caregiver, she entered the lay pastoral ministry program at the Athenaeum of Ohio. Following her graduation, Elinor became the Pastor Care Coordinator at Precious Blood Church for around nine years. Elinor came to the BLC two years ago because she was looking for a volunteering opportunity close to home and would make a difference. She currently tutors two students at the BLC on Salem Avenue, one as a substitute for the student’s regular tutor who will be unavailable until January. Elinor’s never one to shy away from a challenge, and her beliefs in literacy inspire her to do what she can for her students. “You know, I think it’s important for anyone to be literate,” Elinor explains. “For adults, oftentimes it’s important so they can be gainfully employed. They can understand what people are saying to them, and they can respond. If they can read the newspaper, they can learn more about what’s going on. They can understand more if they can read. Even if they hear words, you need to know what those words mean and how they affect your life, so I think it’s important that everyone has an opportunity not to just be in the dark all the time.” Elinor finds her experiences as a tutor rewarding, though she admits that it can be difficult when she feels she and her student aren’t progressing as fast as they would like. In the end, though, that feeling pushes Elinor to find new ways to connect with her students so the lessons can really stick. “There are some days when I’m really grateful for it too,” she says. “Some days I feel like I’m just worn and stretched when I think that I’m not getting through to whomever I’m tutoring. The most rewarding thing for me so far has been that my one client passed the citizenship test! And that was like, ‘Wow! If you can pass the citizenship test, you can learn to read!’ I guess the biggest thing is to keep them motivated. They need to have something in front of them, a goal to reach for. Some people have different learning styles, so you have to go with that, whatever they have." Not only is tutoring gratifying for Elinor, it also reminds her of some things she forgot she had learned while in grade school. “I did teach in that PTA program at Sinclair, but I taught human anatomy, I taught orthopedics, I taught neurology,” says Elinor. “I did not have to sit down and tell kids how to pronounce a word and use all the tools for pronouncing words. And some of these tools that I’m learning now, I don’t remember that I learned them back then, you know. I don’t remember what I learned in grade school, even if we went through all these little steps. And so it’s refreshing for me to know, ‘That’s why it’s done this way.’ I’m learning a lot of things that are helping me really, to understand why I’ve been doing this all my life." What advice would Elinor give to a prospective volunteer? "Come and get your feet wet!" she says with a laugh. "I’d advise them to come over for an orientation, and that was inspiring too, motivational, because I know those Sisters of the Precious Blood. I work with them a lot, and they can motivate you to do anything you don’t want to do," Elinor continues with another laugh. "I think that’s the best thing to do, come to the orientation, meet the people, and then you’ll find out that you have a support system regardless of where you are. They just encourage you so much that you say, 'I guess I’ll try it.' And that’s all I told myself: I’ll try it, once, and I’m still here and it’s been what, two years? Wow, time goes so fast." From all of us at the BLC, Elinor, thank you for being a true caregiver and spending these two years with us. We are so grateful to have your time and talent on our team. 12/13/2018 Setting an Example with Nancy GaudionNancy Gaudion and her husband, Tom, love to travel; they have gone on cruises, been rafting, and visited Yosemite National Park. They’ve lived in Indiana, California, and Ohio together. For all they’ve seen and done, Nancy and Tom choose to call Dayton home and to give back to the city they love. Though a Wisconsin native, Nancy has lived in Dayton most of her life. She and Tom raised their three kids here, navigated careers here, and have retired here. Both Tom and Nancy actively volunteer throughout the community; Tom bakes the bread at Carillon Brewing Company at historic Carillon Park twice a week, and Nancy has tutored several students at the Brunner Literacy Center for years. Before that, Nancy also volunteered with her home parish of St. Rita’s, teaching RCIA classes and helping to run the area-famous reverse raffle as the food chairperson. Generosity of spirit is important to Nancy. Even the way she describes the challenges of organizing food for St. Rita’s reverse raffle is warm and kind: “How do you feed 500 of your nearest and dearest friends?” she asks with a laugh. Nancy never expected to be a teacher, though. Her career was in clinical laboratories, “not teaching at all,” Nancy says, “[except] teaching a new employee the procedures, how to operate the equipment.” That background turned out to be excellent preparation for her eventual role as a volunteer tutor at the BLC. Nancy is effusive in her support for adults continuing to learn: “Oh, absolutely [it’s important.] I just think anytime we can lift up all of society as a whole, it’s better for all of us. Some of it’s just practical. Working with math, trying to show the value in looking at, say, price of products in the grocery store or a percentage will be taken off at the register, how do you figure out what you’re going to pay?” Nancy’s perspective on adult literacy is both compassionate and practical. In her time as a tutor she has learned how to adapt her expectations of her students’ progress as circumstances change, and she has taught herself to be patient when her students face setbacks, particularly when learning the fundamentals of reading and writing. “Adults have a harder time picking up letter sounds and word sounds,” Nancy explains. “Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back; progress hasn’t been as quick in a lot of cases as I hope it would be, but that is the nature, I think, of dealing with adults trying to learn this stuff, especially later in life.” When asked what motivates her to contribute financially as well, Nancy responds plainly, “I just think that this, adult literacy, then transfers down to future generations by the skills that they acquire and the example they set.” She explains, “Studies also show that the engagement of the parent is so important,” and she has seen it first-hand in how her students’ progress has a ripple effect in their personal lives and relationships. For Nancy, too, the benefits of the tutoring relationship are profound. “The benefit goes both ways for both tutor and students. The way it’s kind of customized one-on-one then makes it less stressful as a tutor to be prepared, know what kind of pace your student’s working at.” The BLC is lucky to have Nancy’s pragmatic, caring presence on our team, proving every day that literacy really does change lives. For Rita Brinkman, caring is key. A volunteer tutor with the BLC for so long she doesn’t remember when she started, Rita’s life has been shaped by the strong value she places on education and generosity. Rita grew up in Ottoville, Ohio, a small town northwest of Lima, before heading south to Dayton for high school. Rita studied at Fatima Hall under the Sisters of the Precious Blood, after which she attended college and then returned to the Sisters for what she thought would be a life of devotion as a Sister herself. Life took her a different way. When it came time to renew her vows, Rita decided to take a different course but remained teaching in the Dayton area as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher with Dayton Public Schools. “The funny story about teaching in public schools is that the parochial schools and the public schools are very close to each other, and I remember once being on playground duty, and the kids teased me, ‘Hey, Sister!’ But it was fine, you know,” Rita says with a big grin. Following her time with Dayton Public Schools, Rita moved to Sidney, Ohio and became Principal with Sidney City Schools. Once she retired, Rita says, she realized, “I just couldn’t sit and do nothing!” That’s when she began looking for volunteering opportunities. In addition to tutoring with the BLC, Rita makes and serves meals at a soup kitchen in Sidney on Fridays and volunteers with Goodwill Easter Seals, for whom she reads obituaries over the radio for blind listeners every Thursday afternoon. Rita had always wanted to be on the radio, so this position was a perfect fit for her. Rita’s joy shines through in her every word. Her belief in education’s power to transform lives motivates her to support the Brunner Literacy Center not only as a tutor but also as a generous donor. When asked what she would say to someone about why they should volunteer and donate, and Rita’s enthusiasm for the BLC overflows in her response. “First of all,” she says, “I’d tell them, ‘You’re giving people a chance to change their life, to recognize the abilities that they have within them, that they’ve just maybe never had the opportunity.’ You know, who knows what thing they had to grow up in? To free them of that, and to say, ‘Here it is. You can change your life...’ I think that’s the biggest part that I see, that I’m grateful to be a part of.” The BLC is grateful to have Rita’s help in so many ways, but most especially for her devotion to the mission. “The thing that I think most about is the courage that [BLC students] have to walk through that door,” Rita explains. “I mean, they have to admit, ‘I need help.’ That’s the hardest thing for people to recognize: ‘I need help.’” Yet one more way Rita lends a hand is by being a member of the 5k committee and helping to organize the BLC’s biggest fundraiser every year. Not a business-minded person, by her own admission, Rita prefers to tackle the hands-on tasks that need to get done to host the 5k each fall, and she really does a little bit of everything. The most important thing for her, she says, is the way the 5k spreads awareness and heightens visibility of the need for improved literacy in Dayton. “I think that’s part of the way we reach out not only to the clients who come in here and say, ‘I can’t read’ but to the others that participate in the 5k, knowing what we’re doing,” says Rita. “And it makes them more aware that there are needs in this community that so many people don’t know are there. The more that becomes available to people, I think the more we can lift up these people and, you know, I guess my thing is, what a relief it must be to these people who get their GED and can say to themselves, ‘Now I think I’m a part of society.’ Because otherwise, they’re pushed aside. You know: ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that.’ And when they’re allowed to be made to feel that they are giving to this community, it has to do something for their self-esteem, their ego, and their ability to turn around and do it for somebody else. Rita’s warmth, empathy, and devotion to serving people in need - not to mention her famous zucchini bread - bring out similar qualities in anyone who has the privilege of working with her. Thank you, Rita, for everything you do! |
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