[NLA] Volunteers and credentials

[Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council]

Thank you!  Thank you very much, David, for saying so clearly what the rest
of the program managers and coordinators of volunteers see as the heart of
volunteerism!  When I say here that we give the gift of learning, it really
IS - a gift - without expectations of anything more from the giver of the
gift.  The volunteer spirit lives!  Thanks for saying it.

Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
sfliteracy at mcleodusa.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Godsted" <dgodsted at nmcl.org>
To: "Andres Muro" <AndresM at epcc.edu>; <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Cc: <gharbaugh at cavemen.net>
Sent: Monday, July 08, 2002 3:38 PM
Subject: Re: [NLA] Volunteers and credentials


>
> > Why is it
> > that I should expect a person to have knowledge of adult education, to
devote
> > his or her life to adult education, but shouldn't pay this person? The
> > majority of people that work in literacy should have expertise in
literacy and
> > should be dedicated to the field. This dedication and expertise must be
> > compensated.
> >
> > Just becuase you do one to one with a learning disabled individual
restricted
> > to a limited environment does not mean that the person doing it
shouldn't
> > have expertise and not be adequately compensated. Why aren't you paying
the
> > people that do one to one? Answer: The govenrment does not think that
the
> > people receiving training are worth their investment. They will not give
you
> > moeny so that you can hire someone with expertise in learning
disabilities,
> > etc to facilitate literacy. So, the only way that you can provide a
service is
> > by relying on volunteers. If I gave you a grant to pay 50 people to do
one to
> > one work in the community, would you turn me down?
> >
>
> This is the heart of our difference, Andres.  You are equating payment
with
> expertise.
>
> We recently held a regional professional development event just up the
road
> from you in Las Cruces.  The Coalition trainer who was facilitating the
> event is an expert in community based literacy and adult basic education.
>
> Since my organization provides professional development opportunities for
> both community based and classroom based literacy programs, we invited ABE
> teachers as well as community based tutors to get together and
participate.
>
> You may find this hard to believe, but the community based tutors came
into
> the training with far more teaching preparation than the ABE teachers had
> ever received.  Thanks to Laubach and LVA accreditation initiatives,
> volunteer tutors are required to have from 15-18 hours of tutor training
> prior to being matched up with a student.  ABE teachers have no such
> requirement.
>
> Why should you expect a person to have knowledge of adult education, to
> devote his or her life to adult education, but shouldn't expect to pay the
> person?  Because the person desires it.  Don't expect it.  We will be
there
> anyway.
>
> Don't forget my previous point, that these services are complementary to
ABE
> services in the sense that these volunteers help the hardest to serve in
one
> to one settings.  Again, there are many people out there who need these
> services but either cannot or will not receive them from a traditional
> classroom.
>
> Yes, the people delivering the services in a one to one environment should
> have adequate expertise.  Guess what?  They do.  Should they be paid for
it?
> If they want to.  If they don't want to, it means they are doing it out of
> passion.  Why do you seek to remove that passion?
>
> Again, there is no direct correlation between payment or expertise.  I'm
> glad we live in a free country, where people who can choose to volunteer.
> No, this dedication and expertise must *not* be compensated.  These are
> choices individuals make, like the adult learner who chooses to receive
> their services from community based programs.
>
> If you are looking for a program where a community based program co-exists
> with an ABE program, Dona Ana Branch Community College is one half hour
> north of El Paso on I-10.  If you give me that grant to pay 50 people to
> provide one to one services, I would very much like to use the money to
pay
> the hard working staff that operate these programs.  In fact, in New
Mexico,
> these kinds of grants are exactly what the Coalition for Literacy provide
to
> community based programs.
> --
> David Godsted, Executive Director
> New Mexico Coalition for Literacy
> 3209 B Mercantile Court, Santa Fe, NM 87505
> 1-800-233-7587
> dgodsted at nmcl.org - http://www.nmcl.org
>
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>

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