Since September is National Literacy Month, I want to talk about a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, both as a person and as an author—adult literacy. Since 2022, I have been a volunteer literacy tutor with my local literacy council. Over the last four years, I have served as a one-on-one tutor, performed assessments for new learners, led classes, and trained new tutors.

Many literacy efforts focus on children, and that is wonderful. My love of reading started in childhood, and I am grateful every day that books were such a huge part of my life from a young age. I wholeheartedly support literacy initiatives aimed at children.

However, literacy doesn’t stop when you become an adult. Far from it. In fact, I would argue that literacy becomes even MORE important the older a person gets. Adults have to navigate a complex world of employment, housing, driving, making informed consumer decisions, as well as caring for children and other family members. Not being able to read, or to read well enough, makes all of those tasks so much more difficult, if not impossible.

There are adults in communities across America who struggle to read at even a basic level. According to ProLiteracy, 59 million American adults have literacy skills at or below Level 1, the lowest level. Their literacy struggles impact every single area of their lives.

Literacy is often paired with books, and while I LOVE to read books, I do a lot of other reading throughout the day without really noticing. We all do. If you read street signs, social media posts, or even the hours posted at your local coffee shop, you are reading. Imagine not being able to do that, or struggling to read at higher than a first or second grade level. 

Literacy means being able to read the dosage instructions on a bottle of cough syrup. It means being able to comprehend the pages and pages of forms that come with a visit to the doctor or signing a lease for an apartment. Reading is crucial to so many of our daily activities.

While I have performed many roles as a volunteer, my favorite has been to work one-on-one with an adult learner. Because adult literacy doesn't often get a great deal of attention, I would like to pull back the curtain a bit to show the process. Do keep in mind that since every adult learner is different, every journey will look slightly different.  This may also differ from one literacy council to another.  However, this is the general format — or at least the starting point — for most. 

What does a one-on-one tutoring session with an adult learner look like?

Tutoring sessions are held weekly in a public space, such as a library. The learner is provided with all of the materials he or she needs, free of charge. Sessions usually last from one to two hours, depending on the learner’s schedule. 

Working with an adult learner is working with a peer. There isn’t a rigid classroom structure, and learners are encouraged to take control of their literacy journey from day one. That feeling of ownership is one of the most important factors in a learner’s success. Adult learners are pursuing personal goals, and the more invested they are in their goal, the greater the likelihood of success.

One of the biggest benefits to one-on-one tutoring, at least in my opinion, is that the tutor is able to tailor the session to the needs of one person. The tutor and learner are able to talk directly about the material and focus exclusively on that learner’s goals and needs. 

One of my main priorities as a literacy tutor is to take away the fear and anxiety that most learners have built up around reading and writing. People tend to avoid things they don’t like and that make them feel uncomfortable. For some adults who struggle with to read and write, that is literacy. I want them to see that literacy is something they need and that they can enjoy. 

But it’s more than that to me. It’s confidence building, and helping others see that what they thought was something they couldn’t change or something they couldn’t do (in this case, their reading and writing skills) is something they can take in any direction they choose.

What is it really like to work with adult learners? 

I LOVE working with adult learners because they bring so much to the table. They have had decades of living experience, and they know the value of literacy because they live the daily struggles of not being able to read well. Getting involved with a literacy council and working with a tutor is a huge step forward for a learner, and shows that person is ready to make a change. The pain of living without the ability to read well becomes worse than the effort it takes to learn.