Travelling again . . .

Here's Anne Knott, during one of her earlier adventures in South Africa. Currently Anne is travelling in China for two months. A former Laubach Field Services Coordinator (BC Lower Mainland), Anne is on the Laubach National Board and will be working part-time for Literacy BC.

Canada's literacy problem is worse than many think

ABC Canada has released a new report showing that despite the hard work of countless literacy organizations, many people are unaware of the implications of Canada's low literacy rates. The report, titled 'Literacy Matters' was produced by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation and sponsored by Royal Trust. Edited by journalist Peter Calamai, it includes quotes from novelist Carol Shields, children's author Sheree Fitch, former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna and demographer David Foot.

The United Nations has ranked Canada as the best place in the world to live, yet more than 10 million Canadians don't read well enough to succeed in our society. Nearly 4.5 million people have serious difficulty dealing with any printed material and another 5.5 million can manage only very simple reading tasks.

The report can be found on the internet at:
http://www.abc-canada.org/public_awareness/literacy_matters_report.asp

We're experiencing an increasing demand for tutors who can work with students for whom English is their second language.

Laubach can offer special workshops for tutoring ESL students, but even without special ESL training, Laubach-trained tutors are qualified to work with ESL students. It may take a bit of extra effort to understand the student's special cultural needs. Here are a few etiquette tips from the Laubach Tutor Handbook (1989 New Readers Press):

Many Asians:

• may refuse a first offer of food or drink, expecting a second urging
• may tend to reject compliments, feeling sincerely unworthy
• may be overly generous, often beyond their means
• revere old age and seek elders' advice
• may distrust use of cheques or credit and pay everything with cash
• may not mention their capabilities when job hunting because etiquette prevents it
• do not like the colour black
• if Muslim, do not like to be touched (Muslim women may refuse to shake hands, because of the religious rule that prevents physical contact with anyone but the husband)