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From time to time guest editors are invited
to contribute to the Literacy Notepad. Ms. Pamela Rideout,
Executive Director of Teachers On Wheels is this
month’s contributor:
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This year Teachers on Wheels celebrates
its 25th year of service to the community.... and what a year it’s been!
Teachers on Wheels was selected as one of the recipients of the funds raised by
the 2000 Peter
Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament held in St. John’s. Last month
Canada Post honoured Teachers on Wheels with this province’s
“Community Leadership Award”. At the same event, the Literacy
Development Council presented this organization with a plaque commemorating its
25 years of service... whew!
The past 25 years have left us with
mixed feelings: we feel honoured by the invaluable contributions of our
volunteers; we feel pride, in the commitment and accomplishments of the
learners who struggle daily in their search for literacy; and, yet, we feel a
tinge of angst. If this province did not have a low literacy rate, there simply
would be no need of any literacy organizations. But this is what we are all
working for, isn’t it? In reality, there is a great need for all of
the varied literacy groups offering good educational alternatives to the
learners of this province. That’s why Teachers on Wheels is here -
that’s why we’ve been here for 25 years.
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Canada Post
Educator Award
Bill Fagan was the winner of the
Canada Post Educator Award. This Award
is given to educators, tutors and advocates who have demonstrated a commitment
to the cause of literacy. Dr. Fagan is Chairperson of the Literacy Development
Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, a Board Member and literacy supporter at
MacMorran Community Centre, and Visiting Professor at Memorial University. Over
the past few years he has developed and provided inservice in a number of
literacy programs. These include PRINTS (Parents’ Roles Interacting With
Teacher Support), a family literacy program which is or has been operating in
over 40 communities in Newfoundland and Labrador; Writing for the Workplace, a
program for improving the writing of workers, especially for different kinds of
report writing; Basic Reading and Writing Skills Development, a program for
adults and high school students who are low in reading and writing skills; and
Strategies for Reading Across Writing, a program also for high school students,
and adult learners, designed to develop reading and writing skills for
different kinds of writing, and to transfer the strategies learned to
one’s life and work situations. His latest work is Strategies for Learning
Success, which he is implementing at MacMorran Community Centre, through the
assistance of parents and tutors. This program is designed to provide support
for children’s reading and writing skills, and to enhance the skills of
those who are performing at grade level. Dr. Fagan has over 300 publications to
his credit and as many speaking engagements at conferences.
Congratulations!
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| L - R: Dr.
William Fagan, receives Educator Award from Mrs. Luanne Leamon, Department of
Education. |
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