VGCC Literacy Program Opens Up New World for Students
A Vance-Granville Community College program has a unique focus: helping adults who are new to reading or who are struggling to learn to read. The “new readers” classes are now available every Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on the college’s main campus in Vance County.
In the “new readers” classes, each participant has an individual course of study and moves at his or her own pace. “We use many different kinds of materials and teaching techniques to suit the needs of the students,” instructor Elaine McKelly said. “Some may need help as basic as learning the letters and sounds; others are readers, but want to learn to read and spell well enough to take the GED courses.” McKelly said that she not only teaches students “their ABC’s,” but also introduces them to great literature. One example she gave was The Diary of a Young Girl by Holocaust victim Anne Frank, which is one of the most widely read books in the world. “I had a student one time who had never heard of Anne Frank,” McKelly recalled. “Because of this class, he was exposed to that story and became interested in learning more.”
An Oxford resident, McKelly has a master’s degree in Reading Education. She has taught in this VGCC program since 2007 but has taught off and on for several VGCC literacy programs for the past 16 years. McKelly said that she has a wide variety of students of all ages and backgrounds, but they generally fall into one of two categories. “Typically, my students are either older people who weren’t able to stay in school because they had to work, or they are younger people who struggled in school and dropped out,” McKelly said. “One of my older students came into the program because he wanted to read to his grandchildren. When he reached the point where he could read Dr. Seuss or other children’s books, he was very happy.” Other students, McKelly said, have recently been laid off from a job and have both the time to take the class and the need to acquire reading skills to find new employment.
VGCC Director of Basic Skills Sue W. Grissom said that students in the class find camaraderie with each other. “It’s a family atmosphere,” Grissom said. “By learning to read, a whole new world opens up for them,” she added. “No one needs to feel uncomfortable coming to the class,” McKelly said. “Learning to read is like learning any skill — a person needs to be taught the basics and then needs to practice and practice. This class gives everyone the opportunity to do both.”
For more information on literacy programs , call Sue Grissom at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315.
