Five years ago, Mike Hennessy spotted an ad for ESL tutors in his local community education brochure. He answered. At the initial training, Mike learned of a high need for GED math tutors and offered to help in that arena instead. Since then he's been tutoring math at the Wayzata ABE program. A couple of years after joining up, Mike met with another opportunity. He heard that IOCP (Interfaith Outreach Community Partners) needed more tutors in their computer lab. "I offered to help them," he writes, "and have been tutoring in the computer lab and teaching basic computer skills plus basic Word and Excel for over a year."
Once a week, Mike spends his morning helping students prepare for the GED--the math portions mostly, but he isn't shy to help in other subject areas when needed. He says that he prefers tutoring one-on-one because "it's easier to focus on what a student needs and build up their confidence one-on-one." With Mike's help, several adult learners have overcome their fear of math, some have passed the GED; others can now set up email accounts, apply for jobs online, use a word processor, and attach or post resumes.
When asked how volunteering has impacted him, Mike responds: "It's humbling when I see students pushing to get their GED while balancing kids, one or more jobs, in some cases learning English, and other day-to-day issues. I really want to help them succeed. Also I've had to re-learn some of the math, especially parts of algebra that I've forgotten over the years, so it keeps my mind working."
Cheryl Lubinski, Wayzata's ABE Coordinator, says that Mike is "a very active and versatile volunteer." She recalls last summer, when Mike drove a handful of students to their GED graduation ceremony, students who otherwise would have lacked the transportation. He caters his skills to different learning styles, and even works on call for students closing in on test day. In addition to his volunteer role at Wayzata ABE, Mike also volunteers with AARP to do free tax-preparation. Using this skill set, he has helped many of his students who needed this free service.
"Michael is a wonderful community volunteer," Cheryl writes. "He has the admiration and respect of the many individuals whose lives he has touched."
Thank you, Mike, for your amazing contributions.
Do you know an exceptional volunteer? Each month the Minnesota Literacy Council highlights a talented and enthusiastic adult literacy volunteer in Minnesota. To nominate someone you know, please contact Tricia at tbrooks@themlc.org.
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