Guest Blog Post: Elaine Zimmer, tutor at MLC Learning Center - Northeast

Thanks to Elaine Zimmer, tutor at MLC Learning Center - Northeast, for sharing her wisdom in today's guest blog post!

When I retired 11 years ago, I knew that I wanted to tutor as a volunteer.  I’m a teacher at heart, love social interaction and have always enjoyed learning and sharing knowledge. After my MLC training, I chose to work at the Sumner Library location in North Minneapolis where I got hooked.  I have been at Trinity in Northeast Minneapolis for about five years.

I think teaching English as a volunteer with MLC has staying power for me.  What makes me stay? The students have chosen to come and are motivated to learn, even though most have very hectic and difficult schedules. They leave with a smile on their face. I try to make learning fun. I’m also a thespian at heart. I make myself available to students before class, during the break, and after class if they have questions, which many do.  I have helped a couple of them with love letters, so I know they feel connected to me. I remind myself often that my contact with the student needs to give them a caring and positive feeling.

Guest Blog Post: Curt Cameron, tutor at the Hubbs Center

Thanks to Curt Cameron, tutor at the Hubbs Center, for sharing his story in today's guest blog post!

The first day I walked into the Hubbs Center, I thought, “Am I going to be of any use to these people? Am I going to know what to do or enjoy this? Is this going to be challenging?” After I sat down with a learner and started working with them, it got easier and now I look forward to it.

I’ve been doing this for about two and a half years, since I retired from the business world.  I didn’t have an education background, so there were a lot of things that… well, you forget things over the decades, so there was quite a learning curve for me in some areas.

The very first day I was there, someone came in and wanting help with algebra. It had been a couple of years since I’d figured out the slope of a line. The first thing I did after class was go to a bookstore and buy a book about grammar and one on algebra. That was my first investment in this whole thing. 

Guest Blog Post: Pat Strandness, tutor at MLC Learning Center - North Side

Recruiting volunteers for the Minnesota Literacy Council has allowed me to meet and hear the stories of numerous literacy volunteers throughout Minnesota. It is fascinating for me note the similarities and difference to my own volunteering experience. Thanks to Pat Strandness, tutor at MLC Learning Center - North Side, for sharing her story in today's guest blog post!

I have been teaching since 2000. That’s when I left a career of a few decades of teaching high school English. It was a nice round number, easy to remember. I also remember one morning that I taught, the morning of 9/11, which was fairly early in my volunteer teaching career. I’ll always remember that day – drawing that picture of the buildings and the airplane and trying to explain what was happening.

I’ve taught at a few different sites, I taught at MLC Northeast and at Pillsbury House, but Sumner’s been my home. For me one of the rewards of teaching is the inspiration I draw from my students. I sometimes feel that I get more out of it than they do; the corrective perspective it offers on my own life. My own small grievances are brought into perspective when I know more about their lives and their resilience.