On a small scale, this tutoring program is helping people learn the everyday things they need. DP
By Luke DeKoster, special to Sioux County Index
stpns.net: HULL, Iowa (STPNS) -- The easy part – passing an English-only bill – is long finished. And there are plenty of eager students in nearly every small town.
But where are the teachers? Right under our noses, as it turns out, and always looking for more help.
A little-known program, run by Amistad Cristiana and two Dordt College staff members, matches interested English students with native-speaking volunteers. The program doesn’t even have a name, which explains why you may not have heard of it.
“People telling people”
According to Lorna Van Gilst, a professor of English at Dordt who has served as volunteer coordinator since 1999, the program began in the mid-1990s, around the same time Sioux Center’s Amistad Cristiana congregation started to meet. The idea was simple – provide free, individual English lessons once a week, not in a classroom but in each student’s home.
“A few people started volunteering to work with them one-on-one,” Van Gilst said. “I thought that sounded interesting, so I got involved.”
After a year living in Venezuela, she returned to Sioux County and agreed to become the coordinator; one change she made was adding an annual dinner at which both tutors and students would be recognized for their efforts.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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