This wonderful woman is being honored for all her years of teaching English and literacy to immigrants. She started in the 1970s and has taught thousands of students. - - Donna Poisl
BY KARA PATTERSON • POST-CRESCENT STAFF WRITER
To longtime literacy advocate Billie Pollard, learning to read, write and talk in English isn't only about books, workbooks and vocabulary drills.
Pollard, 95, started teaching refugees and other immigrants about the English language and American culture in the 1970s, before the Fox Cities had established formal literacy programs.
She would take students to parks to identify trees, to the bakery to watch cake decorators and to the cheese factory to see the cheese-making process. She would get them dancing and exercising. She wanted the U.S. newcomers to relax, interact and enjoy the company of fellow students and the volunteer tutors. Add in other more traditional means of instruction, and the learning would come.
"You don't just read out of a book," said Pollard, a retired teacher who lives in Appleton. "You get out there and you use everything. The idea is to help the people fit into society. That is very important for me."
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1 comment:
I have a wonderful friendship with a Mexican immigrant and I would like to help him share his ideas. We have a blog in English and Spanish at: http://elvozdeltercermundo.blogspot.com
He has written his opinion about immigrants who abuse the system by coming to the US to have children. He wants to counter the stereotype about Mexican immigration. There are very few forums for undocumented immigrants to become part of the mainstream conversation. Thank you for reading this. Please visit our site. Our hope is to build a better world community.
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