Success Stories
Carl Thorpe
Volunteer tutor
Carl Thorpe is a volunteer in the East End area and has been tutoring with GPLC since 2003. He has taught three different students, primarily focusing on reading skills.
Quick bio:
- Resides in Stanton Heights
- Is semi-retired
- Favorite author is Louis L’Amour
Why did you start volunteering as a tutor?
It was something I wanted to do. I saw an ad in a newspaper and felt it was something I could accomplish in my spare time. I love reading and recognize the power of the written word and thought I could help someone discover its joys.
Why do you continue to volunteer?
I see people who feel limited or trapped in their inability to read well, and I want to be of assistance.
What do you get out of volunteering?
Personal satisfaction.
What advice do you have for new volunteers?
It’s easy to do this. I’m not a college graduate, and it’s not a requirement.
What is the biggest challenge for you as a volunteer?
I began tutoring primarily for reading. If someone needs help with preparing for the GED, I find it more of a challenge.
What have you learned from your students?
Every once in a while when I’m tutoring, I’ll come across a word that I don’t know, and my student and I will look up the word together.
What is an activity that worked well for you and one of your students?
I did echo reading with my student, and repeat reading.
Any final words?
I formed a friendship with one student, and I helped him out by having a financial adviser speak to him. I also appeared in court as a character witness for another.
Cynthia Spannuth
Volunteer tutor
Cynthia Spannuth has been a volunteer with GPLC since 2002, and she has tutored both adult basic education and ESL (English as a second language) students in the South Hills and South Pittsburgh areas. We asked her a few questions about her volunteer experiences.
Why did you start volunteering?
I’ve been in the Pittsburgh area since 1997 and have always been interested in literacy, but I always worked. But when I stopped working, I had to have something to do, so I called GPLC and went to training.
Why do you continue to volunteer?
I love it more every time. It’s good to see students who are enthusiastic. My ESL students are so spontaneous.
What do you get out of volunteering?
It was one of the best decisions I ever made. [Volunteering] revitalized me. My life is more interesting. I’m more interesting!
What advice do you have for new volunteers?
Don’t make it work. Make it fun - so it’s fun for you and for your students. They’ll learn more. Be flexible! I bring in a few things to our sessions and sometimes we get to it and sometimes we don’t. Go with your student. If they bring in something they need help with, then do that.
What have you learned from your students?
From my adult basic education student, I learned patience. From my ESL students, I learned about other cultures. My students have traveled and lived in many areas of the world, and when we discuss things, I try to relate it back to them and their experiences. Like customs in marriage, death, etc. I’m always interested in learning something new, which my students are more than eager to teach me.
What have you learned from being a volunteer tutor?
Self-fulfillment. There are many different ideas and customs of which I was unaware. I learned you can be different and still be right. I always considered myself three-dimensional, but through volunteering I have rethought that and now perhaps I am.
Walter Long
Student
Some time ago Walter Long faced up to his problem with literacy when he tried to read a bedtime story to his 4-year-old daughter. Unable to read the story as written, he made up a similar story by looking at the pictures. His daughter caught him doing this and said, “That’s not the way Mom read the story to me.” Walter decided then and there to solve his reading difficulties.
After three years of being tutored by a GPLC volunteer, Mr. Long had met his goals, including understanding documents for his job and helping his kids with their schoolwork. He no longer made up the words to bedtime stories.
But he didn’t stop there. Attending a national literacy conference, he was amazed by the thousands of adults like himself who needed help with reading. He attended another national meeting of literacy students with former First Lady Barbara Bush, who told him to become an ambassador for adult literacy. Walter has done just that. He has served as a board member of Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council and of ProLiteracy Worldwide. In 2006 he traveled to Durban, South Africa, to speak to a South African national meeting on adult literacy. He will continue to speak to groups about literacy and the transformation that happens in people’s lives when they learn basic skills.
Willie Cannon
Student
Willie Cannon always planned to become a draftsman, but some years ago a guidance counselor told him that there would be no openings for African-Americans in that field. Discouraged, he dropped out of school in 12th grade.
An extremely hard-working person, Willie always found employment. At one point in his life, he was making $24 an hour as a factory worker, a job he held for 27 years. As the industry began to change, he learned eight different jobs before being laid off. At the Pittsburgh CareerLink, where he went to look for work, 33 possible careers popped up on the computer screen when he entered his skills and experience. Nearly all of them, and especially the better-paying jobs, required a high school diploma.
He enrolled in the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council and worked hard on math, writing, and test-taking skills. In order to support himself while going to GPLC classes, he took a minimum-wage job at a local hotel. He worked the night shift and then came to morning class without any chance to sleep until afternoon. In class, he asked a lot of questions and got involved in solving math problems.
He recently received his high school equivalency or GED and has entered a training program in building maintenance funded by the Workforce Investment Act. He believes that getting his GED will have an influence on his family, especially his son, who is wandering without much direction in his life. It will show his son that anyone, at any age, can move forward on a direct path to success.
Michael Miller
Student
Michael Miller plans to have a successful career in the field of health care. Before he could be trained for that career, he knew he needed to get his high school diploma. He came to GPLC in 2007 and worked very diligently for a few months to complete his high school education. After getting his GED, he moved on to a school for health careers. Here are his comments.
Why did you come to GPLC?
I was working at a job in the health care field that required a GED diploma, and I didn’t have one. I never finished high school and needed the diploma for the career I wanted. I saw an ad in the local newspaper about GPLC and called to register.
What goals have you reached?
My first goal was to obtain my high school equivalency and get back into college so I could start my career. I received my GED three months after I started at GPLC and am currently enrolled in post-secondary education.
Describe the teachers and volunteers at GPLC.
All of them are awesome – understanding, patient, and concerned about nothing except helping students to get their high school equivalency and move on to better things in life.
Would you encourage other students to go to GPLC?
Yes, I would definitely do so in hopes they would see there are better things than working at a low-paying job or not doing anything at all.
What advice do you have for other students at GPLC?
I would tell them to stick with it. It’s a good program, and if you’re willing to put forth the effort, then the people here are willing to teach you what you need.
How is your life different today as a result of GPLC programs?
The organization gave me a better outlook about things and helped me get back into school. It’s a big accomplishment to get your GED. It shows that you put forth the effort to finish what you’ve started.
.jpg)
Halima Abdalla
Student
Halima Abdalla is originally from Somalia and was living in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to Pittsburgh. She plans to live here permanently. Halima hopes to find a full-time job in a professional environment after she obtains her GED (high school equivalency). She is currently working part-time as a translator and part-time at Wendy's. She has made great progress in English language skills through classes at GPLC.
Why did you come to GPLC?
I came to improve my English, get my GED and get a better job. I wanted to improve my reading to better my life and future.
What goals have you reached?
I was able to get a better job. I was offered a position as a translator because my English has improved so much. I have translated for Catholic Charities and area hospitals.
Describe the teachers and volunteers at GPLC:
My teacher, Josh, was very nice. He worked hard with us, and the volunteers help the teachers. We always have work to do; there is no playing. We help each other. My new teacher is very nice and fun.
Would you encourage other students to go to GPLC?
Yes, for sure. I would also explain to them how GPLC works.
What advice do you have for other students at GPLC?
Take your time, don’t hurry or rush. Go slow.
How is your life different today as a result of GPLC programs?
When I first came (to GPLC) I didn’t know what was going on. Now, everything in the community is easier for me.
