Congratulations to PA's 2012 Outstanding Tutor!

Congratulations to the 2012 Outstanding Tutor, Jo Ann Fishburn of Center for Literacy’s Squirrel Hill Learning Center, Philadelphia - a place where volunteer literacy tutors meet with their adult learners. After a career as a teacher in a Philadelphia Middle School, Jo Ann is now a volunteer instructor with the Center for Literacy, currently tutoring five small groups of adult beginning readers. 

Responding to the lack of educational opportunities for these students most in need, Jo Ann has been developing a simple instructional model, hoping it can be easily and inexpensively replicated by teachers and other volunteer tutors working with this population. The goal for the model is to get students to the level where they can successfully join larger ABE classes. 

Harry Fishburn, Jo Ann’s son, has made a four-part video of the curriculum she is using, with lots of great commentary by her wonderful, articulate students. You can see the video at never2late2read.org.
 

Feel free to use the video with your students and tutors in any way you can to increase services to adult beginning readers. Please contact Jo Ann any time with questions, comments and suggestions at fishburnja@yahoo.com.

Plan to come meet Jo Ann at the PAACE Conference, attend her presentation to learn more about her instructional model, and join her as she receives this well-deserved award during the opening luncheon on March 12, 2012.

Jo Ann's response to being nominated demonstrates her commitment to adult learners: " I am very excited to be chosen because it may help further the mission of getting more instructional opportunities for adult beginning readers."

Thanks to all of you who took the time to nominate individuals for this award. It is because of  you that we are able to Make a Difference!