WSMV Channel 4 Making A Difference: 700 Tutors Teach Adults To Read 9-24-2010

Making A Difference: 700 Tutors Teach Adults To Read 9-24-2010

Reported by Bob Sellers
NASHVILLE, Tenn.Imagine driving around Nashville and not being able to read the signs, or trying to figure out the right dosage to give to a sick child when you can't read the prescription label.

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That's what takes people to the Nashville Adult Literacy Council.
People like Joe Buford, who went there seven years ago.
"It was probably the scariest thing I've ever done in my life," Buford said. "Being a grown person and asking for that kind of help, it really upset me. And I was afraid that people would find it out. And I didn't know how people would view that."
But tutors said Buford became a star pupil with hard work and good teaching guidance -- a common thread among the 700 volunteer tutors.
Executive Director Meg Nugent said a lot of their learners want be able to fill out job applications. Others, she said, want to make sure their children have a better life.
"Many times, adults will hit the point where they can't help their child anymore, so that'll motivate them to come to read, so they can help. Because they don't want their children to go through what they did in school," Nugent said.
About half of the learners at the Nashville Adult Literacy Council are from other countries.
Buford's name is now on the letterhead as a board member.
"It is a good feeling. I'm really glad that I stepped up and did this," he said. "It's been a really positive thing for me."
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