Photo By Senior Airman Shannon Chace | U.S. Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Carlos Rosario Castro, a recruiter with the 168th...... read more read more
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska - The classroom is small, but organized. A clean white table is centered with several chairs around it. A white board takes up most of the back wall and several hanging maps cover the rest of the walls. There are two computer stations, and leaning books fill a small shelf in the back corner.
When Carlos Rosario, a tutor with the Literacy Council of Alaska, walks into the room he has a smile on his face so big his eyes are almost squint shut. He says hello to the student and smoothly transitions to speaking in Spanish.
The student is Yaniris Dubose. She is originally from the Dominican Republic and came to the literacy council looking for help to attain her GED diploma. After a staff member compared her goals and needs with the volunteers available she was paired with Rosario.
Tech Sgt. Rosario, a recruiter with the 168th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, began volunteering as a tutor with the literacy council in 2014. His goal was to help other people and also to improve himself.
“When I first came here one of the reasons why I wanted to be a tutor is to make myself better,” said Rosario, “I had to make lesson plans and I had to research what I was teaching.”
The literacy council is a non-profit educational institution that provides classes and tutoring for adults. They offer a variety of educational assistance including English as a second language, GED, and citizenship.
Holly De Land, support staff with the Literacy Council of Alaska, explained that as a non-profit organization they rely heavily on their volunteers. When Rosario submitted an application, they were excited to bring him on as a tutor.
“We need people, and people with the right skills,” De Land said. “We were like, ‘Oh yes come join us.’”
One of the skills Rosario brings as a volunteer is the ability to help students whose first language is Spanish. Growing up in Puerto Rico, he learned English as a second language.
The challenges of becoming proficient in a new language and learning new material is something Rosario struggled with when he first enlisted in the Air Force.
“When I was in basic [training] I was talking in a low tone and really fast, because I was afraid I was going to say something wrong,” said Rosario. “I had times where my accent threw people off.”
With continued practice and his experience in the military he became comfortable with speaking English and communicating.
De Land said as a tutor Rosario likes to give examples and explain concepts by using stories from his own life. He is very encouraging and works hard to help motivate his students.
“For me motivation is really important because you don’t want to discourage them,” said Rosario. “You don’t want them to leave just because they have other stuff going on.”
Adults often face the extra challenge of a busy schedule when trying to achieve educational goals. De Land explained sometimes it can be difficult to create a schedule that works for both the student and the volunteer.
“You have to be very patient and seek to understand, a lot of times scheduling time can be rough,” said Rosario.
The literacy council strives to maintain an encouraging environment where people feel comfortable learning no matter where they are at in their life. Along with helping students who are working to attain their GED diploma, Rosario has also provided one-on-one tutoring to help students prepare for the ASVAB and to gain citizenship.
“A lot of people talk about peace and how to make the world better; I think it all starts right next door,” said Rosario. “When you have organizations like this that are trying to help people get a better job, learn another language, attain their GED, and become a citizen, then I think you are making a big difference.”
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2018 22:44 |
| Story ID: | 276629 |
| Location: | FAIRBANKS, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Air Guard recruiter’s ESL experience inspires students at Literacy Council, by SrA Shannon Chace, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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