It was late summer 1998 when Joan Botzko became aware of the Literacy Council program just getting underway in Union County. A friend of hers had begun tutoring in July, and Joan, understanding the importance of reading in everyone's life, wanted to help.
Her first tutoring experience was in a community college Basic Skills classroom assisting the instructor with various students who needed one-on-one help with reading. In November of 1999 she began meeting an adult new reader at the public library. They have been working together weekly ever since, and Joan has really become involved in teaching and preparing lessons. She knows her student's needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Her heart breaks for him when he tells her that other people think he's stupid, because she realizes that he is smart in many ways--he just has problems with reading and spelling.
When her student expressed an interest in learning about computers, Joan began showing him how to type and complete his written lessons on a computer. What a boost to his self esteem to be using a computer!
Joan admits that tutoring is sometimes a challenge. However, the student's interest in learning and improving his life motivates her. His faithfulness in attending tutoring sessions on Saturday mornings and working in SPCC's Plato computer lab on his own time also shows his desire to learn. "He always does his homework," says Joan, "and he lets me know he appreciates that I'm helping him."
Her student admits that he never learned as a child in school and says that he's only ever had two teachers who cared to try and help him with his reading problems. One of them is Joan.