Mary Billman

When Mary Billman first took the Laubach tutor training four years ago, she was already a strong advocate of literacy. In her home state of Pennsylvania, she had been a reading tutor and was the Story Lady for over two years at her regional library. To Mary, the perfect gift for her children was always in the form of a book.

Because of her interest in literacy, Mary was eager to get involved with the Literacy Council. Although she had only worked with native English speakers, she knew the need for ESL tutors was great and has taken ESL students ever since.

And what an impact she’s made. Mary often recalls her first tutor match, which was a husband and wife. When the wife got a job at a local grocery store, Mary asked her to use her English to recount her first day on the job.

“They told me to bring in the boogies,” said the student.

“The what?” asked Mary.

“The boogies.”

“Oh, buggies...shopping carts,” clarified Mary.

The next day at work, when asked to bring in the buggies, the student interjected, “Miss Mary said they’re shopping carts.”

Mary sees serving the ESL population as “a mission in our own back yard. It doesn’t take much time and it fills you up.”

Think you can’t do it? “At least make the attempt,” encourages Mary. “It is a wonderful experience to see someone learning.”

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life like “Miss Mary,” give us a call at the Council or register by mail for an upcoming Tutor Training Workshop.