Why are you a tutor with the Oakville Literacy Council? Don’t you have better things to do with your retirement?

How many times have I been asked these questions? How many times have I asked these questions of myself? There are many reasons why I am involved with OLC but this is the first time I have put them to paper.

My professional career began in the late 1950s, when I became a teacher and had the privilege of working with young children, some of whom craved learning and some of whom did not seem to care – something I did not understand at the time. How could anyone not want to learn?

Over 30 years of joys and challenges, I began to gain a glimmer of wisdom about that question. To gain wisdom, we learn through study and insight but, in the long run, must live long enough to learn through experience. That is why wisdom is the endowment of the elderly; may I live long enough to receive this gift.

After retiring, and spending nearly a year “playing,” I discovered the Oakville Literacy Council. I had been a teacher. What better fit could there be for me? I had teaching skills, honed over nearly 30 years. The Council provided training for tutors in the skills required for Laubach tutors, and so began this new adventure. What a ride it has been so far!

Over many years I have been privileged to work with students who, through circumstance, have not had the opportunity to learn or polish the language so dear to my heart – English. In the beginning I believed it was I who would do all the teaching and my students would do all the learning. How wrong that idea was! There is a quote in Anna and the King that says, “When you become a teacher, by your students you’ll be taught.”

A few students have passed through my life. Two in particular stand out for me; two who have indeed taught me more about life than any other experience could have done. One had slipped through the cracks of the education system, through no fault of her own. The other, who did not have English as her first language, had been self-taught for many years. She shares her life with me as we work our way through the intricacies of English.
In both cases, I have learned the following: I am not alone on this planet. The skills I have been privileged to acquire are mine to share. What I do for others, I do for myself. Language limitations do not make a limited human being, merely one who has been held back because of being denied what I have to share.

Watching my students grow and develop the ability to express themselves brings great shared joy. We celebrate the successes and learn to laugh about the rest. Over time the relationship deepens into friendship and the language skills grow naturally, challenging us both. As my students fill in the blanks in their knowledge, we grow together. I learn about their struggles in life and wonder at the amazing progress made by strong people when they demand more of themselves each day, no matter their life circumstances. Their struggles help to make me strong, to demand more of myself; what a great gift this is!

With all you have taught me, dear friends, why would I not reach out? I have gained more than I could ever give! Thanks to those of you who have made my life richer with your gifts.
-JM