Thank you to Katie Eippert, Jane Armstrong, Linda Borkenhagen, Lee Wiskirchen and Shawn Rice for coordinating the Tutor Appreciation Dinner.
This was my message to our tutors and students:
Welcome and thank you for joining us tonight during Teacher Appreciation Month.
We love our tutors!
Thank you for all you do for our students. I am sorry and disappointed that I am unable to be with you this evening. Your service, commitment and the impact you are making in the lives of our students is worthy of celebration. You are the heart and soul the foundation of ALC.
I have been the Executive Director since August of 2018 and I still feel very new. In January, I met a student for the first time. We introduced ourselves and I told him that I had been the Executive Director of ALC for about five months. He noted that he was not aware that there had been a staff change at ALC. Then he said the person I associate with the Adult Literacy Center is my tutor. This moment showed me that the foundation of the Adult Literacy Center of Ozaukee County is you. As a tutor you know the needs of the students, you spend the time preparing your session and you discern how to best help them meet their goals. Watching the interactions between students and tutors, I observe that as a tutor you are a teacher, but you are also a friend, mentor, confidant, support -- sometimes maybe even a parent.
You are building trusting relationships that empower our students to develop literacy skills and maybe most important develop life skills that help them complete daily tasks. Often you are helping your students gain confidence, independence and integrate into the community. Thank you for the many roles you play in the lives of the students. We appreciate you. Now, celebrate!!