“We were new in Atlanta and I found Literacy Action,” Carol Bartlett remembers. “I had taught English before, but the training from Literacy Action was phenomenal. We had wonderful students,” says Bartlett; “I always thought they were so brave to say publically that they couldn’t read.” Carol was impressed by the sheer number of adults willing to come forward and ask for help with something as private and personal as having difficulty with literacy.
“One student said that before coming to Literacy Action, her teachers would say things like ‘I got mine, you get yours,’ and pass them on to the next teacher without helping them grow. I found out quickly that multiple students shared this neglect from public schools – when they started in my classroom they were already discouraged, so we had to build them up from the beginning.”
“Around the time I was there – when we were housed in the Rich’s downtown – we were focused on workplace literacy, so we had the exciting challenge of moving our programming into the workplace along with technical vocabulary and practical applications for students.” Looking back, Carol says she loved it. She worked with employees at several agencies,universities, and manufacturing plants.
“At Literacy Action, we were taught how to be effective teachers and how to help students meet their goals. Our work was so essential. Today, the work becomes more and more critical, especially in a digital age where literacy transcends written and oral communication. We all need more people willing to stand behind the efforts of Literacy Action, not just for its students, but for the impact their education has on all of Atlanta.”
