Literacy Action of Central Arkansas

Laura Gutierrez

Laura and her husband Carlos entered Literacy Action of Central Arkansas’ program in September 2004 wanting to improve their English skills. In the beginning, Laura’s level of comprehension was limited and rather low. She lacked confidence with her English pronunciation, grammar, and the use of correct vocabulary. 

As parents of a preschooler, Laura and Carlos took turns attending the classes, but Laura is the one who usually attended. She would then take her books home after each class and share the lessons with Carlos, helping him learn English as well. 

Laura is highly motivated and embraces every challenge that comes her way. Her dedicated efforts were exemplified in her prompt completion of written assignments, homework, and application of reading skills learned in class. She was also committed to class attendance and participation. If she had to miss a class, she always wanted to make up the work. 

As a student in Sharon Grays’ ESL class, Sharon witnessed in Laura unprecedented growth, especially in Laura’s speaking abilities. In March 2007, Laura completed the Laubach Way to Reading course, having progressed faster than her tutor’s average student. She scored consistently higher than the recommended ‘satisfactory score’ on all levels, and her self-esteem and confidence greatly improved over the last 2 1⁄2 years. 

With her newly developed language skills in place, she and Carlos were able to start their own business when they opened a photography studio (D’Ivan Photo and Video) in southwest Little Rock. They are staff photographers for la Voz de Arkansas, a local Spanish newspaper. Laura has also written articles for the newspaper, and her pictures can be found in El Latino as well. 

Sammy King

Sammy King was born in 1948 into a hardworking, rural family. His parents divorced when he was two. His mother took his sister and his father took him. His father was a self-taught handyman and laborer; he could not write his own name. At twelve, Sammy ran away from school because he had received forty-eight “F’s” and on “B” (for penmanship). His father told him that if he couldn’t read what teachers put in front of him to just copy what he saw on the page. Year after year they passed him “on his size.” When he ran away from school his father told him that from that day on, he was going to work for him…at the end of a crosscut saw and doing other hard work. 

When he was fourteen, he left home and supported himself while living with friends and other family members. At eighteen he was drafted and sent to Vietnam. There he asked for help learning to read and write from the Army, but they said he probably wouldn’t make it back home anyway. While in the service, he did his best to keep it a secret. Once, when he did tell someone he thought was a friend that he couldn’t read or write, it changed their friendship. 

After contracting tuberculosis in Vietnam and almost dying, he was sent back to the U.S. and was put in isolation for six months. He was then in a treatment center for another year. Far away from home, with no way to read or write letters, he felt isolated in yet another way. 

After he was discharged, he returned to his home town to recover from both the mental and physical stresses of the war. He was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and still could not read or write. He continued doing odd jobs and asked friends and girlfriends to help him write out bill and other things that required reading or writing. There were many failed relationships and friendships, even one to a school teacher, who once told him she was scared to teach him because he may leave her. 

He met his current wife in 1996. She immediately enrolled in a Literacy Action workshop, but Sammy said he was not ready to learn. Many years later she took the workshop and Sammy agreed to start learning to read. He and his wife also began an intensive course that VA for PTSD and he began counseling at the Vet Center. 

He was nervous when he went for this first visit and test at Literacy Action, but, for the first time ever, he did so well on the test that he now says he would like to give back and use his story to help others come forward. After so many years of hiding the fact that he couldn’t read or write, he now takes the initiative to practice reading. He has also agreed to have a tutor other than his wife. 

When he was asked what life was like before the Laubach Reading Method, he said, “I felt ashamed and alone. When people find out you can’t read they look at you differently. The hardest thing for me to do was to walk into the literacy office. When you can’t read you feel like you don’t belong in other people’s worlds and that part of the world doesn’t exist for you.”

“I still have a long way to go, but I fell confident I will bet better and better. Now I know that others are here to help me.” 

James Sharpe

When I first came here to Literacy Action, my reading skills were very poor. Now I can read and spell better. The people at Literacy Action are very good and treat me very well.  It’s not hard to learn to read and spell, but it does take a lot of effort and time.  It doesn’t cost you anything to read and spell.  So, if you can’t read and spell, you should try to learn to do that. It will help you in the long run. I know reading helps in the long run. I was shy when I first learned. I didn’t want to read out loud. I didn’t want anyone to look at me when I studied. Now I have overcome all that and don’t care anymore because I feel good about myself. I now read and find words from my spelling that are in my reading.  My teachers help me to pronounce and say what it is I want to say.  So come to Literacy Action and learn to read.  You will see improvement you will feel good about.

Hang Phan

Hang is a native of Vietnam and came from one of the poorest parts of the country.  She always knew if she could just make it to the United States, she would be able to live a better life with her husband of eight years whose name is YoYo.  YoYo owned a nail salon in their country and after a hard decision for him they left the country.  She has been living in the United States for four years and could not speak any English.  They opened Allure Nail on Cantrell and she struggled to communicate with customers.

In September 2007, a customer came into the salon and told her husband about Literacy Action of Central AR.  Hang, being very shy, finally had a friend make the call.

The coordinator made the appointment and met with Hang at the salon.  Hang was very nervous and apprehensive because she thought she would never be able to speak or understand English.  Over the course of time, she had picked up enough words to barely hold a conversation.  She only understood, words pertaining to work and they were limited.  Hang’s primary goal was simply to speak more conversational English.           

Hang was assigned a tutor and she worked very hard to learn as much as she could, as quickly as she could.   She is very motivated, and always does her homework.  When she entered the program, her level was barely 0.1, she is now at 3.0.  Hang has a little boy and is expecting another little boy in June.  She says she can communicate with the daycare.  When she has doctor’s visits, she is more comfortable speaking English.  She understands her customers much more.  She has worked very hard, not to speak her native language.  And she says that has help build her English vocabulary.  She still has work to do, but is excited that she can now interact with customers and not be embarrassed when she doesn’t understand every sentence. She is very grateful to the Literacy Action for giving her a teacher.  She is excited about continuing her improvement following the birth of her child.