Literacy Links
The Newsletter for Volunteer Tutors
November/December 2020 Newsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Meet our New Board Members
- Fundraising Success
- Social Media
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Meet our New Board Members
Barbara Torrey Quiggle
Barbara Torrey Quiggle joined PLC's Board because, "I believe that Literacy is a basic right for all people and is necessary for any person to be able to access, even a modest standard of living. In this crazy time in which we live, using my skills to support refugees and immigrants is essential!"
Born in Montana, and raised in North Dakota, Barbara attended high school and college in San Diego. After college, Barbara spent three years in the Peace Corps in Peru, which provided her with the opportunity to learn Spanish and work in a culturally rich, but very impoverished, indigenous community.
Later, Barbara moved to Oregon where she taught at Jefferson High School and then later in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. In addition to these these teaching experiences, she spent eighteen years working internationally in Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Malawi (Africa), the Island of Borneo (Malaysia), and Spain, teaching and training teachers in each of these countries.
Between international experiences, Barbara and her family returned to Oregon, so her three children could finish high school and college in the U.S. Again, she worked as a teacher in Tigard and then as an administrator in charge of developing the English Language Learner program. During this time she also worked at the Oregon Department of Education, and the Oregon Child Development Coalition (then known as Migrant Head Start).
After retiring, she and her husband returned to Honduras for seven years, where they co-directed a bilingual elementary school on the campus of La Escuela Agricula Panamericana, outside of Tegucigalpa. The two also facilitated this school to receive Accreditation with the Advanced Education, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. They even had the amazing opportunity to work in a school on the Galapagos Islands for a year.
Barbara continues to stay busy and is an active volunteer in a number of capacities, including volunteering to manage the online education of her three elementary aged grandchildren!
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Patrick Geoghegan
Patrick's goals as a PLC Board Member, are to "understand and develop an energy of action and vitality in literacy education for Portland. I want to demonstrate the value of a comprehensive approach to literacy that involves the entire community from young students to parents to adult learners."
Patrick volunteers with PLC because of his desire to be a part of the movement to improve access to education. "There is incredible opportunity in the United States, but access to that opportunity has not been open to everyone. Access to the English language, and literacy in English is a key that opens a wide array of choices and futures in this country."
Originally from Chicago, Patrick moved to Portland from Syracuse, New York, where he had been living for many years, also working as a middle and high school ESL teacher. According to Patrick, he moved to Portland to teach with "the city's diverse refugee population," and to get a change in "the scene and experience the PNW outdoors."
Patrick has been a classroom ESL teacher in the Portland area for nine years, teaching at the high school, middle school, and currently at the elementary school level. Speaking with Patrick, you can tell he truly loves his work. "Seeing improvement is good, but what is really exciting is seeing growth and acceleration, from students and the school as a whole."
Working as a teacher in the public schools, during the remote learning of Covid-19, he "grew frustrated with the limited reach of the school." Patrick learned about PLC after having done some research, looking for additional opportunities to advance education, to develop literacy on other fronts, and to gain a broader understanding of "what comprehensive action on American education would require."
Patrick is a lifelong learner, and enjoys the exchange he has with students, not just of language, but also the relationships he has cultivated as an educator. As Patrick explains, "I have learned bits and pieces of many languages from my students. What is universal is the warmth and patience of speakers of other languages while I stumble over myself trying their words. I have learned, fumbled, and forgotten so many phrases in dozens of languages, but the connections last."
In addition to his passion for his work as an educator, in his "spare time" Patrick enjoys running at the national level. Earlier this year, Patrick ran in the US Olympic Trials for the Marathon, and has recorded top performances at major US championships throughout his running career.
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FUNDRAISING SUCCESS
Thank You to Our Generous Donors!
Your support during our Fall 2020 Fundraising Campaign brought in nearly $14,000 in individual donations and a matching $10,000 grant from Olive Bridge Fund. We plan to use these funds to expand tutor training offerings during the coming year.
Classes in 2021 will train more tutors in the basic and advanced techniques of online tutoring for ESL, GED and ABE students to meet community needs to assist the growing number of online students.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
All Portland-area teachers and tutors are invited to share ideas, questions, and opportunities for supporting English language learning.
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