WORKSHOPS THAT WORK! by Deborah Wright

Oftentimes, I tell people that I “grew up” in banking. My career began as a part-time teller at 18 years old; technically an adult, but still a child in many regards. In my short time on Earth, I had already experienced the loss of a home due to foreclosure, the struggles of entrepreneurship, and the daily challenges of financial illiteracy.  

At a very young age, I decided to become financially successful by pushing whatever limits were set before me.  What had begun as a dream part-time gig quickly fueled a desire to learn everything that I could about banking and managing money in an effort to make my own life better, then eventually led to a full-blown career focused on sharing that knowledge.  From my vantage point behind the teller line, I observed habits that led to folks becoming financially crippled and habits that led others toward financial success.  “Success” in this sense is really very subjective.  Some may dream about boats and vacation homes, while others dream about being able to take the family out to eat for dinner once a month without the risk of missing a utility payment.  My vision rests somewhere between the two.

When I became involved with the Bank on Wayne (BOW) program, I “geeked out” the first time I reviewed the course curriculum.  I’ve always been a person who likes to understand how the world around me works, and I am passionate about any opportunity to talk about money in general. We have far too many individuals in our families, workplaces, schools, and places of worship who are ill-equipped to serve as good stewards for their own finances.  Knowing how to... 

MAKE

                          MANAGE 

                          
SAVE 

...money are minimum requirements for being able to make it in this world.  There are plenty of folks who will teach these principles, for a fee of course.  BOW provides an excellent opportunity to integrate carefully curated educational materials, professional expertise, and tough life lessons learned in a dynamic classroom experience for individuals at all levels of financial literacy.  These classes are truly “Workshops that work!”

As instructors, we are very interested in helping our neighbors to improve life for themselves, their families, and the community in which we live.  I would encourage you to reach out to Literacy Connections regarding the available workshops in order to find one that fits your needs.  We often hear, “time is money.”  Nothing could be truer when it comes to developing the skills needed to achieve financial success—whatever your definition of “success” may be. 

FREE FINANCIAL WORKSHOPS 

AVAILABLE TUESDAY EVENINGS AT 6PM

LITERACY CONNECTIONS

2001 East Ash St. - Building D

919-735-1990

FEATURED POST

Looking for other creative nooks around our neighborhood? This week our featured post comes from Metadata Librarian II for NoveList Elizabeth Coleman. 

Original Post Date: April 11, 2019
Source Link: https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist-the-latest/blog-article/on-the-joys-of-rereading-books

As a child, as soon as I finished a book I really enjoyed, I would reread it. In part, this was because I didn’t want to leave behind the characters the author had created. I also was convinced that I would never ever find another book that I would like as much (too bad NoveList wasn’t around then!). I got the same amount of pleasure out of reading a book for the 20th time as I did the first. Incidentally, I can still recite the first paragraph of Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. 

There is a certain distinct pleasure in rereading. Coming back to a book you love is cozy and comfortable and can wrap around you like a hug. You know what to expect, and that is part of the pleasure. However, I have found that in the last ten years, I have stopped rereading so often. Oh, I’ll go back to certain passages I particularly liked, but I very rarely actually reread an entire book. When I do, it is inevitably a young adult book which I attribute to the fact that there were very few books marketed as young adult when I was growing up, and now, I can’t get enough. 

I am constantly haunted by the knowledge that I will never be able to read everything I want to in my lifetime, so why use up time rereading? But perhaps even stronger than this is the fear that I won’t like the book when I read it for the second time. Certain books I have read as an adult I love not just because they are entertaining and well-written, but because they were the right book at the right time. And that time won’t come back. I have a very distinct memory of rereading Lawrence Durrell’s Justine one summer and realizing after three pages into it that reading it as an undergrad was going to be very different from reading it as a thirty-something. It was a terrible discovery. I wanted to feel the same thrill I got the first time, but it was not to be. (That same year I happened to meet a bookseller who told me that anytime he felt sad he would reread the entire Alexandria quartet, so to each their own).

The last book I gave five stars to on Goodreads was The Mere Wife by Maria Dhavana Headley. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a modern reworking of Beowulf. It’s gorgeous, thought-provoking, and timely … and it absolutely gutted me. I love it, but I’ll never read it again. I would hate it if another book that had such an impression on me at one time would lose that brilliance upon a second reading. And so, I rarely reread anymore.

I’m glad I now work for NoveList and have the fortune of always having a way to find the right book for the right time. Are you a rereader? Or a sometime rereader? Have you found that a second read doesn’t measure up to the first? How do you use NoveList to find your right book at the right time?

UNDERSTANDING ADULT ILLITERACY IN WAYNE COUNTY, NC by Jennifer Ulz

Have you ever thought what your life would be like if you couldn’t read? Imagine how different a typical day would be. 

You wake up in the morning, and probably one of the first things you do is check your cell phone for messages. What if you couldn’t read them? Maybe not a great loss. Not much good news out there anyway. You order the same thing every day at your favorite coffee stop before work, so it doesn’t matter that you can’t read the menu. 

Maybe you don’t need to read to do your job – you work in manufacturing – but you still need to understand written instructions and safety policies. You have good friends working beside you who help you to learn what you need to know. But, what if they’re out sick? Or what if they miss something important? How do you feel about not having that level of control?

Think about your children. If you can’t read, you can’t understand your child’s report card or the paper she brought home on school violence. You have to ask your son to tell you what the paper says. You take your father to the doctor, but you can’t read the instructions on how he needs to take his new medication. Are you sure you remember what the doctor or pharmacist told you?

 After work, you want to try a new recipe your friend wrote down for you, but you can’t understand the ingredients. You finally settle down to watch some television. A college basketball game is on. No problem watching that, but there’s this pesky little crawl along the bottom. What are you missing?

How different would your day-to-day existence be if you couldn’t read? How many opportunities for a better life would you be missing?

The Right for a Better Quality of Life

We all take a lot of things for granted in living our day-to-day lives – some large, some small. As Americans, we usually don’t have to worry about safety or freedom. We’re generally left alone to live our lives as best we can. Most of us find ways to cope and do what we need to do. But sometimes we want more, and, if we grew up in this country, we grew up with the idea that we have the right to want a better life, for ourselves and for our children.

I have been going through a lot of introspection the last few years. After working for more than twenty years in higher education in several capacities, including teaching, research, and administration, I got burned out and decided I needed a change. So, I investigated. I read, and I talked to people, and I discovered that my passions are animal welfare and lifelong learning. I believe in my right to try and live the way I want to live, and to help others do the same.

I learn mostly by reading. Reading opens up new worlds and new experiences. Through the printed word, I can better understand other people’s lives, past and present. I can imagine experiences I’ll never have, for better or worse. My life is better because of this. I take for granted my ability to read and to learn and to communicate. However, I know there are many people in my community who can’t read, or who can’t even speak English, and I wanted to understand more about their experiences and more about adult literacy

Adult Literacy in Wayne County, NC

According to Literacy Connections, 1 in 4 adults in Wayne County read below a 3^rdgrade level and 1 in 10 are illiterate and cannot read at all. 58% of the adults in Wayne County read below a 9^thgrade level. Think about it. 

Think about what adult illiteracy costs the county and society. Again, according to Literacy Connections, adult illiteracy costs $45 million each year in lost revenue and over $3 million in additional costs such as health care, welfare, and other social services. 

This problem, of course, is not unique to Wayne County. Wayne County has the second highest rate of illiteracy when compared to 25 North Carolina counties with similar size and demographics.

I’ve also learned that all adult literacy is not equal. There are three general types of literacy:

      - PROSE -  reading news stories, brochures, instructional materials

- DOCUMENT - job applications, payroll forms, maps, drug/food labels

- QUANTITATIVE - balancing a checkbook, completing an order form

People’s abilities to comprehend each of these types of written information vary, and those abilities are classified into five levels of literacy:

·      Level 1 – locate the time of meeting on a form

·      Level 2 – locate an intersection on a street map

·      Level 3 – interpret instructions from an 

                       appliance warranty

·      Level 4 – compare two metaphors in a poem

·      Level 5 – interpret a brief phrase from a lengthy 

                       news article

This is a lot of information. But the learner in me is always questioning information. I want to know where this information comes from – what are the sources? Is this really true, and how do they know? What is the latest research on the causes of adult literacy? What new programs are effectively addressing the issue? What is the best way to teach adults to read? What does all this really mean, and what can we do to help change things for the better?

I want to explore all these questions, and more, and share them with you, so that we can all become better informed about the issues and what we can do to effect change in our community.

It’s all about Individual Experience

It’s all well and good to know the big picture, but these are also individual issues. Each person has unique abilities and unique experiences. Each person affected by illiteracy has a story. One of the most well-known is about Tom Cruise and his experience of not being able to read until after he gained success as an actor. I know this is not a typical instance, but then, no individual’s story is typical. There are many inspirational stories in our community, and I’d also like to share some of these stories with you in this blog. 

With the resources available from Literacy Connections, hundreds of Wayne County adults are improving their English reading skills, and thus are improving their quality of life. Volunteer tutors are helping to make this happen. These folks are very giving of their time, and they have stories too.

Here is what I believe in a nutshell. I came across this idea in the animal rescue world, but it applies equally to literacy:

Teaching one person to read won’t change 

the world, but for that one person, 

the world will change forever.

It’s all about the individuals in our community, and our respect for each other. It’s about the right that each of us has to improve our life. And it’s about our desire to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to expand their world through increasing their ability to read.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing research, stories, and opinions on the issue of literacy in our community. My hope is that readers will join in the conversation, so that we can all connect with each other and help Wayne County become stronger. 

GET TO KNOW A CONTRIBUTOR!

Jennifer Ulz is a freelance writer, editor, and data analyst with a background in math, science, and education. She worked more than 20 years in higher education as an instructor and administrator, but her passions are reading and animals, and she currently volunteers with Literacy Connections and Diamonds in the Ruff Canine Rescue. Jennifer lives in Goldsboro with her furry housemates, Sprocket and Lori. She can be reached at julz@nc.rr.com. 

MANGA IN THE LITERARY WORLD by Adore Clark

In the last decade or so I’ve noticed that reading of manga has been on the rise.From elementary children to adults, I’ve loved watching people from all ages and all walks of life enjoy manga. Despite its popularity, it is still an unknown to many in the literary field and honestly, it is difficult to know where manga even fits in the literary world. Manga are essentially graphic novels, sitting somewhere between comics and traditional books. They are typically longer and more in-depth than comics, but because they have pictures, manga are often seen as books for children. Additionally, although they are seen as having little literary value, manga actually brings a great deal to the table of the literary world. 

First, assuming that manga are only for children is the same as assuming that all cartoons are exclusively meant for children. Just as there are cartoons meant for adults, such as The Simpsons or Family Guy, many manga are actually aimed towards adults. These manga can be very graphic and mature with situations parents might not want their children seeing. I have read many manga that have dealt with concepts such as war, infidelity, violence, and more. For this reason many parents who become aware of manga are actually hesitant to allow their children to read them. For those unfamiliar with manga, it is difficult to tell whether a manga is appropriate for a child. However, manga typically have age ratings on their back covers. Similar to video games ratings, manga ratings can range from “E” for everyone to “M” for mature audiences. This is great aid for parents and those just starting to read manga. The rating help readers gauge what is appropriate for them or their children. 

Manga also have plot devices not often found in traditional literature. Just as traditional books have many genres, manga have a multiple genres and subgenres. Some of these sub-genres do appear in traditional writing but they are not common such as the sub-genre “gender bending”. This is basically a plot where a main character is disguised or mistaken as the opposite gender or sex for one reason or another. I have seen it in works such as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and in Greek mythology so it is not a completely new plot device but again I have found it is less common in traditional literature than in manga.

 As for what manga brings to the literary world, I and others have found there are a range of advantages. The culture aspect is usually the most notable. Manga originally started in Japan and thus manga gives the reader a glance into Japanese culture and daily life. While some aspects are understandably exaggerated for story plots, many smaller details stay true to legitimate Japanese life. These include food, holidays, basic school and work behaviors, history, and so on. Some manga even include additional information about these in the back for non-Japanese readers. Growing up I and my friends learned a good portion of Japanese culture just from manga, though again, some things had to be taken with a grain of salt. This is also true for manga from other countries such as Korea which are called manhwa. Manga has sparked an interest in many to learn the languages of these countries too. While many may never be fluent in the language, readers do occasionally pick up bits and pieces. I have tried to learn Japanese myself, before I discovered I do not have much of an ear for languages. 

 Furthermore, I have seen manga evolving into instructional materials. While most manga still falls into the fictional realm, some mangaka, or manga artist, have started to create non-fiction manga. These are used to make topics such as chemistry, algebra, and classic literature like Shakespeare’s plays easier to understand for learners. The pictures appeal to visual learners and the mangakas try to write and draw in the clearest way possible for understanding. They can take a confusing topic and break it down into fun, simplified and visually stimulating learning materials. This could be useful for those that struggle with subjects or simply get bored with traditional teaching styles. I have read a few in order to get a better grasp of a few of Shakespeare’s more complicated plays.

 Overall, though manga are becoming more and more common and popular within the world of literature, many readers, such as me, enjoy their interesting art styles, diverse plots, and enjoy learning about Japanese culture. While there are still many misconceptions about manga, this does not take away from their impact on the literary world. Nor does it mean that they are any less beloved by millions of readers all over the world.

GET TO KNOW A CONTRIBUTOR!

Adore Clark has a BA degree in psychology and is currently studying for her Master of Library and Information Science degree. She has lived in Wayne county most her life and works as a librarian. While she does enjoy hiking and dance her favorite pastimes are actually reading and writing. 

GET TO KNOW A CONTRIBUTOR!

SUZIE ACREE accepted the position of Executive Director of Literacy Connections in September 2016. She had served as the Treasurer for Literacy Connections the prior year, and has been involved with several literacy initiatives in the community.  Currently, Suzie serves as the Treasurer for the Friends of the Library Board, and works closely with the Wayne County Public Library’s Read Wayne program funded by Smart Start. Suzie has over 11 years of nonprofit management experience through her work as the Director of Program Coordination and Evaluation at the Partnership for Children and as Associate Director for the United Way of Wayne County. 

SPRING CLEAN YOUR FINANCES by Lee Hulse

Spring has arrived and there is so much to celebrate. Daffodils and azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom. Temperatures are warming. We are in the midst of March madness and Easter and Spring break are just around the corner.  April is also Financial Literacy month!

So what does that mean and why is there a month for financial literacy?  In March 0f 2003, Congress designated April as Financial Literacy month to raise awareness about financial literacy and teach Americans healthy financial habits.  Personal finance and economics are not consistently offered in school and many Americans transition into adulthood without the basic skills to handle their finances and plan for their futures.  

The National Financial Educators Council defines financial literacy as “possessing the skills and knowledge of financial matters to confidently take effective action that best fulfills an individual’s personal, family and global community goals.”  The General Office of Accounting offers this definition.  “The ability to make informed judgements and to take effective actions regarding the current and future use and management of money.  It includes the ability to understand financial choices, plan for the future, spend wisely and manage the challenges associated with life events such as a job loss, saving for retirement, or paying for a child’s education.” Both definitions have a unifying component; the importance of having the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions. Despite the dedication of an entire month to the subject, progress is slow.  

  ~ According to the Washington Post ~

A record 7 million Americans are three months 

behind on car payments.

 ~ In 2018, CNBS reported ~

 Only 39% Americans have the 

ability to cover a $1,000 emergency.  

 ~ A Bank Of America survey ~

Illustrated that only 16% of millennials are optimistic 

about their financial futures and 54% responded that 

they are worried about repaying student loans.

It’s not all doom and gloom. We all have the right and the ability to do better and take control of our financial futures.  We can track our spending, make choices between wants and needs, live within our means and educate ourselves.  We should never be hesitant to ask questions of our bankers and insurance providers and mortgage lenders.  We can read the fine print on our credit card statements.  We can read personal financial magazines and research respected websites such as MyMoney.gov, The FDIC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, and participate in financial literacy classes.  

So, let’s all celebrate all the great things April brings, including financial literacy month. Let’s take control of the future! And if you are in the Wayne County, NC area, join Literacy and Bank On Wayne as we celebrate every Tuesday evening with FREE workshops.

Cheers!  Here’s to a financially stable future.

GET TO KNOW A CONTRIBUTOR!

Lee Hulse is the Program Manager for Literacy Connections, and she has served in this position since September, 2016.  Prior to September, she was the Program Manager for Bank On Wayne, Literacy Connections’ financial literacy program.  Lee worked with United Way of Wayne County from November 2012 through December 2013 to design and implement the Bank On program and was fortunate enough to move with the program when it was adopted by Literacy Connections.  Lee served as a board member and secretary of the board of Literacy Connections from May 2010 until December 2013. Currently, Lee serves on the Wayne County Public Library Advisory Board and several committees.