THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 29, Number 25 Thursday, June 27, 2013 by M.D. Cunningham April Center and Cyndie McKinney take time to exchange ideas and catch up. Tucked away in the northeast corner of a building housed in translucent fi ber glass under a canopy of cross hatched iron there is a space that is always reserved. The space is a series of desks blanket- ed with maps of the nation and world, along with bulleted fl yers, plainly designed, but which offer timeless strategies for interpreting ideas, forming connections with subjects and all manner of com- prehension strategy. Shush! We’re supposed to be quiet in here this is a li- brary, but wait. A young boy is reading softly aloud about scor- Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 June 27, 2013 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. to one of the pearl white cabinets. The words are scratched out neatly and deliber- pions. He likes them. And, he’s learning about the ately in dark graphite pencil. stages in their life as he works quickly through most I will shortly fi nd out that they are the words of words, but stumbles, as he cranes his glance up in an adult-aged student who suffers from dyslexia. wonder as he meets a new word: They are precise, executed under complete and Mah-ha-ah... utter concentration. They represent the shorthand “That’s a big word,” his tutor says. “Look at it of progress, and the heartfelt words paint an explo- again.” ration of language that McKinney helps to guide. The poem was surreptitiously placed on her key- METAMORPHOSIS board, along with a single red rose. When McKin- ney discovered it, she cried. He sounds it out again, starts and falters, but his McKinney who was a teacher before taking the tutor catches him and makes it a little easier. helm of the nearly thirty-year-old Learning Center Met-uh-morph-uh-sis. Say it with me... goes on to explain that this student came to her em- barrassed and ashamed of the fact that she couldn’t “I can’t believe of all the things in my offi ce, you read—something that she’d kept hidden for years. found that,” Cynthia McKinney head of the Michi- This is not uncommon McKinney says, “so many gan City Public Library’s Learning Center says. All struggle with this.” manner of brochure and tutoring textbook on con- “This is why I do what I do,” McKinney says. tinuing education crowd her offi ce shelves, plaster “When people fi nd out that I work at a library they cabinets and rise from boxes covering the carpeted always say that must be boring,” she says, “but it’s fl oor, but my eyes are glued to the poem scotch taped never ever boring.” In her six years, she’s spent at Michi- gan City Public Li- brary (MCPL) tutoring kids and adults, she’s seen it repeatedly. But, she’s also wit- nessed the tenacious spirit of community volunteers. Young pro- fessionals and retirees constitute the major- ity of McKinney’s tu- tors who devote their time to math, reading and writing lessons. “Without my tu- tors, I couldn’t possi- bly keep up,” she says. “And for some of these students, the lack of one-on-one attention may be the only thing holding them back. Some of these kids Larry Ferris and Laura Dowdle (Photo by M. D. Cunningham) won’t graduate with- THE June 27, 2013 Page 3 out someone sitting with them to help.” Same amount of kids and adults: there is a bal- ance of kids and adults The work is typically remedial in nature, but there is no the average student. There’s a balance between younger and older students, but there are also other stories: immigrants learning a new lan- guage, professionals eying work promotions, which require skills to be sharpened and special-need cas- es, too. “Every time I think I want something (one kind of tutor),” says McKinney, “a billion calls come in for everything else.” Currently, over 60 volunteers work directly with about eighty students that vary from fi rst graders to adults. Some tutors teach just a few hours a week, while others maintain a roster of a couple of stu- dents at a time. McKinney said one of her rock star volunteers who works nearby tutors on his lunch break. And, they are all stars—without them—the pro- gram, which currently has a waiting list for stu- dents, wouldn’t exist. Laura Dowdle who retired with her husband in Shoreland Hills has been volunteering for three- and-a-half years and has tutored a couple of fi fth graders. She says progress isn’t always easy to see, but even a small effort can reap major rewards. Nick Hunger and Laura Dowdle chat while waiting for their students. (Photo by M.D. Cunningham) “Anything you can do will help,” Dowdle says. “These kids want to get better, they want help and they know that you’re here to help them. It’s re- freshing to have parents and children that want to improve.” Dowdle helped to recruit Nick Hunger who re- located from Batavia, IL, and acts as a substitute teacher for Michigan City Area Schools. “It’s a fl exible program,” Hunger said of the Learning Center. “Basically, you and the student fi gure out what works best.” Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 June 27, 2013 “With everything being electronic and less impor- tance on traditional books, libraries have to avail themselves to what the public needs,” McKinney says. “This program brings a huge amount of people that need this service.” April Center, a former contract lawyer who moved to the area to care for her parents who were living in Long Beach, said a large part of her decision to stay in the area was her involvement with the Learning Center. “This is very much a part of my life,” Center who also volunteered in similar programs in her home- town of Columbus, OH, said. “What goes on here is unlike anything that I’ve run across before. Every day you can make a difference in someone’s life.” The volunteers work for free, of course, but the gratifi cation of dedicating time to someone who needs a little extra help is instant, and in some The Learning Center’s primary space. (Photo by M.D. Cunningham) ways, inexplicable. Marine Corps Veteran, Larry Silvestri has been tutoring on-and-off for a few years with students ranging in age from 12 to 20-years-old. “I’m 65-years-old, so I didn’t know if I could relate to a 12-year-old, but now, honestly,” he says, “I can’t tell if someone is 30-years-old or 15, at this point. There’s common ground. You can just fi nd it.” Initially, Silvestri read about the MCPL program in a local news article, and after putting his GI edu- cation award to use on an advanced degree in math and computer science, he realized he wanted to share some of the things that he learned. Tutors Felicia Viou and April Center. (Photo courtesy of MC Public Library) This is not to say that there aren’t any challeng- es, which is why McKinney’s guidance is vital to the program. “She doesn’t like to admit it,” Center said of McK- inney, “but she’s just super. She’s superb. And the city and the library are very lucky to have her.” The Michigan City Public Library Learning Cen- ter is always mostly in need of tutors for reading and math for all ages. They also need help to get people prepared for taking the GED, citizenship test or to learn English. Call to fi nd out how you can help change a life. For more information about the Cyndie McKinney and new tutor Larry Ferris who later quipped, “I didn’t Learning Center, please call Cyndie McKinney at work this hard as an iron worker.” (Photo courtesy of MC Public Library) (219) 873-3043. “Regardless of what level you’re at, it doesn’t hurt to improve your reading skills. Everything depends on reading. If you want to learn math you have to know how to read.” Ted Perzanowski, M.Div., B.A. When I met Silvestri, he was talking excitedly 219.879.9155 Michigan City about applying elements of literature, narrative inc 312.938.9155 Chicago techniques and symbolism to his lessons. www.talktotedinc.com “His ma is motivated,” he said of his student. An effective alternative to [email protected] “She’s working toward a master’s degree and sees counseling and psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families the value of education.” THE June 27, 2013 Page 5 1026 N. Karwick Rd. 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