Glenwood Library

Our Mission:
To provide Guilford students with an opportunity to learn about and share with part of Greensboro's Latino community and to provide Latino adults with an opportunity to learn English, fostering an interchange of culture and knowledge.

Background:
Glenwood ESOL tutoring was started by two Guilford students who went abroad to Guadalajara, Mexico and worked with grassroots community development organizations. Their work changed the way that they thought about community service and they came back to the US with a desire to serve the Latino community here in Greensboro. They were inspired by the hospitality and generosity that was extended to them as travelers in another country, and wanted to ensure that some immigrants here could find the same hospitality and welcoming environment. Tutoring adults rather than children was a deliberate decision on the founders? parts; working with adults fosters a kind of open dialogue and communication that cannot happen with children.

Glenwood Library was the perfect place to have the program since it is the multicultural library in Greensboro and already offers a variety of services for immigrants and non-native English speakers from all over the world. Learners sign up for classes at the library and a director there works closely with the Guilford project coordinator to match tutors with learners and begin classes.

The Glenwood program is dedicated to the empowerment of individuals rather than the more traditional idea of community service being a handout for the needy. Leaners come into the program with all levels of schooling, from elementary all the way to PhDs; while some might have been doctors or engineers in their home countries, in the US they are struggling to survive without English proficiency. Tutors recognize that their learners come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and seek to help empower them to help themselves. This creates a learner-centered environment in which the learners direct the tutoring sessions and both learners and tutors can benefit.

What We Do:
The Project Coordinator organizes a carpool to transport tutors to Glenwood Library. Tutors are assigned a learner or a group of learners according to their skill level.

Contacts for 2007-2008 School Year

Student Project Coordinators:
Hannah Johnston johnstonhs@guilford.edu
LaToya Thomas lthomas@guilford.edu

Site Supervisor:
Mari Noguchi & Gale Greenlee
Glenwood Library
1901 West Florida Street
Greensboro, NC 27407

Staff Liaison:
James Shields
Director of the Bonner Center for Commuity Learning
jshields@guilford.edu