We are now several weeks into our fall semester, and we are thrilled to see volunteers engaging with students in classrooms again! After more than a year online, we carefully planned to return to some of our in-person classrooms, taking every possible precaution to make sure that students, staff, and volunteers are able to stay safe without sacrificing the personal touch that has become a hallmark of LCNV’s programs. Preparations for this semester certainly required all-hands-on-deck, and as always, LCNV volunteers rose to the occasion.
Here are just some of the ways that volunteers contributed to the successful kickoff of our Fall 2021 Semester:
In-person class registration. From greeting students at the door to helping them fill out the requisite forms, volunteers guided students through the process of enrolling in an in-person Beginning English or Family Learning Program Class. Trained BEST Plus testers administered assessments on site, sometimes staying late to make sure that each student had the opportunity to take the test. In anticipation of a busy registration season, our fantastic team of multilingual volunteers translated many of our forms and registration materials into key languages for expediency in communication.
Online registration. Communicating by phone and email, volunteers helped individual students find the online class that was right for them. Students who were interested in enrolling in an online class needed to fill out an online profile form and take both reading and listening tests. This team of volunteers, many of whom were multilingual, communicated with students to guide them through the sign-up process and make sure that they felt supported every step of the way.
Textbook distribution. All students who enrolled in an online class needed to have access to the curriculum from home. To get textbooks, workbooks, and course resources into the hands of several hundred students, a team of volunteers sorted the materials and mailed them out over the course of several days.
Tech support. Shortly before the start of classes, volunteers worked one-on-one with new students to make sure they were Zoom-ready. They scheduled a time to meet on Zoom in order to practice logging on, adjusting video and audio, commenting in the chat, and annotating on the screen. For the past year, the initiative to make sure that all students in online classes are comfortable using the technology has been one of the secrets to our successful online programming.
Teachers, class aides, and tutors: So many volunteers – both brand new volunteers and veteran volunteers -- stepped up to teach in person or online this semester. They are serving as Teachers and Class Aides in our Beginning English (Levels 1-3), Family Learning (multi-level), Writing Classes, Conversation Classes, and multiple Destination Workforce® Classes. Supplemental Tutoring is set to start this week and over a dozen volunteers are staffing our 2 walk-in tutoring clinics. These instructors have committed to serve several hours or more each week in support of English language learners.
All of our volunteers are so essential to bringing LCNV’s programs to life! We are very proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful for the support of the wider LCNV community. Cheers to a great semester!
