County works to improve literacy skills in reading, writing and math

Ana Schimpf of Waukegan never saw herself going back to school at 50 years old. But after losing her office job of eight years at a title and loans company, she realized not having her high school diploma puts her at a disadvantage in this extremely competitive job market.

“I dropped out of school in eighth grade,” Schimpf said. “I got married at 14; by 15 I was pregnant.”

Now 35 years later, Schimpf is taking advantage of the College of Lake County's Adult Basic Education ABE, which provides instruction in basic reading, writing and math, for students who have not completed a high school diploma. The classes are free and Schimpf's goal is to earn her GED and go into nursing to work with the elderly.

Her reason for dropping out of school may be different from the 900 students who enrolled in ABE classes last year but the results of that early cut off of education are similar, said Michele Vaughn, associate dean for Community Education at the Lake Shore Campus.

“People may not be aware of the link between literacy and poverty,” Vaughn said. “But how is education a priority when you're hungry?”

Vaughn works closely with other organizations in the community, such as the Waukegan Public Library and the Literacy Volunteers of Lake County.

As partners, they make sure programs and one-on-one tutors are available across Lake County.

Lou Summers of Gurnee is co-chair of Walk for Literacy, a Literacy Volunteers of Lake County annual event held each September.

Summers said 30,000 adults in Lake County need literacy skills, which, he explained can be anything from learning the alphabet all the way to improving reading comprehension skills to being able to solve math problems.

“Adult literacy really encompasses all the basic skills people need to thrive,” Summers said. “We find that people who don't have these basic skill in reading, writing and math have been surviving but not thriving.”

Schimpf said she believes her life would have been very different had she finished school. She regrets dropping out because, “I think about what job I could've had and how many benefits I could've had in life having a good job,” Schimpf said.

Schimpf raised a son and a daughter by herself. She said it was difficult and at times frustrating. She's married now and her children, she said are proud of her for going back to school to finish her education.

“I admire these students for seeking help,” Summers said. “They raise kids, buy cars, rent apartments; sometimes they do it alone. To me, a person has to be relatively intelligent to go through life figuring out for themselves with what can be seen as a disability.”

At Literacy Volunteers of Lake County, Summers said they see that ages and gender of the adults vary but “economically, they are across the board mostly living in poverty.”

When an adult seeks services from the Literacy Volunteers of Lake County, the teachers assess the educational need of the student. Based on that need and the student's schedule, they match the student with a tutor at a location that is accessible.

Summers said some students don't have a drivers license because they have not been able to take the written test and getting around requires them to take rides or the bus or even walk.

“We have to meet the person where they are in life,” Summers said. “Everything for people with low income and lacking literacy skills is that much more difficult.”

Summers said it's a vicious cycle the volunteers are trying to stop. He added that many of the older adults went through a school system that just moved them along, whether they had the skills to move up or not.

Others, he added, had to drop out because of economics in their household.

Schimpf is an example of that cycle. She said her mom didn't go to school in Puerto Rico. So she wasn't able to help Schimpf with her homework or encourage her to see the value of education.

Thanks to the classes she’s taking, she now can further her education.

Adult Basic Education courses are sponsored by the Illinois Community College Board. For more information, visit www.clcillinois.edu/adulted/abe/