Donald H. Londer Center for Learning
MULTNOMAH COUNTY 7 OREGON / ADULT COMMUNITY JUSTICE
WINTER 2008—QUARTERLY
“Wisdom
begins in
wonder.”
Socrates
Our mission is to help
corrections and treatment
clients develop the
cognitive, communication,
and functional literacy
skills needed to make
responsible decisions,
build and sustain positive
relationships, achieve
goals, and realize their
potential at work, with
their families, and in the
community. In our efforts,
we respect human dignity
and celebrate the
accomplishments of those
with whom we work.
CELEBRATE
LEARNING, APRIL 25
The statistics are humbling: Almost two-thirds
of inmates in Oregon prisons read below an 8th
grade level. Ninety-five
percent of all students at
the Londer Learning Center cannot do math above
a 5th grade level. Eighty
percent of LLC students
have learning challenges
due to addictions-related
learning problems and/or
learning disabilities.
At the LLC spring graduation (Friday, April 25, 24pm at the Multnomah
Building) we will be celebrating our adult learners
who are reversing these
statistics. They have overcome learning barriers to
succeed in getting a GED
and/or have shown accomplishment in school.
With their new skills, they
will be more employable,
more likely to help their
children with homework,
and statistically speaking,
will be less likely to head
back to jail.
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
This year's graduates
who exemplify the difficulties our adult students
face in completing their
education while at the
same time making life
changes in order to succeed on probation or in
recovery include:
A mother and daughter
team--both earned their
GEDs at Londer!
Just two months after being hospitalized due to a
violent attack, W. came
back to school and got
her GED.
L. came to the Learning
Center while in residential
treatment. She had just
one more test to pass-math, yet math caused
her severe anxiety. For
two years, L. came
to the LLC every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and starting with
multiplication,
slowly
worked her way up to
algebra and geometry.
Still, test anxiety kept
her from signing up to
take the official math
test. Finally, with motivation from teachers
and tutors, she took the
Math GED test and
passed--with
a
high
score!
T. began studying at the
LLC when he was homeless. He later signed into
a six-month program at
the Portland Rescue
Mission. He had to deal
with housing issues and
employment, but still he
managed to make it to
school. And, he managed to keep his focus
and pass his GED!
INSPIRATIONAL
STUDENTS
On the left, a proud new graduate
At this year's graduation, we will also be
celebrating
students
(Continued on page 2)
WINTER 2008
The Learning Curve
PAGE 2
(Continued from page 1)
The Learning Curve
is a quarterly
newsletter published
by The Donald H.
Londer Center for
Learning, Multnomah
County Oregon,
Adult Community
Justice.
The views expressed
are not necessarily
those of the Learning
Center or the
Department. Please
direct questions or
comments to Al,
editor, at (503) 9883747 ext. 27378.
who are not quite finished with their GED, yet
who have been an inspiration to their peers. For
the first time, current
LLC students will vote
on which of their peers
should win "most inspirational" awards. This
will enable us to celebrate learning for all of
our students.
ON TO COLLEGE
Finally,
this
year's
graduation will also recognize Londer's GED
graduates who have
completed their first
year of college. These
Londer grads have also
volunteered their time to
come back to the center
and give current students tips on success in
college.
LLC's
graduation
is
open to the public.
Please join us on Friday,
April 25, 2-4pm, at the
Multnomah
Building,
501 SE Hawthorne, first
floor. For directions or
more
information,
please
call
503-9883466.
Carole Scholl, Program
Manager
MATH MOUNTAIN
Math Mountain was created to help students
visualize
the
steps
needed to succeed in
GED math. Students
pick a climber to ascend
the various skill levels
needed, from multiplication and division all the
way to algebra and
geometry. So far students
have
enjoyed
‘climbing’,
sometimes
picking higher math just
Five Math climbers, making their way up Math Mountain
so they will move farther
up the mountain! Since
February, one student,
Lindsey M, has been the
first student to climb to
the top and get her GED.
students also come in
for a review before their
official GED tests, which
are held in the MEAD
building basement on
Saturdays.
Cheyenne
Instructor
Students who come to
Londer on Saturdays tell
us they like the new
hours.
Tuller,
Lead
SATURDAY
SCHOOL
It may be quiet in the
Londer Learning Center
from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
every Saturday, but that’s
because the students are
concentrating.
On February 9, Londer
Learning Center opened
its doors for Saturday
School. But this is not
like when we were kids.
This
time,
Saturday
School is a good thing.
Students come to Saturday School to develop
their reading, math and
English skills, and to prepare for the GED.
You
will find them busy on
computers, doing worksheets, reading books,
and going over problems
with tutor Harold Gaskin
or bilingual instructor
Brooke Kavanagh. Many
“I really appreciate the
opportunity to come and
study on Saturdays. I
am definitely advancing
a lot.
Thanks very
much,” says Hector, a
student who comes in
for several hours on Saturdays to work on his
GED math skills.
“It’s a good idea if anybody’s in treatment,”
says new GED student
Joseph.
“There’s no
classes on Saturdays in
treatment, so this gives
me structure.” Joseph
also says that now with
Saturday School he can
come twice a week instead of only once.
Jorge, who came in for
his first Saturday School
on February 23, uses the
time to work on his literacy skills. He says com(Continued on page 3)
acts. At sixteen, he was removed from
fighting by UNICEF, and through the
help of the staff at his rehabilitation
center; he learned how to forgive himself, to regain his humanity, and finally
to heal.
Brenda Scotton, Basic Skills Educator