In many cases, Olsen said adults in need of literacy skills were either looked over in school or forced to leave because of a life-altering event. You just feel so far behind you just give up and never start again. Tutor Glenn Dowlen said his current experiences with the students involve some schedule juggling and, at times, some frustration. Right now I'm tutoring two people, one of whom got sick when he was in second grade, had to miss a year and forgot everything when he came back. Olsen said often tutoring is as valuable to the tutor as it is to the person who is being tutored.
Most tutors talk about how much they've learned.
Swaim said the public is invited to watch progress in motion today at the first adult spelling bee benefiting the Stillwater Literacy Council. Each team was given a list of words to practice, and the teams get to continue until they misspell a word. Swaim said the spelling bee will begin at 7 p.m. at the Stillwater Community Center Auditorium and is open to the public.