FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Vicky Noble

Noaki Schwartz

In the past five years, Vicky Noble has helped countless immigrants

from China, Mexico, Vietnam and even the Czech Republic find the key to

unlocking life in the U.S.

She does this by unraveling the complexities of speaking and

understanding English.

However, what her students don’t know, said Noble, the director of the

Mesa Verde Literacy Center, is how reciprocal the relationship is.

“You learn about them and about the reasons they came to this

country,” Noble said. “For example, if they’ve come from Vietnam, they

have a totally different perspective on things.”

The Mesa Verde Literacy Center -- the local branch of the South Coast

Literacy Council -- invites volunteers to teach people how to speak and

perfect their English skills.

The volunteer tutors range from teens to retirees. And the students

are just as varied -- some have received several degrees in their own

country, but have not learned a word of English. Others already speak

fluent English, but want to learn to read and write.

A large part of the job is to encourage students to speak and not be

afraid of making mistakes, Noble said.

“There’s a lot of fear and lack of self-confidence,” she said. “It’s

scary and very intimidating to live abroad. I can only imagine what it’s

like to do day-to-day things, from grocery shopping to speaking to your

children’s school to getting a job.”

Noble began volunteering at the center under Marjorie Fuller, the

woman who started the program. After Fuller passed away, Noble took over

as director.

“I started training people to be good tutors,” she said.

She says many potential volunteers think they must have teaching

experience or a degree in English or have perfect grammar. But Noble said

the most important quality of a good tutor is patience.

“It’s so fulfilling to see the progress they make and how grateful

they are to you,” Noble said.

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FYI

WHAT: Mesa Verde Literacy Center

WHEN: 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday

WHERE: Mesa Verde United Methodist Church, 1701 Baker St., Costa Mesa

INFO: (714) 545-3445.