Today we’d like to introduce you to Carson Childress.
Hi Carson, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Richardson Adult Literacy Center (RALC) was founded in 1990 by the Junior League of Richardson, Altrusa International, Richardson Public Library, and local residents to provide free ESL and literacy services for Richardson’s growing diverse population. The goal was to address gaps in adult English language services impacting employment, community engagement, and children’s education. Over the years, RALC has grown from a staff of one Executive Director to a small but passionate staff of specialists in programming/curriculum, volunteer recruitment and engagement, and student support services. With the help of enthusiastic, RALC-trained volunteer teachers and *our community partners who provide classroom spaces, we are able to offer English language classes at a variety of levels, along with U.S. Citizenship Test Preparation classes and career skills development workshops to over 350 adult students each semester (fall and spring).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Despite some growing pains along the way, RALC has endured and adapted to a variety of changes and challenges. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic forced RALC to pivot from exclusively in-person classes (the ideal setting for new language learners) to a virtual format on Zoom, posing a significant challenge for teachers and students in the middle of the semester. Teachers had to be quickly trained to use the electronic version of the student textbooks and other teaching resources, along with navigating the Zoom platform, and lower-level English language learners in particular had to adapt to a less hands-on and more isolated learning environment. During the two semesters of the pandemic when classes were fully online, however, RALC staff recognized the opportunity that virtual classes provided to learners with transportation issues or work-related conflicts that might otherwise prevent them from being able to take English classes, and when COVID restrictions eased, we began offering classes in both online and in person formats.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As Program Coordinator for RALC, I am able to harness my many years of experience as a public school English teacher to oversee, craft and curate curriculum and teaching resources for our amazing volunteer teachers. Along with my wonderful colleague Sara Bramlett, our Volunteer Coordinator, I also provide ongoing training and instructional support to new and returning volunteer teachers throughout each semester. It never ceases to amaze me that so many and such a diverse group of people in the North Texas community choose to give their time and talent each week to help our adult English language learners grow and pursue their life goals! I am proud to be associated with such dedicated volunteers who range from college students to working professionals to full-time parents to retirees, and a whole lot in between. Their diverse ages, life experiences, and personalities intersect in the common pursuit of improving the communication skills, opportunities, and inclusion of the hundreds of adults who choose RALC to help them in their English language journey.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Although I have never viewed myself as a big risk-taker, I have begun to realize that choosing to pursue a career that focuses on helping people improve their lives is definitely something of a risk in a profit-oriented culture. More than ever, we at RALC take a risk each day that the quality of our programs and services will provide solace and support to people who are struggling and striving to assimilate and thrive in this community and country. The greatest risk I have personally taken in my role as Program Coordinator for RALC is to be willing to confront any personal or professional deficits that might prevent me from serving our volunteer teachers and our students to my fullest capacity, and to be equally willing to hone the necessary skills to improve and grow in this role. I discovered this quote from M. Scott Peck that, to me, perfectly encapsulates the kind of risk-taking that this organization embodies: “There can be no vulnerability without risk. There can be no community without vulnerability. There can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.” Our students take a risk every day by putting themselves out there to read, write, listen, and speak in a whole new language, and as an organization, our willingness to learn and improve along with them–even when it might easier to choose mere maintenance over continuous improvement– is the best risk of all.
Pricing:
- $50 registration fee per semester for students (15 weeks of classes/2 classes per week)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ralc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ralc_literacy/ @ralc_literacy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardsonadultliteracycenter/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@richardsonadultliteracycenter
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ralc-richardson-adult-literacy-center/
Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Richardson Adult Literacy Center and Felicia Garcia (Communications Coordinator)
