Volunteer Spotlight: Paul Busman

When did you first start volunteering with The Literacy Council of Frederick County and what made you decide to do so?

I started tutoring back in November of 2020 but it seems like only yesterday. I was already retired and was looking for something useful to do with some of my time. I looked up “volunteer work”, and came up with the Literacy Council. That sounded rewarding, so I signed up.

What kind of volunteering do you do with us? Please describe a meaningful experience that you have had while volunteering.

I do ESL tutoring with a man from Venezuela. Our sessions have been very informal and varied. Most weeks we meet for coffee on Saturday mornings and talk about everything going on in both of our lives, the country, and the world. Rhonal and I have become like family and have shared all sorts of experiences including going to baseball games together, dinners both out and in our home, helping him with Instacart shopping, etc. I think of those as real life classes. When he makes English mistakes, I correct those and make up mini-lessons on the spot to reinforce the corrections.

I am also learning Spanish with Duolingo, and Rhonal helps me with Spanish.

What is something you have learned as a volunteer for the Literacy Council that you would like to share with our volunteer community?

One thing I’ve learned is how crazy English is as a language! El español es más fácil!

For Rhonal and I, our informal approach has been very enjoyable and useful. For teachers using a more structured teaching approach, I’d urge them to try some real life lessons with their students.

What do you like to do when you’re not volunteering with us?

When I’m not volunteering, I enjoy many different activities such as learning Spanish, playing various musical instruments, crocheting, hiking, etc. My wife and I are very active in the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and other activities there.