Volunteer Spotlight: Don Van Duyn

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

I wanted to do something useful for the community and I missed interacting with people from different cultures.

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

I started tutoring in 2022 and began teaching intermediate conversation classes at the LCFC office in 2023. There is no one most meaningful experience, but it has been wonderful to see a number of students improve and become more confident in their English language ability.

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

That it is essential to be flexible and meet students where they are. Adult students have busy lives and teaching must adjust to each individual’s schedule, needs, and ability. Rigid curricula do not work.

I worry that the declining enrollment in in-person classes by Hispanic students represents fear in the community that should not exist among people trying to improve their lives.

One can also learn a lot about the United States by listening to students’ perspectives on the differences between the United States and their home countries, and their restaurant recommendations are great!

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

I spend time with my grandchildren, do Tai Chi, play golf, walk with my dogs, and work on historical fiction novels about espionage in the early years of the United States.