Sue Gallop Memorial Book Club for Adult Learners

The Sue Gallop Memorial Book Club for Adult Learners is named in recognition of long time LIFT and literacy supporter, Sue Gallop.  The book club allows low literate adults to participate in LIFT-sponsored book clubs.  Many of these adults participate for the first time in organized clubs, with each member reading their own copy of the same book.

The new National Center on Educational Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/StateEstimates.aspx) data show a staggering 35% of adults in Missouri perform in the lowest two levels of literacy.  Adults in the below basic and basic levels struggle to perform such basic tasks as completing a job application, using the internet, or reading a bedtime story to a child, compared to adult with proficient and advanced literacy levels.

The Sue Gallop Memorial Book Club for Adult Learners is making a real difference. One teacher with adult students participating in the book club notes, “One of the most exciting things that I witnessed since beginning reading groups happened when I was out of the room: a small group of the students went over to the bookshelf and discussed what book they would choose to read next. They talked about why they thought one book was going to be better than the other. Students who have never read books before are reading.”

The Sue Gallop Memorial Book Club for Adult Learners provides a lasting legacy in memory Sue Gallop’s inspired leadership in adult literacy throughout her long career as a teacher and literacy advocate.  Her commitment to adult literacy will now be shared with low-literate book club members as they expand their skills and explore new horizons.

Book titles chosen by adult learners participating in the book clubs funded by The Sue Gallop Memorial Book Club for Adult Learners include: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and You Hear Me? Poems by Teenaged Boys edited by Betsy Franco and Nina Nickles.