Message from the President: Behind the Teaching at CLC

In my presidential messages, I have often celebrated the amazing students at the Community Learning Center. And they deserve it—especially in these very challenging times. Attending school while working and raising a family, as many of our students do, requires tremendous focus and commitment. The CLC is blessed to have such a dedicated cohort of learners.

Teaching makes similar demands on instructors’ time and energy, and our teachers give their all in the classroom. But there is another vital layer beneath the classes that sustains and supports the daily instruction. This consists of a tireless cadre of advisors and coordinators, all dedicated to promoting students’ success in and beyond the classroom. Who are they, and where do they come from?

These advisors and coordinators are actually teachers taking on a dual role. Virtually every fulltime instructor at the CLC spends a significant part of the workday (or evening!) advising students or coordinating instruction across an entire department. Advising students might mean helping them choose appropriate classes; calling to check in if attendance has fallen off; brainstorming with a student about childcare arrangements; helping to plan for post-secondary study; writing recommendation letters for scholarships; and fielding whatever curveball might come in and threaten to throw a student off track.

Coordinators, on the other hand, tend to focus more on their teaching colleagues. Their duties, aside from teaching, may include supporting new part-time instructors; working with a team to develop fresh and relevant curriculum; overseeing internal progress monitoring and state-required testing; training volunteer tutors; and planning the joyful but incredibly complex graduation ceremony at the end of each school year.

Just as the CLC’s learners juggle multiple roles as student, parent, and wage earner, our talented and versatile instructional staff members wear a variety of hats: classroom teacher, advisor, and coordinator. Their multifaceted work makes student growth possible; your generous donations help our complex organization thrive.

I wish you all health, serenity, and joy throughout the upcoming holiday season. Thank you, as always, for your support.

Phyllis Benjamin

President

Friends of the Community Learning Center