Growing up in Mexico, school was never an option for Gabriel Echeverria. When he moved to Pescadero, the 66-year-old found work at a local flower nursery where literacy wasn’t an issue. But today, Echeverria is well on his way to earning his elementary school certificate through Plaza Comunitaria, a program Puente offers in concert with the National Institute for Adult Education in Mexico. The literacy program, offered by a growing number of schools and organizations in the U.S., gives expatriates an opportunity to earn a “primaria” (elementary) or “secondaria” (middle school) degree. Three years into his studies with a tutor at Puente, Echeverria can read and write in Spanish. He staffs La Sala, Puente’s biweekly social hour for local fieldworkers; his job is to keep track of attendance, and inventory the supplies Puente donates. Echeverria says his new arithmetic skills have come in handy there. And importantly, Echeverria is one of Puente’s longest serving board members. “I first joined Plaza Comunitaria to learn more words, but what I’ve gained from studying is bigger,” says Echeverria. “I feel more confident and more motivated. I feel important, like now I know how to do things.” Because they’re starting from scratch, it can take years for students to earn a certificate of literacy from Plaza Comunitaria. Once they learn to read, they learn … Continue reading Literacy program gives adults a second chance at an education