After a 43-year career as an economics professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Mike found himself wanting to do more during his retirement. Mike has always been passionate about teaching and helping others, so he sought out local volunteer opportunities to fill his time and make a positive impact on his community. Mike found Literacy Rochester in his searches and felt it was the right place for him!
Volunteering with Literacy Rochester wasn’t the first time that Mike had volunteered. As a matter of fact, Mike tutored students in economics, volunteered for church related activities, and even helped with junior-high youth groups. When Mike retired, he continued to be involved at RIT as a campus administer. However, Mike wanted to do more and “add meaningful activities to life during retirement,” thus he started his search into local volunteer organizations. Around this time in 2023, Mike had been doing some online research and came across Literacy Rochester’s website. From there he read about our programs and knew he wanted to learn more about the instructional program. So, Mike attended an informational session and soon after became a volunteer tutor, working one-on-one with a student.
Mike was paired with a student who was from Colombia. This student worked as a custodian at a local high school with difficult hours (2pm to 11pm) and she had limited English skills. She was eager though to improve her skills and work with Mike. Something that helped instruction was Mike’s limited knowledge of Spanish, even knowing a little bit helped their communication. Through consistent tutoring, Mike saw great growth in the student’s progress and was very proud of her accomplishments! Not only was she able to communicate more effectively, but she was also hired at a different school with much better working hours.
“The only way you can learn is by making mistakes”
After working one-on-one for about a year and a half, Mike had the opportunity to instruct small classes of 10 students. He gladly accepted and in November 2024, he held his first class at the Henrietta Public Library. Since then, he has loved the experience and seeing the progress his students make during every session. “There’s no evaluation or grading, it’s all about helping the student achieve their specific goal.” He also takes extra time after the class to work one-on-one with students on writing essays.
As a volunteer, Mike has been able to share his knowledge of the English language and break down complex concepts to meet the needs of each individual student. His adaptable teaching method ensures each student the opportunity to learn and understand new materials.
Outside of volunteering, Mike enjoys bicycling, playing golf in the summer, and visiting his grandkids in Connecticut. He is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community and share the gift of literacy with others.
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