In a recent digital literacy class with very beginner students, we had spent the first three quarters of class trying to get the students logged into their email accounts. Forgotten passwords, account recovery processes, and new devices make even the simple task of logging into Gmail take more time than you would expect.
As we were troubleshooting yet again, I had a moment where I thought to myself,
Are we making any progress? Is this worth the time of our volunteers and students?”
The students chatted while a volunteer and I tried to figure out how to move forward. One of the students started telling a story that got the attention of the others. The interpreter let me know what they were talking about.
She was sharing how she knew of someone who recently had gone to the DMV to test for his driver’s permit. He wasn’t familiar with computers, however, and no one took time to explain to him how to navigate the test. The students laughed about the story, more likely from having shared similar experiences rather than laughing at the person.
But the story caught my attention –
How often do our new friends encounter situations like this, where literacy with technology is assumed? How often are they in places where people don’t appear available to offer assistance?
It was a good reminder to me that what we do matters, even when there are bumps in the road and delays in getting through the class material. We may only accomplish one part of what we hoped to do, and we may not even do it well, but there is so much value in walking alongside our friends and empowering them to learn new things.
Written by Melissa, Arrive Ministries’ Saint Cloud Area Coordinator
