Inspirational VGCC Instructor fights Illiteracy
A unique Vance-Granville Community College program helps adults who are new to reading or who are struggling to learn to read, and students in the program have a unique instructor, Oxford resident Wayne McGohan. At the college’s main campus in Vance County, McGohan teaches these “new readers” classes, in which each student has an individual course of study and moves at his or her own pace. “I enjoy it because I get a real reward from helping people learn to read and improve their learning skills,” McGohan said. VGCC Director of Basic Skills Sue W. Grissom has noticed that McGohan’s students are “sticking with” the program. “They form strong bonds, and he is the super glue that keeps them together,” Grissom said. Not only is McGohan an effective instructor, but the fact that he has been visually impaired from birth has been inspirational to students. “Students see the hurdles he’s overcome, and they realize that since they can see well, they can overcome their own challenges,” Grissom said. “The students stay longer, and they don’t give up.”
McGohan has never let the obstacle of visual impairment stop him from accomplishing his goals, including graduating from East Carolina University with a degree in middle school education, holding several different jobs, serving as a substitute teacher for Granville County Schools, and being active in the Oxford Lions Club. Practically the only thing that McGohan has not been able to do is to obtain a driver’s license. Ordinarily, McGohan’s wife, Peggy, drives him to class, but several times, he has walked all the way from his home in Oxford to teach at VGCC’s main campus. “That’s commitment!” Grissom remarked.
Although he’s relatively new as the teacher for this program, McGohan has been helping adults learn to read off and on since 1989. Back then, he had been shocked to realize the level of illiteracy in his community and wanted to do something to help. He inquired at VGCC, completed the Laubach Literacy training at the college, and became a one-on-one tutor. “Today, I’ve got students with various levels of ability to read, and they are at all kinds of different stages in life,” McGohan said. “Many of them are trying to get their skills up so that they can enter the GED program here at VGCC.” He added that some students have entered his class in order to learn to read their Bibles or Sunday School lessons, others to help their children or grandchildren with homework, and still others simply for personal satisfaction.
The “new readers” classes are free of charge, and are available Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m. in Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. For more information on VGCC literacy programs , call Sue Grissom at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315.
Above: Instructor Wayne McGohan teaches the “New Readers” class in a computer lab on VGCC’s main campus. (VGCC photo)
