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Teaching has been Grace Stuart’s lifelong dream.

After attending college off and on for 20 years, she finally received her teaching certificate in New Jersey. But it wasn’t long before she became frustrated. There was too much administrative paperwork, she said, and teaching became secondary.

Last October, Stuart and her husband  moved to Roanoke from North Carolina, and she came across a brochure advertising Literacy Volunteers of Roanoke Valley. Even though Stuart and her husband were partially retired, she became enamored with the idea of teaching again and  trained to become a tutor.

“I thoroughly enjoy tutoring,” she said. “It has given me the opportunity to actually teach without all the nonsense I had when I was an actual teacher.”

Stuart now meets Oretha Joway, an adult English as a Second Language student originally from Liberia, twice a week at  a library. Life skills are the primary focus for Joway and students like  her. Lessons  typically include how to pay bills, read mail and fill out job applications. Stuart said Joway recently asked what a resume was, and  Stuart eagerly turned this inquiry into a lesson plan. She even helped Joway write a resume of her own.

Literacy Volunteers also will provide tutoring for English-speaking adults. Betsy Hale, the basic literacy coordinator for the group, said the loss of a family member or close friend will sometimes push people into seeking  better literacy for themselves. They may want to pass a driver’s test or learn to read the mail, Hale said.

But lately Hale has noticed a different type of learner emerge. Adults who already have basic literacy skills have been requesting assistance in  preparing for their  General Educational Development test or help with college classes. Hale speculated that the poor economy might be the driving force for this change, and that seeking more education might be a way for many to beef up resumes or increase qualifications.

Refugee and Immigration Services also provides adult education for ESL students. Alice Duehl, the agency’s education coordinator, said they have about 50 volunteers at a time but are always in need of more.

Dayle Wilke of Roanoke County is one of those volunteers. But Wilke, who began working last May with a family from Myanmar, goes above and beyond what is expected.

Wilke said she and her husband, Danny, began providing regular transportation to and from work for the family last June. And they’ve not only helped out the kids with their homework, but also have met with their teachers.

“They’ve become like a second family to me,” Wilke said. “My involvement is open-ended.”

Duehl explained that Wilke has gone beyond the expectations set for volunteers. But knowing that the challenges for many of the newly arrived political refugees reach far beyond learning English makes it hard for many to stick with just tutoring.

“The volunteers are given a volunteer job description that specifies what their obligations are,” Duehl said. “But some choose to go beyond that.”