I don’t have much experience with adult ed, but one general rule of thumb is to start with something the learner is interested in. Offer to read together for 1/2hr-1hr each day, and let her pick the material; even if it’s just fashion magazines or a celebrity gossip tabloid, at least it’s reading. Don’t make the selection too long, and don’t make it painful for her. At first you can read all the words to her and have her just watch as your finger follows the text. Later on (after several sessions) you could try doing something like have her find a word or passage in the text. But the key here is commitment to whatever lessons she decides to go with. No matter what program is used, she has to follow it every day and for a certain amount of time. With follow-through and commitment, any program will work, even boring old “Hooked On Phonics.” So the trick is to keep her interest.
Isn’t there an 800 number for some national campaign to reduce adult illiteracy? You might try a Google search.
Wow, I would love to tutor a stripper.