HCLN YEARBOOK 2005

She finally told her sons and instead of getting angry they hugged her and she felt so much better. She finally got the confidence to start working on learning to read.

So it is really important to take the first step. Tell a friend or counsellor that you are having trouble reading or writing. You will have more confidence in yourself if you make this start. So do yourself a favor. Take the first step in learning to read. If you learn to read the world opens to you.

My name is Kathy Dobson. I was born in Halifax. I have lived here my whole life. Because I had polio as a child and I was in the hospital for three years, I missed a lot of school as a child then I never really got going in a proper school program. I somehow learned to read and write but I didn’t go very far in school. I started coming to the Halifax North library program in 1994. Since then I have learned to write stories, read whole books, do multiplication and division and many other things.

Satisfying Times

By Etta Hamm

Becoming a volunteer tutor with the Halifax Community Learning Network is the best thing I’ve ever done! I love it so much that I’m helping not one, but two learners.

The highlights of my week are Wednesday mornings with Ababa and Friday mornings with Grace. They’re so enthusiastic about learning! They triumph in mastering “the hard parts” and in understanding what they’re learning. They have aha! moments. They seriously apply themselves to making progress toward their goals, and are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

They’re crafting stories about their lives and appreciating the value and the beauty of clear, effective communication. They’re enjoying a variety of approaches to learning, discovering that learning can be fun – and they’re eager for more, more, more!

This may not be every tutor’s experience – maybe I was just lucky in being matched with Grace and Ababa. We have such wonderful, satisfying times working together – and we do take the time to chat and laugh! Now, why wouldn’t I love it?