This exercise coincided with International Literacy Day, September 8, 2000. The learners put their thoughts on paper and sent the letters to The Telegram, our daily newspaper. The learners wanted to raise awareness of illiteracy in our province.

Literacy to me is like a person who looks in a mirror in the morning and has no face. Also when I look at a story book this is what a page with words on it is to me, a plain white face. Imagine facing every day without being able to read - it's like having no purpose in life. International Literacy Day is the eighth of September: But for me, it's every day of the year, and many more thousands and thousands of people have to face their day without the skill to read and write. So imagine if you looked in a mirror and you had no face - how would you have a purpose to go on living?

Derrick Tizzard
St. John's

What is it like to have an education? I am a 37-year-old man and for over 20 years I've asked myself that question. Because of personal reasons and setbacks in my past, I never had the opportunity to find the answer to this question.

Getting an education felt like a dream for me that would never come true. On Jan. 31, 2000 my dream came true. I started classes at the Rabbittown Learners Program. This program has been of great benefit to me. I am currently at Level I and hopefully will go on to Level II and Level III and eventually receive my high school diploma. Then I hope to pursue a career in carpentry, which has always been another dream of mine. I would like to thank the teachers and volunteers of the Rabbittown Learners Program who have helped make my dream become a reality. Remember, encouragement from others and confidence in yourself can go a long way

Terry Mercer
St. John's

I started at the Rabbittown Learners Program May 2, 2000. It was the biggest step of my life.

I am a wife and a mother of two teenage boys, 16 and 15. I decided to go back to school over a year ago. It has changed my life in so many ways. I have confidence in myself to do what I couldn't do when I was a young girl. It also had an impact on my family's life, as well. My boys are very supportive and proud of their mother going back to school. I have been reading books and newspapers, learning how to spell and doing a lot of vocabulary development in the last couple of months. I have learned more than I had when I was going to school as a young girl. My goal is to get my Grade 12. and I'm going to do it. I'll soon be moving on from Level I and going to Level II, so I've accomplished part of my goal and look forward to the future. Sept. 8 is International Literacy Day and certainly it is a time of looking back as well as looking forward into the future.

Barbara Stevenson
St. John's