"I went to school in a small town. My principal discouraged me the most from my education, even though I had lots of problems learning and understanding... I used act up because the teachers didn't want to take the time to understand me. And when I was sent to the principal's office I would have my head smashed against a brick wall. So as I got into grade 4 and that, I started acting up even more. I wasn't paying attention any more and then I got kicked out of that one because I didn't we to be there... Then we got to the point where my father lost his job and, being in a small town, it was harder to find work so we moved. They put me back a year and, I continued in school the help and understanding wasn't there from the teacher. I continued my outbursts. I asked for help numerous times and never got it.By the time I hit my high school days I really knew nothing.. I have my grade 7 but not 8 and 9. They just pushed me through the system and by the time I got my grade 10 1 knew so little that all I had to do was attend class and they would give me marks for attending school. And I just got to the point when I said: 'What am I doing here? I am doing nothing anyway'. I felt that I knew nothing and that I was stupid. Even to this day my wife gets upset with me because I put myself down all the time. I'll say I'm stupid.... I wanted to do upgrading at one time but I was always scared to go back in the system. So finally I made a choice to join the (literacy) program. I thought: 'I have 4 kids here and a wife to support. You have to do something, and I more or less pushed myself out the door to do it."

"We survive on garage sales, 'Sally Ann', low grade food.. We haven't starved yet but I don't eat all that well... I shop really carefully."

"In 1978 my father passed away and my mother had myself, my brother, my grandfather and her two grandchildren that she was caring for and she was the manager of (a store). To keep the house running, a lot of times I was taken out of school to watch the little ones. At the time it didn't really bother me because I knew my mom was trying so hard We had just lost my father and I thought I could make up for it. Unfortunately I didn't do it that way. As I got into my teen years I started getting into drinking and hanging out with friends and forgot about school altogether. Every year my mom would make me enroll in school and she tried her best to send me and most of the time I would skip school. Then I made it to grade 4 and after that my mom kept me out of school a lot. When I was 11 the elementary school I was in felt I was too old and that I should be with kids my own age. They sent me to Special Ed grade 7... I went to 7, 8, 9 and 10 - all Special Ed. I didn't complete anything in those programs as far as education. When I became a young adult I went to social services for a couple of months and then I found a job doing cleaning. After losing my job at first I was very upset and I didn't want to do anything and I didn't really care and stuff. But I have a little girl who is 5 and she started school last year.. I woke up one morning and was scared to death of the day she would come home and say 'mom I need some help'. It scared me so badly ...so I want to go back to school and I want to learn all I can to better myself and give my daughter a better future so we won't have to be on assistance. So that's it."