National Adult Literacy Database

January 23, 2012

This week, we have a story written by Chassity Cook, from Saint John, New Brunswick. Chassity is one of the winners of the first annual Lifelong Learning: The Future of New Brunswick writing/video contest, hosted by the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB). She is enrolled in literacy classes at Saint John Learning Exchange.

Chassity’s Pathway to Success

by Chassity Cook

The Learning Exchange is an amazing school for those who want to be able to conquer their hopes and dreams. They impact in my life by helping me look at the world a different way about life then I normally do. They are the most nicest people I ever met. I never thought I could do the things in math and English since I came to the Learning Exchange but I have, and I am so glad I came here . I think that I came a long way since when I first came to the Learning Exchange. They help me out so much and gave me chance that no body would ever give me. The Learning Exchange helps you gain your confidence and skills that you need to improve and you will feel so much better about your self than you knew I could feel.

The things that I have learned to be able to do: I can read a whole novel and be able to read all the words and read it from the beginning to the end of the novel and not give up. When I first started to attend the Saint John Learning Exchange I would give up by now but I learned that there so many things in life that you won’t like doing but sometimes you have to do things you don’t like doing. I have become really good at helping others when they are stuck on spelling words, I am always helping my classmate on how to spell words. I am really good at working with my hands. When we prepare meals for the school I really enjoy making healthy food.

Overall everyone that teaches here are amazing people. They help you out to their best ability. I enjoy coming to this adult learning center it is the best thing I ever did in a very long time. They make you feel like you belong somewhere. I like that a lot about this place. I been coming here for a very long time and the main reason why I have stayed here for a very long time is because I love this place and I don’t want to leave but I know I have to soon. There are so many good qualities I have gained by coming here that are so amazing. I believe that I have learned so much over these past few years by coming to the Saint John Learning Exchange. I can do things now and not give up, before I would always give up on things that I never could get by doing it the first time. My teachers taught me how to do things on my own and try and work things out and if I couldn’t then I could ask them for help but most times I would want to try and figure it out on my own, a lot of times I could do that. That’s why I think that this is the best school, overall, that I have been too.

[This story was taken with permission, from the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB) website, under Learners’ Stories.]