National Adult Literacy Database

March 10, 2003

This week, we are launching a story written by Candy Croy, from Brandon, Manitoba. Candy is doing upgrading classes at the Brandon Adult Learning Centre (BALC). She is a mother of two children : Shane (8) and Kayla (7). Her husband's name is Bill. Candy has lots of hobbies but most of them are during the summer, like camping; gardening and swimming. During the winter, she usually spends her time watching television, and she does all this of course, with her loving family. Some of her interests in life are working in business, with the public. She has applied to Assiniboine Community College for their Hospitality Administration course.

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Story

by Candy Croy

My name is Candy Croy. I have worked for years on my education (or on my grade 12). Let me start from the beginning.

I lived in a small community 3 hours' from Brandon named Moosehorn. I moved to Brandon to go to school when I was 17, but I found that the schools here were much different from the one back home, so I quit here, and I moved back home to work for a living. Then I got pregnant with my son. That meant that I couldn't go back to school, so I thought. My son's name is Shane. I went to work to support him and myself, and Shane went to a babysitter. A year later I got pregnant with my second child whose name is Kayla; that meant that I couldn't go back to school because I had two children to look after. I went on social assistance to support my family.

I moved to Brandon 6 years ago with my family. I did try to go back to school a few years ago (1997), but I found it was too hard to understand the material that Vincent Massey was using and to juggle my family at the time. I went back to being a stay home mom. I did go back to the Brandon Friendship Centre (1998), but again I found it hard to juggle the family and school work. I felt that there wasn't enough support for single parents trying to get their education or enough information about the support that was there, so once again I quit. It was two years before I decided to go back and try to upgrade first.

I went to Samaritan House Training Centre last year (2001-2002) to work on Math, English, and Skills for Educational Success, and computers. This time I stuck to it with the support of my kids and new husband (Bill) and the support of the school. I was able to keep up my grades (above 80) and keep my family functioning.

This year (2002-2003) I am going to Brandon Adult Learning Centre (or BALC for short). Everything is going well so far; I have met a lot of really nice fellow students who are going through a lot of the same things I have and teachers who really understand when family issues come up.