National Adult Literacy Database

October 6, 2003

The following story was written by Marlene Affleck, from Morell, PEI. Marlene was enrolled in academic upgrading in the Morell site of the PEI Institute of Adult & Community Education, Inc. in 1999. In March 2002, she completed enough credits to earn a Grade 12 High School Diploma for Mature Adults, and continued with extra credits. She is forty-one years old, and has been married for twenty years. She is the mother of five children, including a set of twins.

Why Go Back To School?

by Marlene Affleck

I work seasonally at Paturel International Seafood and am the Floor Supervisor in a job that I really enjoy. It is seasonal work that gives me the time to be with my family. So why did I decide to go back to school? My life seems good. The youngest kids would be starting school; I would then have the time to do things I enjoy. The only thing missing was my education.

Being back in school has taught me a lot more than what is in the books. It has given me new confidence in myself. People ask, "What are you doing now?" They are quite taken aback and then they say, "Well, that's great!" My family is a great support and they help in any way that they can. I also have the support of my husband who keeps me in good spirits by telling me how well I am doing, which means a lot.

Another reason being back in school is good for me is that I can help my son who goes to the same school with his work - not all of it of course; at times he can help me more than I can help him. He seems very relaxed with me going to the same school. He comes to see me at dinner time. It is a very enjoyable relationship to have, at least it shows that my going back to school at my age does not embarrass him. The younger kids think it is great. They wanted to know if I get to go to recess like they do.

I think the hardest part was trying to find the time to do my own homework, help the kids to do their homework, to watch the kids, clean the house, and go to work. But I do find the time somewhere. I have really enjoyed my learning process. The instructors have made the experience so easy. I never would have thought that I could actually understand algebra, but in the classroom, the atmosphere is so relaxing that you don't even realize how much you are learning until it comes time for a test.

I still have to be available for work, so any decision that I make about my future will have to work around this. On the Choices™ program, one of the jobs that was narrowed down was in the fish inspection field. With twenty-four years experience working at a plant, I feel this would be a course of action that I could use, even if I didn't get a job in this area. It would still be useful in the job that I have now.

[This story was taken from I Did It, So Can You! : A Collection of Stories From Adult Learners of Prince Edward Island, p.1, published by the Morell Region Community Learning Centre.]