National Adult Literacy Database

May 27, 2002

This week, we are launching nine stories written by students from Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a special event, you can read some of the stories as well as hear them, with the audio player. The following stories were written by members of the Learner Speakers' Bureau, coordinated by Literacy Partners of Manitoba. These learners participate in different programs in the Winnipeg area. The stories from this year's Learner Speakers' Bureau graduates will be unveiled at the Winnipeg Learner Conference on May 29, 2002.

Note : The text versions that follow do not always match the audio version, because some people preferred to update their stories after the recordings.

 

Play an audio version of this story

Dale Walton's Story

by Dale Walton

I went back to school because I didn't know how to read and write at all. When I went to school, I went to Prince Charles School. I think that it was for mentally handicaped people. I don't think that I should have been put in that school. I didn't learn to read and write while I was there. It didn't matter until one day my grandson said to me "Granny, I want you to read me a story." What was I to do? I couldn't read a single word. I used to pretend to read by making up stories about the pictures, but in this book there were no pictures. I had to learn how to read and write.

Then I had heard about the Open Doors Program at King Edward School. I spoke to the teacher and she told me to write something. I said "I can't because I don't know how".

I've come a long way since. Now I can read the labels on the medicine bottles, and I want to keep learning and I know I can do it. I want to set an example for my grandson to stay in school. I want to spend a lot of time reading to my grandchildren, I want them to find a good job.