National Adult Literacy Database

November 4, 1996

Our story this week comes to us from Toronto, Ontario. The author, Samantha Brown, is a member of the Frontier College - Independent Studies Program. Her mother taught her sign language when she was a young girl and she would like to be a sign language teacher. Samantha's goal for the future is to finish her education and become a lawyer.

Being at School

by Samantha Brown

I went to school with my boyfriend. We walked up the stairs, then through the halls to his classroom where there were computers. I asked him if I could try them. He said it would be O.K. Then I started working on the computer and did some writing about how happy I am to be at Frontier College learning math, English, writing, spelling and reading. Even though it's a bit hard I still have to try my best. My career is the most important thing to me. I want a job as a sign writer or a teacher. I would like to teach children sign language.

Being in school is the best thing that can happen to anyone. Teachers can help those who want to learn. That's why students should stay in school. The thing that I have learned is to do the work right. Even though it is a bit hard I still have to try my best. There are still a lot of things on my mind that I have to say. I am here to improve my skills. The skills are writing, reading, spelling and math. The most important of these is math and typing. I will need to fill out paperwork. I need spelling to improve my writing skills. There is so much to do in my life, that's why I need all the help that I can get from the people at Frontier College. It feels good being here. This school has taught me a lot about how to improve my skills.

The most basic thing to do is to work hard on my typing and reading. I know that I'm typing the same words over and over. It's just that trying to put things in the right place, I may find it hard to understand how to get everything done. This may take some time to understand how I feel about life. School may be a bit far for me to get to but I come here to make friends and learn. My boyfriend Alevin helps me with my math. After, when we are done, we watch movies together. After the movies we go out for a walk with the dog. My dog's name is Bo, he is the cutest dog that I ever had. Sometimes he can be a pain in the butt ! Other times he is a caring, loving friend. That's why we love him. I know that I am supposed to talk about me being here, but I don't have to because everyone knows me here. I want to continue my learning at Frontier College until I get my career. Then move on to teaching full time. There is only one thing that I will miss, the friends at Frontier College even my friend Alex because he has taught me how to type on the computer.

[This story is an excerpt from Reflections from Inside, p.18, a collection of stories from learners at Frontier College.]