National Adult Literacy Database

February 17, 1997

The following story was written by Tina Froese. Tina is an adult learner at the Pembina Valley Learning Center in Winkler, Manitoba. She enjoys writing and listening to the radio. For employment in the evenings Tina does home care work for a disabled girl. She has been at the Centre for two months.

The Eagle Story

by Tina Froese

Eagles, symbols of freedom, have wide space in the sky. If we look at the eagle, we may learn something about their habits. Maybe it would help us to improve our lives.

Eagles don't teach their eaglets to get their own food. They have to fend for themselves.

Maybe we should teach our children to be more independent like the eagle.

We should teach them from young on to become more dependent on themselves rather than on their parents.

Eagles only have one partner for life.

If we had only one partner for life, we would never have to look for another partner. There wouldn't be so much illness on earth, like Aids or HIV. If more people would realize what they are getting into when they marry, more couples would stay together.

Eagles rarely fight.

If we were like eagles, we wouldn't fight like some people do over everything. We would be more understanding about other people's feelings.

Eagles improve their nests every year. They make it bigger and better.

They add sticks or mud to the nest to make it a better place to live.

If we would do what the eagle does, we would have better homes - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

[This poem was used with permission from Tina Froese and the kind people at the Pembina Valley Learning Centre, Winkler, Manitoba].