National Adult Literacy Database

May 16, 2011

This week, we have a poem written by Kirk Moss, from Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Kirk is enrolled at the Fredericton North Adult Learning Centre. He is a winner of the first annual Lifelong Learning: The Future of New Brunswick writing/video contest.

Lifelong Learning: The Future of New Brunswick

by Kirk Moss

From left: Kirk Moss of the Fredericton North Adult Learning Centre, and Natasha Bozek, Executive Director, Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick

Gleaned from my own memory,
This is what learning means to me.
Doing things that I thought I would never do again,
To establish a successful life-long plan.
To better the future for my family and self,
Means dusting the cobwebs from the bookshelf.
Putting my brain into overdrive,
Finding in which, the subjects that I thrive.
Never knowing what is going to come my way,
Since I learn something new every day.
Language arts, social studies, science and math,
Are subjects that I have encountered on my path.
Nobody said they were going to be easy,
In fact at times, they have made me rather queasy.
But I refuse to quit, so I must press on,
To allow the beginning of new ideas to spawn.

Ideas that influence the younger generation,
So they may see the importance of higher education.
Having them abandon their cell phones, computers and video games,
Meeting people one on one,
Putting faces to their names.
Allowing youth to develop
The social skills they can.
We must wake up – ultimately
The future is in their hands.
They are the generation
Who will save us as a nation.
But how will they ever do that,
Without an education?
It’s not just about homework,
Or going to school every day,
But it’s about planning for the future,
And whatever comes your way.
However planning is not easy,
Without knowing what you want to do.
That is why education is so important,
For everyone, not just the few.
So challenge yourself, challenge your children, challenge a friend,
In New Brunswick, lifelong learning can become a trend.

[This story was taken with permission, from the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB) website, under Learners’ Stories.]