 My Road to Reading
I am 21 years old, I live in Central Hainesville, NB with my mom and dad. I was born with spinal meningitis and had a stroke while I was being born. I had to have several shunts, and these required many operations. When I was in elementary school, someone from district office told my parents that I probably would be unable to learn to read and that I would just get frustrated if we continued in this area. I had teacher assistant help, but the school system just didn’t have the resources to give me the instructions that I needed. We never gave up and I always worked hard to learn to read. When I was in high school, I even attended after school tutoring. Because I had a good memory, I would often memorize things that I wanted to read aloud. For example, I am very active in church and love to read scripture, so I would have someone read the section to me, and I would repeat it phrase by phrase. My goal was to improve my reading so that I could read my bible. I heard about Laubach Literacy NB’s adult reading program and I liked the fact that it was free. I had no idea at the time that I wouldn’t have to pay for tutoring. I also liked the fact that I didn’t have to travel outside of my community. I met with a Tutor Coordinator and the Tutor in October of 2000. We chose Wednesdays at my house to get together. We used the voyagers program which I found easy and interesting. I have now completed three levels and am in my fourth, there are nine levels. I plan to continue until I finish all the levels. Improving my reading skills has done a lot for me. Within two years, I was able to read scripture during my sister’s wedding ceremony. I now read scripture at home and at church in front of an audience. I also read novels. I am more confident, not just in reading, but in general. If I hadn’t started with the Laubach Tutoring, I would still be at a low reading level instead of improving everyday.
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