The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-05-25, Page 33t
Reading - a truly vital human skill...
• from page IA
daughter in Newfoundland. He reported
to his tutor with pride that he had been
able to read all the signs in the airport.
He couldn't express how it felt except
that it was good in his heart.
Another man named John carne to
London's A.B.E. program this year. He
had gone to Grade 1 and then had been
off school with pneumonia. While he was
away from school, he missed phonics,
fell behind the other students and in
Grade 4 his father took him out of school
as a hopeless case. John lived on the
farm after that and looked after his
aging parents. When they both died,
John was plunked into a London apar-
tment from his farm home and suffered
severe culture shock. He couldn't even
read bus signs to get around the city.
.With the help of a kind and em-
pathetic tutor, John is carrying himself
a little straighter these days.. In fact,
he's even got a job and at Christmas, he
wrote his first letters to some cousins
and they wrote back.
Gerry had heard about the A_B_E.
program on Open Line.
"You're just like a long lost
girlfriend," he told the people at A.B.E.
"I've been carrying your number
around for a year but didn't have the
courage to call."
But Gerry had summoned up enough
courage finally to enroll in the program
and he wanted to surprise his wife at
Christmas time by writing her name and
their children's names on their presents.
Although he knew his middle name; he
could not write it. But he learned not
only how to spell his full name, but his
address and his wife and children's
names too. It was a pleasant surprise for
his whole family.
NOT STUPID
How do you measure success, asked
Mrs. MacDonald? At A.B.E. the people
involved measured it more by truths
than statistics, truths like: "signing my
name and my son's name was a new and
happy experience"; "now that I can
read recipes, my family's meals are
better", "I was able to accept a
promotion at work because I can write
out orders"; and "just having someone
take an interest in me has changed my
whole outlook on life."
One student compared not being able
to read and -then learning how, to being
blind and then being able to see again. .
"Giving people dignity and self-
respect to us is success," says Mrs_
MacDonald_ "When they learn that they
too can operate in society, it proves to
them that they are not stupid, only that
they have never had a chance."
Why don't some Canadians ever learn
to read and write?
"It's easy to attack the school
system,". says Mit. NatDoiiali3 "`butT .
have the greatest admiration for
teachers and the school system."
Mrs. MacDonald says that at present
London's A.B.E. program has 108
students and that there are just as many
reasons as that why they can't read and
write. Emotional turmoil in the home,
movement from school to school, loss of
interest and motivation, are just a few of
these reasons.
"Some people's brains don't even
mature in the area of sounds until
they're 10, 15 or 20 -years -old," explains
Mrs. MacDonald. Those with learning
disabilities may get left behind in the
shuffle.
TELL THE WORLD
Again Mrs- MacDonald expresses her
admiration for those students who come
to A.B.E. After the students enroll and
begin to make some progress, they may
take two directions. Some still don't
want to admit to their plight while
others have climbed the mountaab of
something that has bothered therm for
such a long time that they want to tell the
whole world, says Mrs_ MacDonald_
The oldest woman enrolled in Lon-
don's A_B_E_ program is 72_ She wanted
to learn how to read the Bible and sing
hymns in church_ She is one of the ones
who wants to tell .ape whole world of her
success_ She reads to, the postman or
anyone who comes to her house now_
Yvette Wardrop of London is another
person who wants to tell the whole world
of her progress.
"I met Yvette a year and a half a:;,
says her tutor Greta Wakeling_ "She was
48 years old and I asked her why after all
those years of getting by, she wanted to
learn to read and write."
Yvette answered that she wanted to go
shopping by herself, to take a bus by
herself, to write to her son and daughter
who now lived away from home and to
read to her grandchildren_ Although she
was 48 years old, she had neverbeen
able to spell her mother's name or the
names of her children_
After a year and a half, Yvette Rias
worked herself up to a fourth garde
reading level_ She gets up at 5 a_nn. so
she can study for a few hours while tthe
house is quiet_ Instead of letting her
tutor or her husband drive her places in
the car, she takes the bus soshe can
sound out the street names when tthe bus
makes its many stops.
Yvette can go shopping by herself
now, and she speaks up for ;herself more
than she used to also. She has changed in
many ways and Mr_ Waadrop jokin;:ly
told her tutor 11' at, ""thee woman I
married, , is not the same woman I'm
living with.-
, Yvette has a niece who is a school
teacher but she had always ;,}eem too
ashamed to go to leer for help- Her
youngest daughter is one of tthe top
students in her school_ Yvette is a personn
just like any one of us but she came from
a large family and lived a long way from
school when she was young_ She never
got a fair chance to complete her
education and as a result, suffered tine
handicap of illiteracy most of her Rafe_
Mrs_ Wakeling the tutor, says she
needed Yvette Wardrop as much as
Yvette need :-o her. Mrs. Wakelinng lost
=fuer inisband;tonandlibther all within a
short space of time and nn one then
needed her until Yvette carne along_ She
also says that teaching someone to read
and write has just been like a refresher
course for her. She can't actually ever
remember when she herself learned to
do both in school as a child- Can you?
This Christtanas, Yvette gave Mrs_
Wakening, her tutor a book_ It was the
first Christmas present she had ever
signed_
"You get no pay but you get a glow and
tears of happiness," says Mrs.
Wakeling. "It only takes two hours
twice a week of your time_°°
A. X. COMES TO
URON COUNTY
Mrs_ Sheila Fink of Goderich heard a
p gram on teaching illiterate adults on
Op n Line in February of 1977_ It in-
spired her so that she made an ap-
pointment with Mrs_ MacDonald to see if
she might become a tutor_ Seven snow
storms later the two ` women got
together. Mrs_ Fink then attended a
workshop in London which lasted six
hours spread over two nights to qualify
her as an A_B_E._ tutor, the only one so
far in the Huron County area_
It Is Important That These Restrictions
Be Adhered To:
PLEASE SAVE THIS SCHED..LE
FOR REFERENCE
WATERING RESTRICTIONS
JUNE -JULY - AUGUST = SEPTEMBER
®R
SU. r�
it,' 744.3.•
.4r44..
'- E.
. 3'
t
elk 2
rt
41
7.1
IN AREA NO. 1
Watering May 'Be Done On
TUES., THURS., SAT.
Between 6 p.m. and 9 p_rn_
IN AREA NO. 2
Watering May Be Done On
MON, WED., FRI.
Between 6 p.m. and 9 p. ,
The Whole Town May Use Hose Service Sunday $ cacao. to Al a.m.
YOUR CO-OPERATION IN ADHERING TO THESE TIMES Will BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
GODERICH PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION
1
h .,,1it�s.a a ii.sEi coarse\finosl any$ody
Can take it," she says. A.B.E. only
requires that the tutors be high school
graduates or have equivalent experience
(some people self -educate themselves).
They must also be patient, com-
passionate and sensitive to the students'
needs and situation.
Mrs_ Fink is completing'some courses
through Western—University for her B.A.
this year_ SIIe also works as executive
flight director for Business Air Services
at Sky Harbor Airport_ She is interested
in teaching people in her spare time who,
through no fault of their own, were
unable to complete their education and
who now want to learn to read and write.
After Mrs_ Fink became a tutor, she
did not receive agr° deal of response
from this area nor did she expect to.
"People either don't know the help is
available or else they're too em-
barrassed to come forward,". she says.
If anyone wants to become an A.B.E.
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR
tutor or knows off someone who needs
tutoring, they can call Mrs. Fink after 6
p.m. at 524-2934 or they can contact
London's A.B.E. program at (519) 434-
6054 on Tuesday and Thursday mor-
nings. All inquiries will be kept con-
fidential.
SPECIAL BOOKS
Mrs. Fink has two prospective
students in Huron County so far and
hopes to have some more in the fall. She
will use the New Streamlined English
Series books developed by missionary,
Dr. Frank C. Laubach and used as a
base of learning A.B.E. These books
offer a basic reading and writing course
(0 to fifth grade) written forte adults.
.Working among the Moros of the
Philtipiies in the,. 1930's, `Laubachif'
developed a unique phonics method to
teach these people to read and write
their language. The "Laubach rpethoda
has since been adapted to more than 300
languages in 100 countries.
A manual comes with the books to help
the tutor.
Tutoring is free of charge and books
, THURSDA\ MAY 25, 1978—PAGE 15A
and materials are supplied although
students are encouraged to buy their
own whenever possible. A.B.E. is a non-
profit educational organization sup-
ported by the London Board of
Education, churches and service clubs.
Any success which A.B.E. has
achieved is due to the interest and hard
work of the volunteer tutors and their
students.
Remember Isobel? For the first time
in her life, things are going right for her.
She has had a rough life, a lot of
problems. But now thanks to A.B.E.,
she feels she can cope.
People working with people. That's
what A.B.E. is all about, maintains Mrs.
MacDonald.
A quotation from Dr. Albert Sch-
weitzer seems to express the outlook of
those involved in the program :
"You must give some time to your
fellow man. Even it it's a little thing, do
something for which you get no pay but
the privilege off doing it. For remember,
you don't live in a world all your own.
Your brothers are here too."
-------------------------------------
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T e News:
1_ How would von rate coverage of local news events?
very t i good- fair poor
2_ Would you like to Dec more coverage given to:
Goderich Town Council, municipal news
Co' , me Township
Goderich `gowns; -
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Famm
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44_ Name your ff avorite stator sport
at is Missing?
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a horoscope column
a crossword puzzle
a cooking column
Bill Smiley's Sugar and Spice
More on cultural activities (Music, Art, Theatre,
Books etc.)?
a do-it-yourself corner
a garden column
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Nn Sometimes
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Regularly Sometimes Never
Editorials
Dear Readers
Looking Back
Dear Editor
Provincial Points
Canada in Seven
Worldweek
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Weddings
Bridge scores
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Dave Sykes
Jeff Seddon
Joanne Walters
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Civic Corner
Denim
One Foot in the Furrow
The Minister's Study
Jack's Jottings
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