Kenny
I am very proud of myself. When I came to this school I hardly knew how to read and write, and it was embarrassing not knowing how to do this. I couldn’t even read my kids a bedtime story or read a newspaper. So I made a decision to come and get help for my reading and writing and math. And with hard work and never giving up, I can read for my kids and help them with their homework and be proud of it. My skills are not where I want them to be at this time but I will get them up there. What I have learned here is to ask for help and to have patience.
George and his Volunteer Tutor
As a foreign trained engineer, George moved to town three years ago. English is not his first language. He has been working in an engineering company since then. At the start, he was challenged with the writing part of his job, including emails, letters, and papers. Fortunately a librarian from Thunder Bay Public Library referred him to the TBLG. In almost three years, this program has helped him to successfully improve his writing skills. He is more comfortable writing emails, articles, specifications, and proposals. In addition to helping him achieve job requirements, the skills he learned also helped him in the completion of his foreign education certification. Over a six-month period, he successfully finished assignments and a final examination.
Anne
Due to having seizures and problems with medication as an infant, Anne had troubles not with processing, but retaining information. Luckily for Anne, the TBLGs programming was a lot more flexible, so learning could happen at a pace she was comfortable with. In the short time she was at the TBLG, she achieved a lot of her learning goals. Her progress was astounding. She had only been with us for around a year, and she already transferred into the Community Integration Through Co-operative Education (CICE) program at Confederation College. When she completes the CICE program, she will transfer to the Early Childhood Education program to receive qualifications in a field she has already worked in and will continue to do so.
Betty
Betty wished to be more involved in her child’s learning. She wanted to be able to understand her daughter’s report card, participate in parent-teacher interviews, and be a mentor. She recognized the importance of being an involved parent. To do this, she knew she needed to upgrade her skills to increase her vocabulary, speaking skills, and understanding of numbers. With the help of a custom-learning plan, the instructor was able to help enhance all of the skills necessary for her to do so. Upon completion, Betty, was much more confident in her skills, and proudly discussed learning with her daughter’s teachers.