Working Underground
by Anthony K.

Can you imagine living all your life underground because you had no schooling? It's hard to explain. But I can remember always staying by myself. Because that way I didn't have to worry about someone asking me something. I could remember parties. I always drove. It made me feel good because then nobody asked me anything. They really relied on me to get them to the party and back home. That made me feel good. I could remember working for nine and a half years underground on one job because I couldn't write. My friend was the same. I remember I wanted to post on a job but it's hard when you can't read, so I would wait until everybody would leave and then I would go to the board and look at the posting on the board. I would mark the same letters down on my posting. Then I would tell the shift boss I didn't understand that part so he would fill it out for me. I started taking little pamphlets home with me and getting my wife to help me learn to read them. I would study the words. When I got my first posting, I had to know how to write. I would study a lot at home. One whole summer, I studied all I could about the job underground. That way, it would make me feel good about myself because I knew that other people could see me write. Not really good but they didn't know that. After 18 and a half years underground I got hurt.

That ended my mining days. After a few years on compensation they gave me a chance in school and I'm doing really good. I feel good about myself. We really have an understanding teacher; she really knows people like us and knows how to teach us. We had other teachers and I couldn't understand really what they were saying or doing.

Some days I would go to school and I feel I never learned anything. But I would go home and make up for lost time.

For the first time in my life I really feel good about myself because I know I can write a lot better. It doesn't really take that much to feel good about yourself. I find with the right teacher you can really learn a lot. But I work hard at home, thanks to my wife and some others.

Background Information

It's hard for an adult to learn to read and write. Talk about your experiences learning to read and write. How did you feel? Did you hide your problem?

Questions

1. What did Anthony do to hide his low reading skills?

2. What could he remember?

3. What do you think Anthony did underground?

4. How long did he work at his job underground?

5. What does the word letters mean in this story?

6. Use the word pamphlet in a sentence.

7. Who helped Anthony at home?

8. Why did Anthony stop working underground?

9. What is compensation?

10. Why do you think Anthony had trouble with the other teachers?