First-Time Readers

January 2004

Gander and Area Level One Literacy Program

Gander and Area ABE Level 1 is a basic literacy program designed for adults who wish to improve their academic skills and have specific career goals in mind. The site is located in room 302 at 205 Elizabeth Drive, Gander. Classes began on September 15, 2003, and will run until June 11, 2004. New students can enter the program at any time. The site can accommodate up to 12 students at anyone time. Students come from many different communities in Central Newfoundland such as; Campbellton, Comfort Cove, Gambo, Gander, Stoneville, Musgrave Harbour, and Summerford. Please feel free to drop by at any time for additional information, or call Ivan LeDrew at 651-1114.

Stories from some of our students

It Could Only Happen To Me

by Dianne Collins

One day when I was a single woman, I used to spend a lot of time on the internet. Well this is how my story goes. I met this guy and I was chatting to him for about four months. Every night we were chatting on the net for about an hour. Well it came to the point I was falling in love with this guy. I used to go to my sister's for coffee and I would tell her all about the guy I met on the net. One day when she came to my house, she said go on the computer and see if he's on. So I did because I wanted my sister to meet him and sure enough he was on. That's when I got the shock off my life. I was chatting to him and my sister said I'm goig home now and let you talk to Dave, that was his name. Well I was talking and having a great chat and I think I was getting a little too frisky. That's when those words came back to me, ok Jeannie it's time to put a end to my joke I'm playing on you. This is your sister, and when I was at your house a few hours earlier, Dennis, my husband was talking to you. He helped me play this joke on you. Well I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I did have a good laugh talking about it after. So that means you can never trust anyone on the net, you could be talking to your mother, ha, ha.

My Funny Story

by Craig Kennedy

My story begins in Spell-Read last year. When I started this program . Lona Hanlon was our teacher for four months, while our other teacher taught the next class. As a group of six students we really enjoyed the program which certainly helped us with reading and writing. In class everyone loved to joke around and have fun, but we always did our work. There was an hour for lunch and two fifteen minute breaks. Lona always brought a bottle of water with her to class. We decided to playa little joke on her. Before we all got back to class, Willie, my buddy, punched a hole into Lona's water bottle, put the stopper back on so she would not know what we were doing.

After having her lunch, Lona came back to teach, when she opened her bottle to have a drink the water ran all over her shirt. Everyone in class, including Lona, started laughing!

You Had To Be There

by Dona Snow

At my sister's wedding dance, it was time to throw the bouquet. My sister was trying to get me to catch it. I stood right at the back and hid away a little. Anyway she threw it right over me. I just stood there. So my brother was sitting at the table behind me. He reached and caught the bouquet to pass to me but when everyone saw that he had it, they made him keep it. Everyone was laughing so hard. My brother was a good player.

When it was time to sit on the chair in the middle of the floor, wayhe goes. The other guy that caught the garter played along great. He got out on the dance floor and did his dance, doing his thing, while everyone was bent over laughing. Finally he went over and sat on my brother and pulled the garter over the bouquet. It livened up the party, no one took it seriously and everyone had a great laugh.