Susan has two children aged 16 and 17.
Susan’s mother is from Croatia. She did not know English when Susan
was growing up and finished Grade 3. Susan’s father completed Grade 2
and learned English in Canada. English was Susan’s second language; she
did not speak English until she was five years old. Susan saw her parents “writing
letters back home to Croatia, bills, taxes; no journals.”
She did not
recall her parents modeling reading although “they learned eventually
to read the newspaper but not often.”
She remembered seeing her parents
watch TV although not very much. She did not remember her parents modeling singing
or rhyming.
Susan said she grew up “in the bush and did lots of outdoor activities.”
She remembered her parents “couldn’t help much with homework,
but they would try.”
Susan considered this to be an advantage because
she had to work to learn English. She did not recall her parents reading to
her. Susan went to the school library more than once a week. She also had a
library card and visited the public library once a month. She did not remember
going on cultural outings with her parents.
Susan got her education at NAIT and works as a Project Accountant. She did
not finish her degree; however, she did complete a lot of on the job training.
She has taken “lots of little courses”
including computers and supervisory
skills because her employer has a college which offers courses. She watches
television or videos two hours a day (mostly documentaries). She does not use
the internet at home but uses it a lot at work.