Now, 4 years later, Jan has decided that there might be some truth in that idea. Her homesteading experience has taught her a great deal about hard work, tenacity, patience and having a long- term view of things. "If you don't have a view of where you're going, it makes the day-to-day work more frustrating," Jan admitted. "You have to have a view of that long-term goal (whether you're homesteading or working in literacy) for those moments when you have to sit back and ask, 'What are we going through all of this for?' And faith is part of it too. That yes, this is going somewhere and yes, it is worthwhile."

Two years after setting up the volunteer tutor literacy program in Slave Lake, Jan took on the role of Community Coordinator for Edwin Parr Community School in Athabasca. She later accepted a position as an academic upgrading instructor for AVC in Smith, an isolated little community almost half-way between Slave Lake and Athabasca.

Working in a classroom is another new frontier for Jan. She described her students with affection and concern. When I asked her how she judges success, she said, "I had a really hostile student whose writing was really small. She made teeny-weeny letters that seemed to say, 'Don't notice me. Don't notice that I'm copying this from someone else's lesson: She had gone through a real turmoil because of an addiction to prescription drugs. She had kicked it and was getting her life back on track, but she was still struggling with the addiction."

"Anyway, one day she came up to me and said, 'I've decided that I'm going to write bigger now: And she did. Her letters were bigger, her handwriting improved and her confidence really grew, too. It was obvious that she was feeling more comfortable in the classroom and with me which was a major step forward."

"It bothers me that people keep looking for 'the big story', the success story that will promote their programs and get lots of attention from the outside world. Students' stories are a great marketing device - they sell. But those polished kinds of stories are often just too good to be true."

"Stories about people's real life activities aren't very glamorous but they can be more wonderful than the polished, happy ending ones. Each step a person takes in a learning situation is great and is a story in itself. We need to remember that and give credit to that and not just be impressed with the 'success stories' we read in the Edmonton Journal. Sometimes the successes I see in the classroom only last a minute. The whole world could fall apart at the next moment, but at least you were there to appreciate it."

Jan talked about her own accomplishments and all that she has learned about herself through her literacy work. "It's been a great 4 years. I've learned that I can get the job done, that I can be trusted, and that that means something," Jan began. "I've learned that I'm capable, able to do good things on my own without having to depend so much on others. And I know now that I have the ability to think through a problem on my own or solve problems in a group. I've learned that what I have to say has validity and that sharing ideas is a wonderful thing. I know how to ask questions and find answers and how important it is to share information. And," Jan added, "I've learned not to take myself so damn seriously!"

Relaxing after the formal part of Out interview, I told Jan how nervous I was feeling about taking on a book project of this size. I admitted that I was scared, that I really didn't know very much about writing a book.