"I was really affected by one man who came to see me. He was a true Harley Davidson biker. He came to my door dressed in full leather with a deluxe beard - a tough looking hombre. And I thought, 'Ok, fine, we open the doors to all', so he came in and closed the door and we began our interview. After half an hour of talking to him and establishing a rapport he started to cry. He told me that he had been on a bike run into the States with a buddy who was also on a bike. His buddy was in an accident and was still in the States, hospitalized. So the man in my office had to return to Canada on his own but couldn't read the map or the road signs. He had been absolutely terrified. Telling me the story overwhelmed him. I was overwhelmed too just listening to the fear that this tough guy had because he couldn't read."

"I had similar emotional experiences with a number of students. You can't help but be affected by them. When you give so much and when you see what they are enduring and the steps they are taking, it's enriching."

"I know that we offer a good service through our literacy program at AVC. I've always been proud of the program and am very proud to say I had a part getting it started."

After my visit to Calgary I flew to Ft. McMurray. I'm not sure what I expected but Ft. McMurray surprised me. It is certainly much more than the oil sands industry it is famous for. A close-knit community has grown up around the industries of Syncrude and Suncor. Like many other people who came to "work for a while" in this remote community NANCY STEEL and her family have made FL McMurray their home.

Nancy is the coordinator of the Keyano College Write Break Literacy Program. While earning an M.A. in English Nancy worked as a Tutor Assistant and suspected that the undergraduates she was helping with writing strategies were also poor readers. Nancy has been fascinated by what she has learned through her involvement in literacy and although she admits that she still has a lot to learn, her work over the years has provided her with some answers to the questions she had initially raised about how reading, writing and speaking interrelate.

Nancy's substantial background and understanding of literacy developed through a long and steady learning process which has required both faith and patience. "I just had faith that the base I needed would come," she explained. "I had an understanding that this would take time. So I went into this job with a commitment that I was going to do it for a long time. I knew that it might take a while for me to find out - never mind everything I needed to know about teaching people to read and training tutors but everything I needed to know for tomorrow at least! 'Winging it' was all right because I was willing to give myself that space of time. I had in my mind, made a commitment to do this for at least 5 years. That was almost 9 years ago."

Having just come from the New Coordinator Training I asked Nancy what information she would give to people entering into the literacy field for the first time. "One of the first things they need to know about is the availability of the literacy network. Each person will bring their own background and experiences to the job but if and when they want more information, they need to know that through the network they can choose their learning. almost like a self-paced program. When I need to know something about family literacy I can call down to Brooks and talk to Bonnie Anniccharicio. I can pick my learning as I need it by drawing on the people in the network who have the experiences I don't."