"There were quite a few in my family who were unable to read and write," Eva told me. "My brothers quit school because they had to work on the farm and they were horrible spellers. I was a good speller so anytime they wanted to write something they would ask me how to write the words. I got interested in trying to teach them and some of my brothers actually became quite good spellers after I worked with them."

"Well, one day, I read about this tutoring job in the paper. I had been looking for a job - cleaning, or in the stores - but I wasn't getting anywhere. When I read about this I remembered back to working with my brothers and thought, 'Maybe I can do this: I had an interview (it was my very first interview ever) and I was hired. I thought it was a miracle."

That was 7 years ago. "Tutoring is the highlight of my life," Eva said warmly. "It's what I enjoy; I wouldn't want to do anything else."

Klaus had told me that very few people in the Mennonite community have the opportunity or desire to venture outside of the community. I asked Eva what it had been like for her to travel away from home. "Through my literacy work I've had the chance to get out and see how other people live. I've been to a number of Conferences in Medicine Hat, Montreal and Edmonton. They were great but it is hard for me when there are hundreds of people; I just clam up. I'm getting more used to big groups of people now; I've been working hard to overcome being shy. I've learned that by opening myself up more others will open up more to me."

Eva has also discovered how much she enjoys learning. "I wasn't very literate myself when I started this job but I learned so much from tutoring that I decided to do some upgrading on my own. Two years after I started tutoring, I got my high school diploma through correspondence. I was learning right along with the students; I still learn new things everyday."

We talked about the Mennonite community and how young girls in Mennonite families are not often encouraged to go to school. Eva herself had left school after Grade 8 to help her family on the farm. I commented to Eva that is must be difficult to be a woman in La Crete who views education as an important part of life. "In many ways, I am fortunate," Eva explained. "I do not have a lot of children so it was not as hard for me to work outside of my home. My husband supports what I do and is not threatened by it. Many women have to stay at home with their children. For some that's OK. But for some women, when they start to question their way of life and the way they were brought up, it becomes hard for them. I started questioning what I was going to do with my life when my daughter got older. It would have been very hard for me too if I had not found work in literacy."

In such a small community I wondered if it is ever awkward to work with students in the classroom then sit beside them in church or see them everyday at the store or the post office. Eva seemed to think my question was on odd one.

"We have always lived and worked together in our community," she said patiently. "It is only right that we should all help each other; people are not uncomfortable with that. Most of the people here speak German so the only thing I try to do is to always speak English with my students. I have a dose feeling with my students because we are learning together but we don't get too personal and that seems to work fine."