Denis St-Pierre, literacy learner for the past five years in the Maltempec class. Denis is the learners’ representative at the Fédération d’alphabétisation du Nouveau-Brunswick. He was the recipient of the Prix de la francophonie 2000 and the Alpha Award 2001 from the New Brunswick Department of Education.

I am pleased to be able to share with you my experience as a learner.

My motivation for attending an alpha class was undoubtedly my fragile health and also my desire to change some things that made me uncomfortable in life.

I started at the bottom, because I had communication, speech, and behavioural problems. I had low self-esteem; I was very shy and withdrawn. I felt worthless. I came from an environment that didn’t encourage learning, and where family violence and alcohol were the order of the day. Even at the age of 35, I still could barely read and write, and people could not understand me when I spoke. What did I have to lose?

To explain to you how I managed to make my way through life, I have decided to tell you a story, my story. Here goes…

There once was an egg that was home to a little chick. As the little chick grew, his dwelling became smaller and smaller and he felt increasingly suffocated, a prisoner in his own house. So he decided to break free. He had to work very hard to make a small crack in his shell. He struggled very forcefully and using all the strength that he possessed, he finally broke the shell. He stuck his beak out and realized how good it was to breathe the pure air; then he stuck his head out and could see the sky, the sun, and all the beauty of his surroundings. He had managed to take a small step forward by exerting a huge effort for such a small chick. As time went on, he grew and felt sheltered and secure in his beautiful, soft nest.

With each passing day, he learned more about his nest. One fine day, he began to be bored and since he had big dreams, he wanted to leave his nest to explore the world beyond, because as he said: “When I was in the egg, I felt suffocated, and when I broke my shell that set me free. Since I feel like a prisoner, I think that if I leave my nest, I will be even freer.” So one day, he gathered all his courage and challenged his fears by flying away. Some of his friends teased him and laughed at him. They said to him: “What do you think you are doing? Who do you think you are?” The little chick did not let them discourage him, his buddies may have been afraid of adventure, but he dared to go after it. There were days when the little chick stumbled and fell, and sometimes hurt himself, but he always managed to pick himself up again, holding his head high, and he was able to carry on.