Mathurin is 62 years of age and he does volunteer work at the hospital. He is active in the Alcoholics Anonymous movement in his area. When he started in the literacy class, he did not know how to read or write. As a child, he started school in English since there weren’t many schools at that time. Now, he’s perfecting his writing skills with the help of some computer software programs. He also likes to write love notes to his wife.

When I started in the literacy class, I didn’t know how to read or write. I didn’t even know the letters of the alphabet. I had to start at the bottom of the ladder. Today, I’m in my seventh season, as our classes are open 20 weeks per year. I attend classes 15 hours per week and I learned how to read, write, and to do math. I even know how to do my homework on the computer. My teacher, Marie, has had a program saved to a disk, especially for us. On it, we have a French program with all the grammar rules, for example adjectives, plural, gender, homophone, etc., as well as mathematics. When we make a mistake, the program makes a special ringing sound, and Marie hears it, so there’s no way we can cheat.

My teacher is patient with me because I’m 62 years old and I write very slowly. However, I rarely make mistakes, and she tells me often that she’s proud of me. I often go visit patients at the hospital, and I help them fill out their menus. I can write nice, sweet notes to my wife and I choose lovely birthday cards for her. I read in front of my friends as I oversee an Alcoholics Anonymous group. I read to them the thought of the day, the Serenity Prayer, etc. I tell them that it’s thanks to the literacy classes if I’m able to read like that. People around me are proud of me because they know the difficulty I’ve had in the past due to my lack of education. I’ve had to overcome many obstacles and I’ve often felt humiliated. I had a big lack of self-esteem and self-confidence too. I often speak with my friends about the change that has occurred in my life. For me, it’s a new way of life and I encourage many people to enroll in literacy. To me, it’s like a new family. I feel at ease, and I think that the hardest thing was to take that first step and learn the basics. Today, I am taking French 201 and Math 101-fourth exercise book.