DONNA
PHOTO BY RANDY BACON
DONNA
“Worth the Effort”
Although I graduated high school with a second-grade reading level, I managed somehow to get through life. I have overcome many obstacles in my life thus far, including many health issues which complicate things. Not being able to read and write for all those years did not help the situation. Through a long series of life struggles, I ended up in a nursing home in my early 50s on hospice with a lot of time on my hands. I had wanted to learn to read for a long time, so I could read the Bible, better myself, and be able to read books that I chose. I realized by achieving those goals, I could possibly live successfully someday on my own.
I found out about the Ozarks Literacy Council (OLC) while working years ago as a Certified Nurse Assistant (My reading level was so low that I had to have the certification exams read to me.) While in the nursing home, I tried my best to learn on my own but was not getting very far. I decided to contact OLC in order to finish what I was unable to accomplish on my own. When OLC tested me in 2017, I was still at a second-grade reading level.
I was then assigned a reading tutor. Denise was a recently retired teacher with experience in teaching students with learning disabilities. We met for lessons each Tuesday morning at the nursing home. We had to deal with constant interruptions and a very noisy atmosphere which made learning quite challenging. After just 2 1/2 years of weekly tutoring, I was retested by OLC and found out that I tested out at the top level of the program! This was such a great accomplishment for me, although there is always so much more to learn.
Now not only am I an independent reader, but in September of 2020, with God's help, I moved out of the nursing home into my own apartment. I have enrolled in Ozarks Technical Community College and am working toward my High school equivalency degree.
Denise and I still meet each week and enjoy reading books together and discussing them. It feels so good to hold a book and not just WONDER what it is about. Now I can open it, read it, and find out for myself.
If anyone is thinking about learning to read, do not think you are too old! Reading a book for yourself is worthwhile and completely worth the effort!