“I jumped in full-force.”
That is how Lillian summarized the beginnings of her journey.
 

I think that pretty much sums up who Lillian Ruttan is when she’s in an online class. Full-force, full-energy, full of life.

And that is one of the reasons why she is Learner of the Month for November 2010.
To call Lillian an ambassador for Good Learning Anywhere is fitting for a few reasons:
  1. Lillian is always “there”: she’s always participating, always ready to learn.
  2. Lillian is a facilitator: she will troubleshoot with learners and help instructors, in and outside of class.
  3. Lillian spreads the word: from Lillian’s enthusiasm and community spirit, we’ve gained more than a few new learners from her neck of the woods and across Ontario.
Just this past fall, I met Lillian when I visited the lovely ladies of the Adult Learning Line in Kenora.  Before meeting her, I felt I already knew her, as she had attended more than a few of my classes: I knew her as a warm, gentle and kind person, a woman who is strong in her faith and who is enthusiastic about learning.  And, that is exactly who she is.  But as it is with most online interactions, what I thought I knew about Lillian was only the tip of the iceberg.
What really shone through for me was Lillian’s sense of humour and her passion for helping others.  As I was busy attempting to set up the iMac to take some group photos, I overheard Lillian telling other learners how our online sessions are all recorded and was showing them how to access the classes within a Centra account.

 

Lillian’s journey to Good Learning Anywhere began over a year ago.  I had the joy of instructing Lillian in her first class, Introduction to Online Learning.  From that day on, Lillian discovered a passion for computers.  In fact, working with computers, understanding how they work, and learning how to fix them is part of Lillian’s goal for the future.  Computer know-how is an important skill to have today, and with the skills she’s gained in the online classroom, Lillian is well on her way.
Lillian’s success boils down to a few things in her life: the Adult Learning Line and Good Learning Anywhere.  She said she was introduced to upgrading and learning by Lynn Kowal, one of the wonderful practitioners of the Adult Learning Line.  It was Lynn who inspired her to take that big leap to becoming an adult learner.  And though Lillian had made the step towards improving her skills twice before, she told me it was the Adult Learning Line and the availability of the Good Learning Anywhere program that really “made it stick”.

 

So Lillian, I thank you for your spirit, your generosity, your committment to learning, and for “jumping in full-force”.

 

It is a pleasure and honour to know you and name you Learner of the Month for November!