Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) are proud to announce the 2011 recipient of the Lois Land Award of Achievement. Congratulations Norma Lesperance of Nipigon, Ontario!
When we are working at a distance with our learners, many outsiders have a hard time understanding what we do at Good Learning Anywhere. How are we helping learners achieve their goals? And truthfully, we sometimes wonder what sorts of impacts we are having on learners too. The results are not always quantifiable and recorded in statistics. It’s part of the challenge when working at a distance.
However, I would like to introduce you to Norma. I got to know Norma over a period of almost 4 months. Norma is a tremendously hard worker. Norma clearly had her goals in sight and worked very hard at figuring out what she needed to do to reach her goal. We commend Norma on her focus and we know that Norma will continue to apply what she learned from the Good Learning Anywhere and ENABLE programs. Here is a short video about the ENABLE program that was produced by Thunderstone Pictures.
When I told Norma that we selected her for this award, she was very excited. I asked if we could share her success story by means of answering a few questions. She declined that and decided she would like to reply in a paragraph format. This is her journey.
I first heard about this program through an “ENABLE” project that was offered to a handful of adult learners at Lake Helen Reserve. The on-line course was one part of many that we were required to participate in. As an adult learner these on-line courses made me less afraid of the computer. By this I mean, that I took a college course on-line a few years ago and I can honestly say that I was not prepared to do certain tasks with the computer. I didn’t understand networks, modems, e-mails, attachments; nothing. But now thanks to these courses and the jobs that followed; I am more confident in my computer skills.
When I was in high school the first time around, (in the late seventies, early eighties) I was a shy, gawky teenager, you wouldn’t catch me reading out loud, public speaking, or even standing up in front of a room full of my classmates. The computer had given me the ability to “speak up,” to “express my opinion,” to “participate,” without the fear of being laughed at, ridiculed, or rejected.
Like I’ve stated before, I’ve become more confident in my computer skills and this meant more job opportunities were becoming available to me. Since I have graduated in October of last year, I have gained employment as a relief secretary, an after-school tutor, then onto the Band Manager’s Assistant for the Red Rock Indian Band. I’m very proud of all my accomplishments and I plan to celebrate my achievements at our Annual Graduation Dinner on June 20th.
The only advice I can offer others is, “Just do it!”
If I had one word or sentence to describe my experience with GLA/ENABLE, it would have to say: “AWESOME, TOTALLY AWESOME!”
Norma
Norma earned her Grade 12 diploma with the help of the ENABLE and Good Learning Anywhere programs. As a matter of fact, she is having a graduation celebration today at Lake Helen Reserve 53A. She is also going to take the skills that made her successful and continue to apply them throughout her lifelong learning journey. Norma has told us that she wants to continue her learning and eventually become a school teacher.
Norma…we can’t wait for that day and who knows, maybe you’ll be teaching online too!
On behalf of Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA), we congratulate Norma on her achievements and sincerely hope all her dreams come true.
To learn more about the ENABLE program with Anishinabek Employment and Training Services, please visit their website: www.aets.org. To learn more about SHLC and GLA, please visit us at www.siouxhudsonliteracy.com or call us at 866-550-0697.