Wilfred

I left school in 8th grade. A few of us couldn’t read or do math and we were put in the corner to fend for ourselves. Back then there was no help for kids like me. It was like that from kindergarten on. By 8th grade I knew I couldn’t get through high school, so I quit and went to work for my father, learning to be a mechanic. My father had a scrap yard and we rebuild cars.

When I was 16, I got a new job at a sawmill. I couldn’t read well enough to study for the driver’s exam and my father had to drive me to work. After 6 months he stopped because he was losing wages at his job from dropping me off and picking me up. I finally got my license when I was 18. A friend would read me the book, and I slowly memorized it. It took me 3 times to pass. This is how I learned to do things my whole life, “on the job training.”

Over the years I was held back from many jobs I wanted because I couldn’t read. I really wanted to become a master electrician. I was even hired to do commercial electrical work, and I learned by doing. I figured out how to wire and rewire, but one time my boss gave me a task that I didn’t know how to do. He bought me an instructional book, and I was able to learn the task from graphics and schematics. I couldn’t read, though.

After that I got a job in residential electrical, and that’s when I really wanted to become a master electrician. I had a lot of skills and wanted to do more. But because I couldn’t read, I couldn’t even become a journeyman. I was always a “helper.” For some jobs, if the State inspector was around all I was allowed to do was wire fire alarms. If you can’t read as an electrical worker you’re treated like a lower class, whose opinion and skills don’t matter.

I tried to take the classes, and even had a friend that was a master electrician and taught the courses. I had to give up on the classes and my dream of becoming a master electrician because I couldn’t do the bookwork.

I’ve been married and divorced 3 times, and my inability to read affected my marriages. For instance, my second wife loved to have friends over to play cards and board games. I couldn’t play because I couldn’t read or do math. One time she was so angry at me she said, “Wilfred, tell them why you can’t play.” She was embarrassed by me.

After my third divorce, from a registered nurse, my sister called CVAE. She knew I couldn’t read and wanted to help me. I’ve been coming to CVAE for about 7 years now. My teachers have given me a lot of confidence. Although I have a hard time putting letter sounds together, I’ve learned how to figure out the words from their context.

Until recently I could never use the self-checkout at stores. You have to be able to read. I can do it now. Math has always been a problem, and for the first time in my life I can count my own change at the store. It may take me a while, but I can do it. I can also read  books.

Over the years I’ve learned ways to deal with not reading or doing math. I’m 75 and don’t have a career to start. CVAE has been really good and everyone understands me. I’m working on becoming a good enough reader to read to my granddaughter, but it’s hard for me.

Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of licensed professionals that made simple mistakes. I would try to tell them the right way to do it, but because I didn’t have the education my opinion didn’t count. It has been like that my whole life. I’m doing this for myself.