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When
factory worker Kevin saw the Gremlins in a government-backed TV
advertising campaign aimed at improving adult literacy, it inspired
him to sign up for basic skills classes.
He
recalls: "The one where the guy goes up to the bank cashier and
hands him a form and says what are you going to do with the pen.
That was me all over and I just thought I've got to do something
about it."
That
was nearly two years ago. And since joining an evening class in
basic skills every Tuesday in Dursley his life has been transformed.
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| 'We
have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs' - Anna Stephenson with
student Michael Warwick |
"I
was finding it difficult at work and the Gremlins sparked me and
I rang Stroud College. I have been coming ever since."
A simple
test discovered he was dyslexic and basic skills tutor Anna Stephenson
drew up a tailor-made learning programme to help him.
Now
he says: "I feel a lot better, more confident. If you go into
a bank or something and they put a form in front of you you don't
panic where normally you'd panic."
His
working life has improved too - filling in forms no longer scares
him and he has been made up to leading hand.
>>Read
Kevin's story in his own words
Kevin's
teacher is Anna Stephenson, a mum of four who trained as a basic
skills tutor after answering a newspaper ad for volunteers to help
adults with their reading and writing.
Now
she has 10 students at her Tuesday evening class in Dursley.
I was finding it difficult at work and the Gremlins sparked
me.  |
| Kevin
Parsons |
Everyone
who signs up has an assessment to work out their literacy level.
Then a tailor-made learning programme is designed for each student
- some of whom can't even write their name and address when they
start.
She
says the motives for joining a basic skills course can vary.
"One
of the most common reasons here in Dursley is improving work prospects
or a change of role at work where perhaps they have got more report
writing to do, filling in forms, that sort of thing.
"We
also have mothers who want to keep up with their children and people
who just want to get more out of life and could do if they could
improve their English and numbers."
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|
Many
of the basic skills students were inspired by the Gremlins
TV ad
|
Her
own reaction to the Gremlins advert, like that of many basic skills
tutors, was negative - until she found it bringing a new wave of
students to her class.
"When
we first saw it we thought it's terrible because it's making them
look like monsters and different but in fact it seems to absolutely
hit the mark."
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The
emphasis is on making the learning experience as different as possible
to a school environment many of her students hated.
"You
wouldn't get chaps like I've got here coming along after a long,
long shift at work wanting to come out and sit and do writing if
it wasn't a very relaxed atmosphere," she says.
You
wouldn't get chaps like I've got here coming along after a long,
long shift at work wanting to come out and sit and do writing
if it wasn't a very relaxed atmosphere. |
| Basic
skills tutor Anna Stephenson |
"We
have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs but because they are motivated
they do get the work done."
Another
of Anna's success stories is Tracy Ackroyd, a 34-year-old mum who
wanted to brush up her maths and English so she could help her nine-year-old
daughter.
She
went on to pass two GSCEs and is now an assistant tutor in Anna's
class.
"It's
all Anna, she pushed me," says Tracy. "I hated school,
I couldn't see the point in going so I never really bothered so
it was just to help my daughter."
>>Read
Tracy's story in full
Tracy
is up for a special award in Adult Learners Week as one of Gloucestershire's
outstanding mature learners.
But
she's so hooked on learning that she's not stopping there. She hopes
to take a degree in English one day, but for now she's happy to
be passing on her new skills.
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| Hard
at work: Michael Isgar feels more confident now his literacy
has improved |
"I
went to Stroud college and helped in a maths class of 16-year-olds
and they really don't want to learn.
"Coming
here for people who really, really want to learn - I get such a
buzz helping. I just wish more people would come along.
Anna,
too, is delighted to have helped Tracy, Kevin and others change
their lives for the better.
"I
love seeing the difference you can make just for someone to be able
to write their name and address when they have been ashamed or worried
that they haven't been able to do it before.
"Reaching
that little step for some people improves their confidence so much
that they go on to huge things for them and it's very, very rewarding.
"Perhaps
one of the aspects of the Gremlins advert is that it shows people
they are not alone.
"There
are so many millions of people in this country with exactly the
same problems to some extent, so it is beginning to make people
feel there are an awful lot of other people in this boat with me."
If
you have a friend or family member who wants to get rid of their
Gremlins like Kevin, Tracy and the others at Anna's class you can
find out more about basic skills courses in Gloucestershire from
your local further education college or the .
>>Back
to Adult Learners Week 2003
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