Real-life stories
When Christine Arnold’s son Michael had a problem
at school, she would always speak to his teacher in
person because she found writing a letter so tricky.
hen she read bedtime “If we come across a word
W stories to Michael, she
often made up words.
At work, Christine used to get so
we don’t know, Michael and
I break it up together until
we get it,” she says.
upset because she couldn’t write
down orders or give people the “My new best friend Christine now writes down
right change that she often thought is my dictionary!” customers’ addresses in the
of packing her job in altogether. shop where she works. She is
But things started to look up “The funniest moment was when also brushing up her numbers
for Christine when she and a we saw the name Hermione so that she can price items
friend started going to reading written down. I pronounced it and work out change.
classes at their local college. ‘Herm-ee-own’ because I’d Christine has made plenty
Now Christine and Michael are never seen it before. of new friends on her course
reading the Harry Potter books “I felt so silly, until someone at college, but her reading and
together. Christine still stumbles told me it wasn’t an English name writing have improved so much
over some words, but she says at all, but a Greek one. It’s hardly that she says her new best
it doesn’t matter any more. surprising that I got it wrong!” friend is her dictionary!
Margarita McKail worked Margarita says: “The first time “I can now spell and write
as a hospital waitress, but I went to the class, I looked messages and I feel so much
she was terrified when through the window and went better about myself in every
she was asked to attend straight home crying. way possible. Before, I would
seminars on hygiene and even forget how to spell my
food handling because she “All I ever wanted was own name, and writing these
knew she would have to to be like everyone words about myself would have
write things down. been impossible.
else. Now I will never “Now the course has finished
be called ‘thick’ again.” I would like to continue learning,
M
argarita’s manager
helped her to pluck up and one day I hope to get
the courage to go to “Next week I went with my
some higher education.
classes to improve her writing skills husband. I was very nervous,
“I feel so good, happy and
– a move which she says “changed but it was a very friendly class
lucky to have had the opportunity.
my life”. She did so well at her and the tutor was one of the nicest,
All I ever wanted was to be
classes that she won an award friendliest, most caring teachers I
like everyone else.
in 2000 and is now thinking of have met. For the first time in my
“Angie Hope was my tutor.
training to be a nurse. life, she made me feel I could learn.
I have just looked up the meaning
“I have benefited more from
of ‘hope’. It said ‘to wish for
these classes than I did in my
something to come true’ – and
16 years of school. Half of
it did for me.”
my life I’ve been in the ‘thick’
class and forgotten about.
Have you ever wanted to write a letter to your child’s school or
to complain about something, but didn’t know where to start?
For help with writing skills, visit the Skillswise website at
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
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