I came to P.A.L.S. to learn how to write properly in English. I was tired of not being able to write and having to ask my wife to write things for me. Also, when my employers asked me to write about what happened to a tool or an incident report, it made me look stupid when half the report was spelt wrong. Some people made fun of me. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of it all. So I did something about it. I phoned PALS and that was one of the best decisions in my life.
I now know that when I was in high school they just kept passing me forward all the way through school. I ended up in special Ed. I had a hard time learning at the speed of other students so they mostly put me in shop classes. When I graduated I couldn’t hardly write anything and was not confident in my reading.
I worked as a laborer in warehouses and was a truck driver for twenty-four years. I wasn’t expected to do much writing in that industry. I always told people to write the memos because I was embarrassed to tell people that I couldn’t write. If I needed to write any thing my wife would do it for me.
What made me come to P.A.L.S. is that I was tired of doing labor jobs. I wanted to be that person who did the ordering and wrote the reports. In general, I wanted to be able to write an email that was professional and was error free.
My life has improved ten-fold. Now I write with confidence and accuracy. I work with the homeless, and every time I complete a shift report, they are getting better and better. The biggest thing about writing is that when I text my wife, she understands it.
It’s hard for me to believe myself but I have actually become a reader. I read the news and some books for pleasure but mostly I read about history and addictions and things that would help me at my job.
One thing I would like to tell somebody who has a hard time reading or writing is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I’m fifty-seven and you’re never too old to learn new tricks. It doesn’t matter where you go to learn just do it and your confidence will soar every time you write or read.
Thank you