Reading Changed My Life - Townsend Press

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Daisy RussellPhonics involves “sounding out” letters and syllables.“When I was reading on my own, and I cameacross a word I didn’t recognize, I had no way todecipher it,” Daisy explains. “With Earl sitting therebeside me, I learned how to break a word into itsparts.”To her surprise, working with a tutor turned outto be a lot of fun. “We kidded around all the time,”Daisy says. “For instance, I remember when I firsthit the word ‘people.’ With its silent ‘o’ there in themiddle, I could not figure that word out. WhenEarl finally told me what it said, I studied it andsaid, ‘That doesn’t say ‘people.’ It says ‘PEEOPLE.’ So ever after that, when the word wouldcome up in our lessons, we’d say ‘Pee Ople’ and getto laughing so hard that the director would comeover and say, ‘If you two don’t quiet down, you’regoing to have to leave!’ ”Once Daisy began to develop the tools sheneeded, her progress was rapid. And as her reading49
Reading Changed My Life! Three True Storiesability grew, so did her self-confidence. When hercompany offered an in-house math program, Daisyjumped at the chance to enroll. She discovered thatshe not only could do math, but that she loved it.In the fall of 1991, the eighth-grade dropoutenrolled in a college algebra class.She got an A.“I’d never gotten an A in anything,” Daisy says.“I thought, well, if I did that, maybe it’s time to tryfor the GED.” Her employer offered a program toprepare people for the General Equivalency Degreeexamination, and Daisy enrolled. After six months,her tutor said she was ready to take the exam.A month after taking the exam, on September 6,1992, Daisy came home from work to find an envelopewaiting. Inside was her GED diploma. At theage of 44, Daisy Russell was a high-school graduate.Much has happened in Daisy’s life since that day.The scared, silent little girl has become an outspokenchampion of adult literacy. She has given a workshop50
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READINGCHANGED MY LIFE!THREETRUESTO
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ContentsIntroduction ivMaria Carden
Page 6 and 7: Introductionwith me.” They have r
Page 8 and 9: Maria Cardenas
Page 10 and 11: An orange marigold planted in a tin
Page 12 and 13: Maria CardenasMaria enjoys working
Page 14 and 15: Maria Cardenaschildren. He enrolled
Page 16 and 17: Maria Cardenasknew how to add, subt
Page 18 and 19: Maria CardenasNow that her father w
Page 20 and 21: Maria CardenasAt Florida Gulf Coast
Page 22 and 23: Maria CardenasA brother of Maria’
Page 24 and 25: Maria CardenasMaria shows her siste
Page 26 and 27: Maria Cardenasout of there, she tol
Page 28 and 29: Maria CardenasMaria, her siser Jane
Page 30 and 31: Maria CardenasEvery day, Maria has
Page 32 and 33: Maria Cardenasher scores. Eagerly,
Page 34 and 35: Maria Cardenasread. They joke that
Page 36 and 37: Maria Cardenasresult of another dis
Page 38 and 39: Maria Cardenashome, her marriage, a
Page 40 and 41: Daisy Russell
Page 42 and 43: Scared. Lonely. Ashamed.These are t
Page 44 and 45: Daisy RussellDaisy’s dog, Happy,
Page 46 and 47: Daisy Russellheavy work boots. Ther
Page 48 and 49: Daisy RussellWhen Daisy won a schol
Page 50 and 51: Daisy Russellclassroom, with no kid
Page 52: Daisy RussellAr the public library,
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Page 103 and 104: Why Become a Regular Reader?Many pe
Page 105: ASpecialOffer.Great Stories ofSuspe
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Reading Changed My Life - Townsend Press

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