‘My life has just begun’ - TJ pays tribute to Learning Link

'My life has just begun'

Age should never be a barrier to learning – says Terri-jane White who pays tribute to OIC-supported Learning Link

An Orkney woman has shared her “life-changing” learning experience in a bid to help others living in a world where words and numbers are largely meaningless.

Every aspect of life can be challenging for those who, for whatever reason, have reached adulthood with only basic literacy skills.

With determination, will-power and courage, Terri-jane White – with the help of the Council-supported Learning Link here in Orkney - has shown that age should never a barrier to learning.

Taking those initial first steps and asking for help may be hard, but as Terri-jane explains a new world has been opened and it is only now that her life has truly begun.

Terri-jane tells her story.

“In 2018, at the age of 45 I made a very anxious phone call to The Learning Link, to enquire about improving my written English. This in itself was an amazing feat of courage for me. My school education had left me with very little faith in any learning environment. This was because all the teachers at school where I lived in England, repeatedly told me, ‘Terri-jane, you will never amount to anything. Just accept that you will never read or write at school-leaving level’. This I took as the information for the rest of my adult life.”

Those cruel remarks had a profound effect on Terri-jane and set her on a difficult, and unnecessary, journey.

“I had two boys and after the age of 5 I was unable to help them with their homework. When I did my shopping, I would largely go by the pictures – pricing was a nightmare particularly if there was a sale on. I was unable to work anything out as I am number dyslexic as well. When it came to helping with Direct Debits and bill payments, I relied heavily on the help of Citizen’s Advice and Job Centre advisors.”

However, Terri-jane developed her own unique coping mechanisms – clever little tricks and strategies to allow her to manage in a world dominated by numbers and words. The introduction of the internet became Terri-jane’s best friend.

“You didn’t need to be able to spell then,” she said. “You could search for anything to help.”

Despite having only basic literacy skills, Terri-jane successfully managed to secure employment by “winging it” – her own words!

“I kept little notes in my own language that only I could understand; like my own shorthand, on how to do things.”

Terri-jane moved to Orkney around five years ago.

For a variety of reasons, it took her a number of years before she made contact with The Learning Link here in Orkney – but her life has changed for the better since that day in 2018.

“I rang and talked to Chrissie Matthews at The Learning Link. Chrissie arranged to meet me at the library in Kirkwall. From that first meeting my life really started (and I do not say that lightly). I was assessed to see what level I was at academically. Then I was matched up with a tutor. We met once a week at the Library and started my education into literacy.

“Then for one reason or another I had a change of tutor. I was introduced to Jack, well what can I say about the amazing Jack. He explained things in such a way it was as if he could speak TJ scramble-brain. This was my light bulb moment, my brain became a sponge for suffixes, homonyms, homophones, nouns and so on - all these words that I just would not have thought I would have ever enjoyed let alone understood.

“Once Covid hit our once-a-week meetings in the Library had to end so we decided to meet virtually three times a week for an hour or so at a time.

“Together Jack and I ploughed through worksheet after worksheet. Then there on the table was a full portfolio of my work. This was then assessed and, can you believe it, I had only gone and got an SQA level 4 in Literacy. Me - Terri-jane who would never achieve anything!

“I enjoyed learning so much that I am now doing level 3 Numeracy and hopefully level 4 after that. If I had to sum up the Learning Link in one word I would say ‘life-changing’.”

Terri-jane has that level 4 Literacy SQA framed in her hallway and spends day after day quenching her thirst for knowledge, reading book after book.

“Everybody deserves the tools that I have been able to develop thanks to Jack and the team at The Learning Link. If my story reaches out to just one other person and gives them the courage to take those first steps, then it will make all the work myself and Jack have done together doubly worth it!”

There are many who take basic reading, writing, listening and talking skills for granted but the sad reality for one in four adults in Scotland are real challenges due to a lack of literacy skills.

By forging strong relationships, educators are able to affect virtually every aspect of their students' lives, teaching them the important life lessons that will help them succeed beyond term papers and standardised tests. It is not always easy to change a student's life, which is why it takes a great teacher to do so.

Jack Drever has been a tutor and mentor with The Learning Link since 2007. After retiring from the civil service in London and moving to Orkney he was looking to “give something back to the community”.

He explained: “A short visit to Voluntary Action Orkney in 2007 identified The Learning Link and I was welcomed there. I had to do a course and pass an exam, and this equipped me to be let loose on students.

“The usual practice is that the prospective student contacts The Learning Link and discusses their needs with one of the support workers there. The support worker then matches the student with a suitable volunteer tutor (a bit like a dating agency) and discusses the prospective match with the tutor. If the tutor and support worker agree, the tutor and student are introduced to each other and off they go but the support worker is always there to help with advice and support when needed.

“The first thing for a tutor is to establish a friendly relationship with the student and establish what they want to achieve. Students are likely to be nervous and a bit embarrassed that they need the help offered, so they have to be put at ease before they can start to learn. The next thing is to agree the objectives, a plan to achieve them, and a method of working. The last is important as adult students often have busy lives: earning a living, bringing up children, running a business even.

“The usual venue is The Learning Link office in St Rognvald Street. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been tutoring by video conference from home.

“I started working with my present student, Terri-jane, on her Level 3 Literacy qualification in 2018. She passed the exam late in 2019 after submitting a portfolio which the examiner said was one of the best he had seen. We were both proud of that. We then started on her equivalent numeracy qualification and are now nearing the stage where she can sit the exam.

“Working with Terri-jane has been inspirational. She has had a number of obstacles to learning, but she simply bashes into them with energy, determination and good humour until she knocks them down. I always say that a Learning Link tutor does not teach anyone anything. All we do is persuade students that they can learn and help them to have the confidence to do so. Terri-jane is a great example of that. Am I more proud of Terri-jane’s achievements than those of my other students? I try not to be.”

The Learning Link is a centre dedicated to adults (of all ages) to help them reach their full potential. This could be learning to read and write, improve spelling, grammar and/or punctuation, help with math/number-work, learn basic computing skills and how to be safe online, or helping people to gain essential skills for work, volunteering or getting on to higher education. Importantly - It’s a free service.

The Learning Link, which first opened its doors in 2002, is part of Orkney Islands Council’s Education Service.

Chrissie Matthews is an Adult Literacies Support Worker with The Learning Link and has been overwhelmed at the ongoing successes between students and tutors despite the challenges placed before them in the pandemic year.

She explained that due to the COVID-19 restrictions working and tuition has been continued from home and online, with learners who are not confident with digital skills being additionally supported with this.

Chrissie said: “Supporting Jack and Terri-jane has been a huge and poignant reward as their Support Worker. Last year especially, whilst many of us were feeling blue and unmotivated, these two, Jack and Terri-jane, went to another level of resilience and determination to get on.

“I am extremely proud of Terri-jane and all that she has strived to achieve; she is one of a kind. I am also extremely grateful to Jack for his years of dedication to The Learning Link as an amazing tutor and mentor, to which has been a huge asset to Terri-jane.

“I have no doubt that this inspiring young lady can do absolutely anything she sets out to do, and she has demonstrated that anyone with barriers to learning, can overcome them with the right support, a good tutor and a whole lot of willpower.”

For more information about The Learning Link, please email Chrissie Matthews or Robin Caley from the Learning Link.

Telephone 01856879200 and leave a message on the answering machine, with your name and a contact number.

Make 2021 the year to make change – The Learning Link looks forward to hearing from you.