When Margaret Rose, 56 from Barnstaple, developed a tumour
and needed a major operation, she knew that it would be the end of her
career as a cleaner. She had been a cleaner for most of her adult life,
and had recently started her own business cleaning holiday lets when she
became ill. Having never passed an exam at school, Margaret had a low
self esteem and became depressed as she felt that she didn't know how to
do anything. She said that learndirect has helped her
turn her life around.
Margaret said:
"I loved school but didn't cope at all with the work and left without ever passing an exam. I was nervous about going back to learning because it's harder to admit that you have a problem when you're an adult. I decided to go to learndirect to do a course in IT because everything these days uses computers and I didn't even know how to switch a computer on! At learndirect, I've never been so encouraged in my life. When I started my IT course, I realised that I couldn't read properly and had problems with written words. I was encouraged to take a learndirect adult literacy course alongside my IT training. learndirect really supported me in my learning and I got really good results at the end of my course which I never expected I'd be able to achieve.
"I started learning from scratch and now it has really changed my life. When I passed my first literacy exam it really opened my eyes and for the first time I realised that I had potential that I never knew existed. I'm a single parent and brought up my now grown-up kids on my own for 30 years and they had never even seen me read a book or fill in a form. They have both seen a noticeable change in me since I started learning - when my daughter who is nearly 30 found out that I'd been nominated for an Achievement Award she screamed! My son is also so proud of me. He has learning difficulties and so I hope that one day he will get to where I have too. My learning has changed the whole family for the better."
Since completing her course, Margaret was invited to her local community college to help teach adults how to be aware of drugs and help them steer their kids away from the dangers of drugs. She also helps with the local school's Year 11 under-achievers, aged 15 and 16, to encourage them to keep learning.
She said:
"When I was asked to come and speak at the college, it was the first time that I've felt like a person in my own right. It's been great to work with kids in Year 11 who are under-achieving because I really understand how they feel. I love being able to give something back to society.
"Part of me was woken up when I did my literacy course. It really has opened doors and made me realise that I'm not stupid and that I can actually do so much. It's a fantastic feeling to be able to sit with my grandson and help him to do his homework. I'm now hungry to learn and can't imagine doing anything other than continuing to do just that. It would be my dream to write a book one day and it's my time with learndirect that's helped me to see this could become a reality."