Marilyn Rampersad-Talma
Alta Tutor
They come in after a 12-hour shift and sit down to tell me about last night's events. We talk for about 15 minutes and then it's time to start the class.
They are an all-male group between the ages of 30 and 45, who work for almost three times the money that the average government worker earns a month. They are all married with children and they all own a car and a home. They are all adult literacy students.
I was chosen to teach these men, some my own age, to read and write better, to understand their work a bit more through literacy classes. The Company saw the need for the workplace programme when workers had to hand over shifts and proper records were not kept, daily checks on machines and other equipment were not made and there were no ticks on the checklists.
Short work-related courses were being offered and the same workers would fail to show. The Company then issued circulars and literacy class was one of the courses listed. I was then informed that I would be teaching workers who work on a shift system, workers who were unsure of themselves with low self-esteem. Classes are held twice-weekly in a room, as requested by students, a few miles from the work site.
I remember walking into the room at 4 pm on August 12, 1996, to meet a group of handsome men, all neatly dressed. With sweaty palms, and like them also unsure of myself, I did the introduction.
Both regular attendance and commitment have contributed to their accomplishments. At the beginning, students were all wrapped up in the programme, as at that stage they were remembering things that they learned in school; sentences would connect and basic words were remembered.
Later on in the programme, there was a plateau in the learning process and most students questioned themselves as to the relevance of the classes. The big challenge then was to maintain their interest and enthusiasm. Frequent reassurances and pep talks were necessary. I then had to change my strategy to ensure that students were not bored and to provide activities and avenues for them to write freely.
We have a special sentence book where they would each write a sentence about what happened on the job the night before. This worked well as they were using work-related words and phrases.
Despite family commitments and difficult early childhood experiences, they are all learning and the company is pleased with their progress. Progress reports along with attendance sheets and other relevant information are submitted at the end of each term.
One of the satisfying moments for both students and tutor was when a neat, little book was produced. Students were asked to write instructions for something with which they were familiar.
All students submitted work-related pieces. After five months of editing the pieces with the help of each student a book was compiled.
With permission from management, copies were distributed to students. That was the first and only time I heard from the general manager of the company. He relayed his compliments. Each student was also praised and encouraged to work harder.
Outside of class, Andy now helps his seven-year-old with his homework. Lincoln admits that he never knew the word "soar" until he read it in the Alta workbook and then in the dictionary. Troy can now read the driving test regulations that he had memorised so well. And when Clive writes notes to me nothing is more rewarding and satisfying than to read what a student has written using words that together we have worked on.
On mornings when I am so cold and my husband's hug feels like heaven, I think of my students who haven't slept a wink all night. I think of the two lab assistants who have to record and take water samples every two hours. I think of the forklift operator who has to remove so many loads of material for the night and I jump out of bed and hurry to meet them, not wanting to be late, just in case they fall asleep before I arrive.
When I introduced them to a game of Scrabble and one of them dared me to find a word in the dictionary and when the supervisor at their workplace informed me that there is a change in their attitude towards work, I know that I have done something right.
Workbooks hidden in a bag are now a thing of the past. The men now carry them proudly along the corridor to the classroom which the company has set up.
