t is fun to learn, and it is very important to have education.

Education is very important to have. Not having an education, you don't get a good job. Some time you work jobs that you don't like doing. With a good education you can make your own choice. That really makes a big difference. You can move up faster by having a good education. Having a good education means that you can make more money. A friend of mine has a job, he travels a lot. So that is good. He gets to make money and he also gets to meet new people all of the time. He gets to go a lot of places while he is doing his job. Without a good education, you might not get to go far. With a good education, you can plan for your children's future. You can send your kids to school because you have an education and a good paying job or you have your own business. You don't have to worry about their clothes or their lunch. You have the money to take care of their needs. I myself dropped out of school. So I went back to school to study for my G.E.D. Since I have been in class my reading has improved. I can spell much better. My math has improved. I really enjoy studying for my G.E.D. I'm so glad that I went back to school. Learning is fun and I learn something new every time I go to class.

bout forty years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I had just entered high school, and being a teenager, I thought I knew all there was to know about life. So school was just a place to go for entertainment and hang out with other cool dudes. We would sit in the back of the classroom and flirt with the girls.

One day the teacher gave us a test. After he had checked all of the papers, he gave them back to us. I had made a 91 on the test, but he gave me an F. I asked him why? He said, "You copied off of someone else's paper." I became very angry and tried to think of a way to prove I could do anything the teacher asked us to do. Finally I came up with an idea.

I took my desk and put it right in front of his desk, and I told him that whatever he gave the class, I would pass it. For the whole six weeks period, on every assignment that he gave us, I never scored under a 95. Once I had proved to him that I was not dumb or stupid, I placed my desk in the back of the classroom again with my cool friends. My teacher told me I was making a big mistake. How true that statement was, but being a teenager, what he said just went in one ear and right out the other.

I passed that year, but the next year I did not go back to school because I believed I knew everything anyway. I thought all I needed to do was get a job, make some money, and everything would be fine. I got a job making minimum wages; I must say that I learned how to do my job so well that my supervisor told me I was doing an excellent job. He told me that a better position was coming up soon, and I should apply for the position. However, since there was a lot of writing, adding and multiplying to be done in that position, I was scared to apply for the job.

To this very day, I have allowed many good opportunities to pass right on by because I was scared I did not have the education to do the job. There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't hear that teacher's voice saying to me, "Collins, you are making a big mistake."

he main reason people need education is they need to be able to read, write, and pay their bills. So many people can't read or write, they have to get somebody to read their mail and write letters and pay their bills for them.

There are many programs out there to help people to read and write so they can get better jobs and help their friends, family and children, but they are too ashamed to take that chance. Anybody that can't read or write, get out there and go for it, because it's not too late to help yourself. Don't be afraid, go and get it - you've got to help yourself and many people will help. Teacher and family and friends will help. Mrs. Margaret, my baby sister Carolyn, and Mrs. Gail my teacher help me a lot, that's what friends are for.

So, you all can have that chance.

Please you all that can't read or write don't give up - if you fail, keep on trying. I want to be able to help other people to read and help them with their bills just like my friends help me. I am very proud of myself because I dropped out of school, but now I have the chance to better myself thanks to God and my friends, family and teacher.

think that education is a very important thing to have and you don't realize it until you don't have the amount that you need to do the things that you want to do. With education, there are so many things that you can accomplish with it.

I think that you can never get enough education, and to get the education that you need and want it is a lot of hard work, but it's worth every bit of it.

I always try to talk about education around other people, because I want to let them know how important it is, and how important it is to me, that you really need your education.

My family has always been a big impact on me, knowing that I want my education, and they also want me to have it, as bad as I do. They also tell me, give it your best and then you will know that you can accomplish it to the best of your ability, and that makes me feel good, knowing that they really care about my education. I have always told my family that education is a very important thing, and they also think the same thing.

his story might not be believable to everybody, but it is true. I was an elementary school teacher in my country, Togo, in West Africa. I had worked more than fifteen years before coming to America. I got the highest diploma in Togo called a CAP in teaching and was expecting to rise to the rank of director. However, things change. I never thought that I would become a student again like the kids I had been teaching, but that is exactly what happened in September, 2001. My life changed in 1993. Due to political changes and problems in Togo my husband and I were forced to flee our country and move to Ghana. I spent the next eight years in Ghana as a refugee. In June of 2001, we finally made it to America. My time as a student started in September, 2001 with my first ESL class. It was very important to me for my life in the USA.

My first school year was very difficult learning English grammar, spelling, writing, reading and speaking. During practice dialogues in my classroom, I felt like crying. I must read, pronounce and repeat the words (often incorrectly, it seemed) trying to imitate the teacher. That was very, very hard for me. My teacher, Renee Townsend, was always patient, encouraging and positive no matter how bad I sounded. I did my best to finish the year and now am so glad I did! I can now read, write, understand and speak English with anyone!

For those who feel the need and the desire to learn to improve their lives, I say "YOU CAN DO IT!" Take one step and you will go forward. It is never too late to learn regardless of your age, origin, gender or race.

y name is Mayumi.

I live in Charlottesville for one year and two months. In Japan, I have studied English for eight years, but I can't speak English very well. and I can't understand what others say.

If I live in Japan all the time, it isn't important to speak or listen English. But now I live in America. So to learn English is very important for me.

In Japan, we learn many grammars and practice to write English at school. Without speaking and listening, we always be writing English. I think it is very important for Japanese to speak -- especially for me!!

It is very stressful that I can't tell my thinking. And I always say, "I'm sorry," because I can't speak or listen English. It makes me more diffident and I can't enjoy my American life.

There isn't a change in my English skills yet. But in Adult Learning Center, there are many people who is learning English. Teacher teach me kindly. And first of all, teacher listen to my talk carefully and try to understand my talk, so they encourage me in learning English.

y name is Kamela Adish. I'm from Afghanistan. I was born, grew up and studied in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was the science and math teacher in middle school for 10 years and the biology and chemistry teacher for 14 years in high school. Also, I taught children of my country in Pakistan, when I left my country. For me education is very important in a person's life. That was the reason I got a big trouble in my country in 1996. As a woman, as a mother, as a teacher, my dream was to educate the children of my country. Also, I was a supporter of women's education and freedom in Afghanistan. I spent most of my life working towards my dream.

With the passage of time, it became more and more difficult to continue with the same dream. Afghanistan became a field of different regimes and civil wars. It is so hard to explain that situation. But I never stopped working hard to educate the children of my country. In 1996, when the Taliban came to my country and they took control of Kabul, all schools and universities closed. And they announced women should not come out from home and no education for girls. Boys schools changed to Madrasa, a school to learn terrorism. It was so hard for the people. Anyway, I decided to teach my children at home because I was worried abou the future of my children, and no one knows how long the Taliban will stay in our country. But they thought they will be for ever there. So some of my neighbors sent their children to me to teach them. Then my home school became larger. Finally the Taliban found my job after 2 years and they came to my home and hit me and my students and they warned me for next day. My family and I escaped the country. After four years in Pakistan by help of UNSCHR we came to United States in 2002. Now my daugher and son are students at UVA and my youngest son is 10th grade at CHS. I'm very happy to achieve my dream. Thanks God.

came from the Philippines. One of the coutries in Asia, it has more than 7,000 islands. I was born in an isolated mountain village, Chananaw. It is located in Kalinga Province in a mountain range that covers most of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Chananaw means "lake in the middle." The village is surrounded by rice terraces, waterfalls and other natural beauties. The population of the village is about 800.

I am the youngest and unexpected child in a family of seven. I say unexpected because my parents didn't expect to have a child after the age of menopause. The age gap between me and my closest brother is 12 years. Of all the seven siblings, only my brother and I finished our formal education with a college degree. In the history of the village, there have been only 26 college graduates. Of those, only two were able to go abroad -- my brother and me.

The situation in my village inspires me to finish my education. Life is so difficult there because of its geograhical set up. Basic services of the government, especially education, hardly reach the village. There is a public elementary school, but it only goes up to grade three. In order to continue education, children must attend the nearest public schools which are more than a three hour hike from the village. This is if the parents can afford to send them. There is very little cash available to permit the children to live outside the village and attend school I don't want this kind of life for my future children. I want to make a difference in the village.

For me to achieve my ambition which was to finish a college degree, I had to leave my parents behind in my village. I lived with a family in a nearby village as a household helper doing baby sitting, laundry, cooking and work in the fields. Later, I moved to another town and family to finish my high school education. I didn't immediately enroll in college after my graduation from high school because of financial limitations. Due to my ardent desire to finish my education, I tried my luck in the city. I think I am blessed because I found again a family with whom I could live and work to continue my studies. I experienced lots of challenges as I earned my education. The challenges that I've been through were my inspiration in attaining my education. Through education I came out of my village and my country and came to see the other side of the world. With this kind of life I had, I came into realization that education is the most powerful tool in combating ignorance. Education enlightens me to understand and love myself, others, cultures, my environment and everything.

As I continue my life's journey, I realize that I learned a lot through education. I learned how to appreciate, value and understand things that happen in my life and to be open minded and flexible. The people and events that I encountered during my education were my guiding stars in attaining my goals. I can encourage others to learn by promoting and advocating education and by supporting education programs. I am who I am now because of my perseverance and the unconditional support of the people I came in contact with. This makes my life beautiful and colorful.

y goal is to get my GED. I want to make myself better and get a better job in the future. To improve myself, I need better reading skills to pass the requirements of the GED tests. Maybe one of these days if I learn to read better, I would like to be a teacher and teach kids like me who need to learn how to read.

very Monday and Thursday, I get up early and come to an English class to meet Ann Ergler in Charlottesville City School. She is another great teacher in my class. I first met her in this class one year ago; she still holds conversation class one hour before regular English class. Although she comes to class in the morning, her face is always brighter and more vivid and energetic than the students in the class.

Actually, she is much older than I, but her enthusiastic passion about learning is much greater than mine. Whenever she comes to class, she brings her heavy bags with several kinds of books which include Spanish books. She is also a student for studying new languages and cultures like me and she meets her Spanish tutor once a week. Her bags are always full of Spanish books. Whenever I meet her, I can feel that she really enjoys learning about new languages and cultures.

In this class, I can naturally feel the importance of studying in our life. Whenever I see her teaching my classmates in the class, I also begin to feel new energy about learning. Nobody tuaght me that learning brings new energy into our lives. However, I can learn English from her as well as the joy of learning in her class.

he is my teacher and she deserves respect from me.

I want to introduce her as a teacher of my life not just as an English tutor. She actually has taught reading in English to me for two years. When I met her for the first time, she looked unfamiliar and feeble, like a small bird.

It is inconceivable to have a job even as a volunteer at her age in my country. Her age is late 80's. Everyday she volunteers: on Wednesdays she goes to Martha Jefferson Hospital for serving and teaches English to foreigners the rest of the days.

When I first met her, I couldn't invest enough time in learning English, because my daughter went to preschool in the mornings. After I met her, I began to have an interst in English step by step.

I meet her once a week and read articles, answer questions and share about my dailing living in the U.S. I can talk to her about whatever we can think of and even of our worries, too.

She talks a lot. In fact, it was strange for me at first because she talks a lot more than I do. I couldn't understand her very well and I wanted to improve my English speaking, but after a while I changed my mind and tried to listen to what she said to improve my listening skills.

One month, two months, one year, two years have passed now.

She constantly teaches and talks to me about her own life, husband, children and so on... When she tells me her own story, I draw a beautiful thin water colored picture in my mind and listen carefully so as not to disturb her recollections. After all, I came to love her life experiences which are more precious than some others.

Here are some good lessons from her stories:

Her daughter-in-law began to study pharmacology at University of Ohio when she was almost 50 years old. It was difficult to compete with the more common younger students. She had to struggle very hard with herself for many days and nights, as a result she achieved her goal completely. Within 4 years she got a shiny doctor's degree. I was really impressed with her enthusiasm for learning and bravely challenging her mind.

She frequently tells me about her children's childhood experiences and I love to hear them. I think all of our childhoods are beautiful and valuable so when I heard about hers, I recollected on my own childhood days and I reflected on my method of bringing up my child. Her subjects are as infinite as her age.

Yesterday, I heard about her husband.

When he was over 70 years, he found out he had a serious illness and wouldn't live more than one month, but he had never been sad in front of death. When he woke up every morning, he was pleased that he was still alive. He gradually got worse and he lost his eyesight, but he didn't despair or give up his life until the last moment. On the contrary, he kept pretty much a positive mind.

As a result, he had lived more than two and a half years compared to his doctor's prediction. That was nothing short of a miracle and an unbelievable affair.

When he died, he donated his body to UVa hospital for many sufferers of illness. He met his fate happily without any complaint.

She talked about this story calmly with a smile. When she finished I couldn't say a word. I just respected her and kept her husband full in mind. I am studying how to live worthily and learn English from her. I am very appreciative of her.

Next Thursday, I go to meet her.

ducation is the key to help the people improve their lives. Without it humans would not have the advantage over other creatures on earth. My contribution to humanity's long quest for education is to learn the English as a second language. I'm originally from Saudi Arabia. I speak Arabic. To speak English, I would have to "grow a second tongue." This is a metaphor meaning that I have to learn a second language, English.

Since I came to the U.S.A. I understood that I should learn English. This will help me learn the country's culture and their daily lives. I will be more outgoing. I will be more independent in my daily life by learning to communicate with the employee in the bank and the cashier in the grocery store. I will be able to communicate my ideas and understand the people's thoughts. I will also help my daughter to learn English and Arabic at the same time. It is never too early or too late to learn a second language. I am fortunate enough to do so while I am at the beginning of my life.

My family's support is necessary during my education. My parents have always supported my education. My mother used to spend long hours with me and my sisters to help us understand our homeworks. I remember my father giving us presents when we did good in schol. Their good work will help me educate my 2-year-old daughter.

In conclusion, I think education is as important as air and water. Without education, we can not live a civilized life.

hen I start to learn something new, I often think, "When can I do it skillfully?" Learning to drive was no exception.

When I was in Korea, I had a driver's license, but I did not drive because Seoul, my hometown, is very big city, so public transportation systems are very good. After I came to Charlottesville, my whole life was changed, even transportation. I had to learn to drive for convenience. It seemed very difficult to live here in Charlottesville without a car. So I decided to get a Virginia driver's license and my challenge started.

Fortunately, I had a good teacher, my husband. Most people said to me, "Don't learn to drive from your husband. It is a shortcut to divorce!" However, I was brave and he was patient.

Luckily, I passed the driving test the first time. However, it was not the end but the beginning.

For a month after I got a driver's license, I did many foolish things. For example, I could not make a left turn at the sign that said "Turn left. Yield on the green light" even though there was no car in the opposite lane. So the car behind me honked the horn. It was scary!

Last June, I tried to take I-64 for the first time. I had a little bit of confidence because I have taken 29N several times before. First, I took route 250. I did well! Merging points were scary, but my husband looked out the back and told me the proper time to enter the lane.

I blamed myself and grumbled at him. "How can I do well the first time?! I don't want to drive any more!" "No, you can do it!" he said. I tried it again. I entered the right way and I took I-64E for about an hour. I gained confidence!

Now I am not afraid to drive and I can do well, but I know it is the most important to drive carefully.

I think everything depends on my mind. Who could speak "Mama" or "Papa" when they were born? If you act with confidence, you can do it. Believe in yourselves!