School days. The happiest days of your life? Not everyone can say so. But your school story doesn’t have to define you, as Lucy explains.
Struggling
Lucy’s dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until she was at High School. She struggled with learning, and was called names by her peers. Getting those bullying voices out of her head hasn’t been easy. It’s taken time and inner strength. When Lucy had her daughter she took time off at home, but once her daughter began school she returned to studying, and this is where Lucy’s ACL story begins.
Juggling
Lucy now has two children, and juggles studying around work and childcare. One of the unex-pected benefits of lockdown was that ACL’s courses went online, meaning she could attend in the evenings when her children were in bed, and meet learners from all over the county. There are people of all ages and from different backgrounds on the courses, too.
Exams
Lucy wants to achieve a GCSE Maths equivalent and go on to an accountancy course. Her tutors under-stand she needs to learn at her own pace, and some-times re-peat learn-ing un-til it is em-bedded. The idea of taking an exam can be-daunting, but Lucy wasn’t worried, because she was so well prepared for her first one that she knew she was going to pass it even before she sat down. Also, it was held in a small room, which felt a lot more comfortable than a big exam hall.
Plans
Lucy has taken a number of courses with Family Leaning so that she can support her children to do well. And ACL’s Mindfulness course really helped her deal with her anxieties after a bereavement. This year, Lucy began a new job which took so much time and energy that she wasn’t quite ready for her Maths ex-am. Lucy wasn’t worried, though, She has a long term goal in sight, and she’ll keep going. She’d like to set up her own business, one day. What would Lucy say to someone thinking about learning again, after a gap? She says ‘don’t worry you might not understand something. The tutors are happy to take you along in little steps at a pace that suits you, and they will help if you can’t do the homework or you just don’t get it. Have your long term goal in sight, but break the journey down so you feel you are getting there. And don’t give up!’
Find out more about learning Maths through Adult Community Learning.
Find out more about Personal development and life skills courses through Adult Community Learning.