Maree’s story
“I just decided that I can’t bluff anymore. I’ve got to the stage in my life where I want… to read and write and do things for myself without other people helping me.”
Maree has an enthusiasm for learning and achieving that is infectious. A self-confessed ‘troublemaker’ at school, Maree’s literacy challenges could only be hidden for so long once she began her working life. In fact the lengths she went to in order to cover for her lack of ability to read show her resourcefulness and determination – traits that she called on to finally address her literacy issue once and for all.
The need for change finally became clear to Maree several months ago, when out of resignation and embarrassment, she simply didn’t bother turning up to a job interview, knowing that she could no longer bluff her way through. Her amazing aptitude for maths and numbers and the constant support of her family couldn’t help her this time.
“I want to do it for myself and get somewhere in life, to actually prove to myself that I can do it and, I want to get a good job and to walk in there confident and think ‘I can fill out this form, no problems’.”
Maree decided to do something about it, contacting her local library where they put her in contact with Lisa, her tutor who she meets every week for an hour – a session that Maree wishes could go for longer.
The improvements that Maree can already see in herself amaze and inspire her, and they’ve come from a single-minded determination to change.
Her next goal is to complete a Book Challenge by reading six books within a set timeframe. She’s begun her second book – a Stephen King novel – and after that she plans to get a job in an office, followed by… writing her own book. Maree has taken on the challenge of learning to read and write, and in doing so she’s turned her life around. Hers is an inspiring story of determination and success.
“I’m getting there. I’m not down here anymore… but I want to get up the top. It might take me six, twelve months… but I don’t care. As long as I get to where I want to go.”