Student Quotes

Albert

"I'm really looking forward to the day I can read the newspaper. I would like to surprise my son and daughter by writing them each a letter. I work every day on my reading... It goes slow. My favorite part is the sports section of the newspaper and magazines. I get a lot from the TV broadcasts, but there is so much more in the newspapers. When I get to the point where I can comfortably read the newspaper, I think I'll be HOME!"- Albert

Birdia

"This is a turning point in my life in my life...learning to read has opened a new world for me." - Birdia

David

"Why do I like the program? I have learning disabilities. It takes me a long time to learn stuff like reading and writing. Since I have been in the program, I have learned to read better than I did before. I was reading at about the 5th grade level and now I read around the 8th grade level." - David

Harlan

"Persons in the reading and writing program don't look any different than other people. We just sometimes feel we do. This program gives people like myself a feeling of self-worth..."- Harlan

Jane

"Now I'll sit and read. I got a Christmas present from a friend, a light so that I can read in bed at night. I love it."- Jane

John

"I feel better than I have ever felt before. I am actually learning how to read. My tutor inspires me to read and makes it fun."- John

Jon

"Now I can do the spelling tests with my son and read to my daughter. I make out most of my checks, receipts, calling customers and making appointments. I can enjoy reading books, writing letters to my father."- Jon

Mark

"When I get to a level where I think I can't go any further, we switch to another book or Pam or I bring in a new article and we work on that. That gets me going again.- Mark

Rick

"My self-esteem has come back. I pick up things. I start reading them. People ask me how to spell words and I'm 99% sure I'm giving them the right answer. And you know what? There are an awful lot of people out there who can't spell." - Rick

Ila

"Since my stay here at the Boulder County Jail, not only have I started to overcome my addiction. I have improved my educational skills through the general education program here, by succeeding in getting my GED diploma. I have successfully achieved this goal of mine, only through the literacy tutor program that is coordinated at the jail." - Ila

Richard

"I have been with the program for some time now. When I first started, my level of reading was around 3rd or 4th grade. Now I am around 9th or 10th. I can sound out words a lot better now. I can look up words in the dictionary if I need to. I even passed part of the GED." - Richard

Jaqueline

"I would like to say thank you to everyone who makes this happen and thank you to my tutor. I have been working with the computer a lot in the last year. I learned how to search for jobs and how to use email to apply for jobs and to send my resume to companies. I have also used the computer to learn more about grammar, spelling, and geography. In my favorite game, if I spell the word correctly I kill a lot of snakes. I have been taking typing lessons on the computer. I have been reading books on my own." - Jaqueline

Sandra

"I feel that I have accomplished a lot since I started in the BoulderReads! program. I received tutoring on computers, passed the GED, started the enrollment process at Front Range Community College, and also started my own business of Discovery Toys. I would like to thank my tutor, Colleen Brolin, for all of her hard work and for helping me achieve my goals." - Sandra

Ebrahim

"I joined the program in January. My tutor and I have been working on reading, writing, spelling and vocabulary skills. We have worked on the computer learning programs. Some of the things I have learned are typing, spelling, and grammar. I used to read and write but after two months being with the program I'm getting better and better everyday. I write my own stories and read more. One of my stories is going to be published in May. I read some books; they were short stories. One was Black American Writers, the other one was fairy tales and the new one is The Samurai's Garden, a novel. Thanks to the Boulder Public Library and my tutor, Sally Hammond." - Ebrahim

Lute

"I have been in BoulderReads! for 18 months. I have learned a lot. I learned how to write and speak better. When I started in this program, it was hard for me. I like my tutor. She is a very nice person. She teaches me how to write and read. Before I read, but I never enjoyed what I read. Now, I read a lot of books and I enjoy every one because I understand what I read. . I also read more books to my daughter. I want to say thank you to BoulderReads!and specially to my tutor and friend, Jill Ertl." - Lute

Halima

"My tutor, Victoria, has a nice personality. It makes me very comfortable. First day she introduced me to A Light in the Attic, by Silverstein, which is a really nice book. First I thought it was a children's book, but later I discovered it's a book that is full of philosophical elements. Then I read the book many times and tried to get the hidden truth of those poems and I commented on them. She is also helping me to read with expression, to improve my pronunciation, and to find out the main theme of a paragraph. We are refreshing my previous knowledge to take my GED exam. I am proud of her." - Halima

Concepcion

"Lately I've been addicted to hangman on the computer. I read the book, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and looked up Laura Ingalls Wilder on the internet. I felt surprised that all of the harrowing times she went through were real. I brought two of my friends to the library. I showed one of them BoulderReads! and we walked around the library to find a Vietnamese dictionary for her. My other friend came to the computer lab with me and she learned to use email." - Concepcion

Bahiyeh

"This year I learned how to use a map, fill out an application, read medicine labels, do paperwork, and read bus schedules. I got my driver's license. I can use a phone book, and I also got a job. I can now read books to my children and I got an award for reading from the Boulder Rotary Club." - Bahiyeh

Paula

"I want to give thanks to the people that support BoulderReads! and to my tutors, Jennifer Morse and Brenda Kulju. Jennifer and I have been working on grammar books, which have been helpful to improve my grammar. I feel more confident when I go shopping, also when I go to church and less stressful when I am asked to take messages over the phone. Brenda and I are working on math. We finished ten units from the GED books. Thanks BoulderReads!" - Paula

Suja

"The best idea for my life here was to join this school. I am now reading books. The stories are very good stories. I try to understand the stories, and I try to explain the stories to my child. I like this school very much. I am proud of myself because I am improving my English." - Suja

Angie

"Since I started this program I have learned a lot of English. I enjoy reading more and it is no longer so hard. Right now I am working on my high school diploma through a correspondence course. My tutor and I each work on each lesson as they come and by 2003 I hope to have my diploma. Now I am able to read to my little boy and help the older kids with their homework more easily. This program means a lot to me. It is a wonderful program. I hope it lasts forever." - Angie

Sartika

"I know how to describe houses and apartments. I know how to make a story about childhood memories. I know about traffic, transportation and the city. I know how to make some recipes. I know about cooking methods. I know about holidays and festivals of the country. I have learned about prepositions, past tense, countable nouns and uncountable nouns, comparison, adjectives, present perfect tense, and relative clauses of time. I know about main topic in the newspaper. I have written a letter to my sister in my country. I finished reading ten children's chapter books that I chose." - Sartika

Taiko

"I am proud of myself that I can plan a trip to any state now. Last year, with my tutor's help, I learned how to use guide books to find the hotels' rates, where the hotels are located, how to get there, and how long it would take to drive there. I think BoulderReads! is helpful to my daily life." - Taiko