Marie Griffin, 52, grew up in Rochester. She has been working with her tutor, Allan, for four years, steadily improving her reading skills so she can better understand her favorite social studies and science books. Despite only being with Literacy Rochester for 4 years, she says she has been a student the past 10.
Marie has always had a passion for social studies and science, but fear proved a difficult obstacle. When asked about this fear, she says “what scares me is learning. I get scared when I do not understand it. I get discombobulated.” Despite this fear, Marie continues to work towards results, “I’m trying to do it! No matter how long it takes; I am sticking with it. Sometimes, I want to quit; to say forget it.”
During Marie’s time with Literacy Rochester, she and her tutor have worked hard to create a safe space for learning. “They take their time with me,” Marie affirms. “[Allan] helps me. He helps me understand what I am reading. He goes over it on the phone and he tells me where on the paper to get the answer. That is a good thing for me. He’s patient with me.”
Marie defines Literacy as “learning. It’s about learning.” She encourages others to seek help in tackling their fear of learning; to take that next step: “It changed my life to learn – sitting down and learning. It’s a miracle when I get it.” What is next for Marie? She continues to study her encyclopedia, listen to a plethora of good music, and hopes to resume her math studies, which is her favorite subject.