More from author Elizabeth Scott

STUCK IN THE BOTTLE

Stuck in the bottle nice and tight.

Suffocation is a fight.

Overly protective is a might.

In the bottle is not so light

Over caring is not so bright.

Slice the behavior and make it right

UNWANTED

The day I was born, I was unwanted. I was born to two young people that had no heart to care for themselves or for the children they had. The best thing they loved was partying. They would create children and never want them. I was unwanted and I had to learn to be a parent to the other children that they created. I would feel bad for them because I knew they were also unwanted.

We were made from two young people. I had to learn fast to be a parent, not just for myself but, for my siblings. We were often left alone and no adults were ever around. When they were around, we wished that they were not there. So much happened that DHS removed us from our parents.

I always felt unwanted. Twenty nine years later, my birth mom found me. After some time of talking over the phone, we decided to meet. I was trying to have my mom back in the hopes of being wanted. So, I took a trip with my son. In four days, things went horribly wrong. On the fourth day, I heard the most crushing words from my mother’s mouth. She said, “I never wanted you. I wish that I never had you as my daughter.”

And still today, I feel unwanted.

WHAT BEING PUBLISHED MEANS TO ME

INSPIRED BY LINDA CONNELLY

Publishing my work is a great feeling of pride. As a child, I was called so many things that tore me down. I was told from parents and classmates that I was a retard and that I was a nobody. I believed them as time went by. My life was rough. I would dream of writing to help not just myself but to help others. I do believe that we should help one another rather than tear each other apart.

So, what does being published mean to me? It’s a great’s feeling to me!!! I am not stupid. I am not a retard.  I am a person with feelings. Yes!!!! I have made it!!!!

I am truly proud of myself for having the courage to write and follow my dreams of being a somebody.

BY ELIZABETH SCOTT

 

Elizabeth Scott and her LV-A tutor Linda Connally

Elizabeth Scott, although she loved school, was rarely able to attend due to an abusive home-life, then a host of moves to various foster homes. When life became more stable and she was finally in a place where she could go to school regularly, she was enrolled in the fifth grade. School was no longer a joy as she struggled with so many gaps in her education. She graduated from high school with minimal reading skills.

Once she became a mom and her son entered the public school system, Elizabeth recognized that she needed to improve her reading skills in order to help her child succeed in school. She connected with a Literacy Volunteers tutor and has been working hard on her education ever since.

Today, Elizabeth is able to help her son with his school work, and she has become a published poet.

Family Literacy

KAP (Knowledge as Power Family Literacy) has been busy this fall. In one family,  there are four school age children in the family. The ages range from four to twelve, which makes group activities something of a challenge, but we have fun. We start with snack and a read aloud, then some academics and homework, followed by games, building or simple crafts. The children are enjoyable.

KAP Family with Pumpkin Head Scarecrows

We all work on a larger, more involved craft as a family – mother, all the children, the tutor, and sometimes the father. We have made designs with colored rice, turtles from paper bowls, owls with card stock, egg cartons, and feathers turkeys from hands and feet, glittered pine cones and pumpkin head scarecrows with movable arms and legs. More, even messier crafts are planned for Christmas. It is nice to come back the next week to see them still displayed on the walls.

– Sue Reilly, LV-A Child Educator