Bay woman proves it's never too late to learn

By Anna Bowden
When she was 26, Jeanette Mathers had the reading age of a nine-year-old - and she decided she had to do something about it.
A decade later she's accomplished more than she ever imagined.
She has a Bachelor's degree, a Masters - and now her sights are set on a PhD.
Every year 160 Western Bay people like Ms Mathers seek help to better their poor reading and writing skills - and a local expert says this is only a fraction of people whose literacy is not up to scratch.
According to the National Centre for Workplace Literacy, there are 12,000 workers across the wider Bay of Plenty with poor literacy.
This week Literacy and Language BOP and other local organisations are celebrating International Literacy Week and Adult Learners' Week with the theme learning never stops.
Ms Mathers was thankful there was a label for her to understand why reading and writing were more challenging for her than other people - she has dyslexia but she would never forget the frustration that comes with it.
In order to learn she kept asking questions at school and was seen as a teacher's pet. "People called me 'dog' for asking questions all the time, I socially ousted myself. I was frustrated, there was no doubt about it."
At 26, she decided she wanted to go to university. She first spent a year learning to read and write properly with a tutor.
She then graduated Massey University's Bachelor of Applied Science and has since worked for MAF and volunteered as a teacher in Micronesia.
She gained her Masters qualification this year. "Now I am determined I will get a PhD, the biggest barrier for me is the finances. It's like the gold medal, it's the last bit that's left," she said.
Literacy and Language BOP coordinator Phillipa Cairns said poor literacy could be divided into two areas - disability and disadvantage.
Difficulties like dyslexia or similar learning difficulties hinder progress because people were using a different part of the brain. Others were disadvantaged by falling behind with development or lacking a learning culture.
"There is a perception that these people are lazy and dumb, but we know problems with literacy have never equated to problems with intelligence."
The organisation's volunteers tutor those who need help.
The importance of brain activity was also the focus of Tauranga's U3A group.
Launched in 1995 with 21 members, the Tauranga group was now the largest in New Zealand with 500 members.
Coordinator Shirley Wood said "successful ageing" came as a result of keeping the brain learning. "Curiosity does not stop until our brains cease to function normally."
An adult learners' awards ceremony will be held in council chambers today to recognise Bay learners.
At the other end of the spectrum, Altrusa International's Tauranga Club is embracing literacy early.
The women's service club launched their own campaign this month as part of their ongoing effort to better the learning skills of kindergarten children.
Their concern is that 16-19 per cent of school leavers have no qualifications.
Mary Whitham said the club promotes reading from newborns and encourages parents to read to their children. Last year it carried out a literacy project including 400 hours fundraising in order to supply books and library memberships to more than 500 kindergarten children.