Literacy Student Writing

VOICES OF LITERACY
Recognition 2008

May 15, 2008
Volume 17

UNION IRONWORKERS
The job of the union ironworker is unique. Money, people and materials power the job. Danger, injury, and risk are part of the job every day. Physical and mental strength are factors for success on the job. Union Ironworkers are a different breed of worker.

The workforce of union ironworkers has an infrastructure of different groups made up of what are called “gangs”. The raising gang is important. They set the pace for the job with the crane. This gang consists of 5 to 6 men: 1 foreman, 2 connectors putting the iron in place, two ground men who prep the iron pieces in the order in which they will be used, rigging and putting them on the crane hook, sending them to the connectors. Depending on the size of the job, there will be a phone man/tag man. This gang literally raises the building. Other gangs include the bolt up gang that puts all the necessary bolts in place and torques them as required. The decking gang shakes out the decking and puts it in place, covering all holes. The detail gang has a wide range of jobs that complete and fine tune the work done by the other gangs and also plum level the building. Rod gangs install rebar, meshes, post-tension cables and dowels for concrete pours. In some cases rodmen may do the whole building -- floors, columns, walls, and footing. It is called poured-in-place construction. Finally the finish ironworkers complete the stairs, ornamental work, the last decorative stages of the building and the placement of windows.

The job of the ironworker is not for everyone. A union ironworker would execute his or her work as safely and efficiently as possible, always having pride in everything they do, due to the on-the-job experience and apprenticeship training. Work conditions play a big part in how the job will go. Dangers of the job could be as simple as the weather: snow, rain, and high winds, or a hole in the floor, a crane carrying a load overhead, and sometimes things falling from high in the sky. Physical, mental and mechanical strength are factors for success on the job.

Why is this kind of work attractive to some people? You can get involved in this work without a major education, so you can make a fair amount of money with health benefits and retirement if you go the distance. For some of us it becomes an addiction powered by an adrenaline rush doing something that seems somewhat impossible, but completing the job successfully and safely.

The job of a union ironworker is a great job. I’m proud to be an ironworker and wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

--Brian Anderson

The Things I Would Consider Before Taking up Photography
First, I would need to consider the cost of going to college or a university. Also you need to have the very best of camera equipment for the right job if you want to succeed in the photography field. What would my first job be like? Where would it be? Would I like it, love it, hate it, or even be good at it?

Second, maybe I would be good at specializing in photojournalism. Perhaps I would like to become a fine art photographer. I could even become a forensic photographer. A good photographer would have to know how to use camera equipment, develop film, and even know how to print photographs and have good artistic skills and be very creative.

Third, to learn to become a good photographer you would have to do a lot of traveling. If you are a free lance photographer, you make your own hours. The more jobs you go on the more experience and confidence you will have.

Fourth, Depending on what line of work area you fall into, the money can be anywhere from $10,000 to $75,000 annually. The money is important. If you go to school for photography, it is quite expensive. To be in the photography you need to make a substantial amount of money to cover travel expenses, film, camera equipment and have a certain income for living expenses. Loving what you do is just as important as the money

Finally, by doing all my research and knowing how much fun it is for me as a hobby to take such beautiful pictures of nature, people, places and things, I get to express my emotions, ideas, creativity, and my great artistic skills. Because I love nature I will go to a college for fine art photography. I can be a part-time or a full-time fine art photographer after work or before work and have fun doing what I love to do – taking pictures of nature.

--Christine McSweeney

Writing Workshops with Diane
Putting thoughts down on paper is good stuff, but being back in a class, gripping a pencil, a blank piece of paper in front of you, can be a pretty scary thing when it hits you that you haven’t been in a class for 20 or 30 or 40 years. And it wasn’t so great then, either. No one said the P-word, but for sure we wrote poetry and even had a few laughs.

Food Glorious Food

Steak
Tastes great.
Smells good.
I like my steak well done.
I eat steak as much as I can.
I will go to restaurants once a week.
Sometimes at cookouts
I will eat steak.

--Jim O

Fish
Fish tastes salty.
Bad fish tastes bad.
My cat would not eat bad fish.
Fresh fish tastes good.
Fish cooked well is good.
Last time I had fish it was good.

--Tim C.

Spaghetti
Long and stringy
All different sizes
Garlic, cheese
Meatballs, sausage, tomatoes
So many ways to cook it.
If it sticks to the wall it’s done.
I’m going home to make spaghetti.

--Paul D.

Peanut Butter and Jelly
Sticky, smooth,
Oatmeal bread, peanut smell
Lunch at work every day,
Easy to make,
Easy to hold while driving,
Satisfies my appetite
and gives me energy.

--Jonathan O

Diamonte Poems

Big truck
Dirty, noisy
Lettering, shelving, lighting
I drive one to work and during work.
Speeding, traveling, singing
Red, sunroof
Little car.

--Jonathan O

Riding
Uphill, downhill
Peddling, braking, stopping
Riding fast and getting tired
Slowing, resting, stopping
Tired, hot
Sitting.

--Jonathan O

Sports
Round, leather
Interesting, aggravating, running
Always chasing a ball or hitting a ball
Hitting, running, sliding
Home run, grand slam
Baseball.

--Mickey Mantle (Paul D.)

To the Literacy Volunteers at the Quincy Library
I would like to thank literacy volunteers for their hard work and thank them for working with me. Teaching me to read. I still have a ways to go. I am not afraid to walk into a building and not be able to read the instructions to where I am going. Or driving my car and being able to read a highway sign so I know where I’m going. Or being able to read my own mail and writing my own check, instead of someone else doing it for me. These may seem like small things, but when you can’t do it, sometimes it’s a nightmare. I could go on and on about this.

My confidence is a lot higher than it’s ever been. I don’t break out into sweat in fear that somebody will find out that I didn’t know how to read. This was not an easy task. I work hard at it everyday. For the last six months I’ve been using a computer. I used to be in fear of them.

I would also like to thank Elizabeth for her hard work every week, working with me to teach me how to read.

Thank You, Jim O’Brien

Homework with the Kids
I feel terrific that I can finally help my son and daughter with their homework. I consider this one of the biggest rewards for my hard work. It gives me great satisfaction that my children come to me for help with math and spelling.

I also feel more complete as a father, now that I am able to help them. This is definitely one of my biggest accomplishments.

I am thankful for my tutor, Marnie for all of the help she has given me over the past five years. I am also thankful for the Quincy Literacy Program under the leadership of Elaine and Ellen. It has made such a difference in my life.

--John O’C.

My First Interview for a Job
I did not think of what I was going to wear or how I was looking, that was the easy part. I remember going to this big building. I was looking for an office number. When I saw the number I went inside. There was a big glass window. There was a secretary behind it at a desk. I told her I was there for a job. She gave me an application and told me to have a seat. Soon after, someone called me. It was a man. He was the person who interviewed me. I remember it went well.

Now I had to fill out the job application and give it back before I left. They were looking for someone to work that day. I became so nervous because I was not able to read what was on the application. I could not spell what I would like to write on it. There was a lady that was with me. She knew I could not read or write. She sat with me and helped me out. We did not want the secretary to see us. I remember looking at the secretary at her desk and thinking if she knew that I could not read at all.

I did get the job. I was so surprised! I was only nineteen years old. I had to start work that same day. I did not know how to punch a time clock. Even though the interview went well, it was a nerve racking day for me.

--Laura Buckmaster

Important People In My Life
I was thinking about the people who help to transform my life, there are so many to thank. Anyway, as hard as it is, I had to choose Mme. Paul, a woman who took me as her daughter when I was a toddler. She taught me about Jesus and always take me to church. I remember as a young girl we will go on missionary trip where the sick people were heal; it leaves a profound feeling on me, and I know I wanted always to help those in need.

The second person is Mamie Yvrose, she could not have children. She adopted me not formally or legally, but the love she had for me was great. She supported me in everything that I do. I lived with her until I got married.

I have to say, also my teachers at the school are unbelievable, they are always supportive and helping. Being with my teachers, I feel like I can do anything, because they make me believe in myself. Only one other person who can make feel this way is Veronique, a woman who is sweet, tough and strict at the same time, but she loves me. Veronique is always pushing me. She teaches about things that I never even know existed. When I am feeling lazy and don't want to do work, she will be on my case. I will be mad, but I realize it's because she loves me, that's why she is on my case.

I am at the school today getting an education and meeting those terrific teachers because of her, and she wants me to be the best that I can be. Now I am more confident about myself and what I want in life, because I am bless and God had put these wonderful people in my life to help me. I give thanks to God, and to these people who had help to transform my life into a gracious one.

--Liliane M.

I would like you to know that the reading system at the Thomas Crane Library is great. Thanks to a handful of good people, now I can read some. With the help of these ladies, Elaine and Marj, in a short amount of time I can do this.

Thank you.

More From Diane's Writing Workshop
by Virginia R.

Nicknames
Only mom gets to call me
Virginia only.
I’m named after my great grandmother
on my dad’s side.

Portrait
Michael and Kristin
have the same hair and eyes
and eyelashes.
Brown hair and brown
eyes and lashes.

My Favorite Room
My bedroom is my favorite room
because I have On Demand and my computer.
I get to do what I want in there.
I play games on the computer.
Dominoes is my favorite game.

Light
From my bedroom I see the sunlight
shine through my window
and the moon light.
We can see the squirrels
running up and down the trees.

It looks like a rainbow sometimes.
I love to look out the windows.

Family
Friendly, happy
smiling, laughing, singing.
being a part of something, being alone
working, sleeping, eating
busy, lonely
single.