Learning to Read After Decades Brings Joy

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Welcome to the StoryCorps podcast. In this episode: a story from national Tennessee. We’ll hear a conversation between Michelle Miller and her student Joe Buford. Joe is 63 years old and they met at the Nashville Adult Literacy Center where Michelle is a tutor. Here Joe tells Michelle what his life was like before he could read.

J: Nobody in my family really knew how bad it was with me and how hard that I was over. My wife did not know until after we just married. Some mail came one day and normally she told me that what came in and what needed to be paid, but this time she gave it to me and said “you read this”. And so she found out that I couldn’t just read something from top to bottom, that tore my heart out, and at this point I was working in a shop that repaired construction equipment and they wanted to give me a desk job and I know that I couldn’t do this. I was lying awake at night trying to figure out how can I tell them I didn’t want the job, so I told them that I was satisfied with what I was doing. Most time I just tried to stay in the background because I just in fear, worried of being in front with anything.

M: Do you remember when you first find out that you are gonna have a baby? What does that feel like?

J: Well, I was excited about it and at the same time, I thought what was wrong with me would be passed on to my kids. And I was so afraid that they wouldn’t go on to read. The biggest thing I was afraid of was the child in a budding would happen to ask me to read something to her, this terrified me. So one day, I asked both of them “Could you read?” and they said “Yes, we can remember when we could” This just made me feel so happy that what was wrong with me, I didn’t pass it on to them.

M: But you and I have been working together for 3 years now, I think.

(J: almost 3, right) Yeah, what made you decide that you want to try one to read?

J: Well, after all of my girls have married and gone. I thought now is the time I really need to do something myself and I thought well, I would give it a year if I can’t become anything, I’ll know it's just not for me.

M: Do you remember when you realize that you really were picked it up?

J: Ah, yes, I jumped up, I ran through the house. (Both laughing) It made me cry and I was thinking wow if it really is sinking in. You’re the best thing ever happened to me. You have changed my life.

M: You have changed mine too. I am looking forward to the next 5 or 10 or how many years that we still have to work together. That’s always fun.

J: So am I. I’m looking forward to it.

Joe Buford with his reading tutor Michelle Miller at StoryCorps in Nashville. Since he’s been working with Michelle, Joe can now read the newspaper front to back, and he would love to read your letters. If you want to write to Joe, the address is: podcast@storycorps.net

Major support for StoryCorps is provided by State Farm and by the corporation for public broadcasting. All StoryCorps interviews are housed at the American folk life centers at the Library of Congress. Our Podcasts are supported by Fetzer Institute as its part of its campaign for love and forgiveness. Learn more at loveandforgive.org. You can hear StoryCorps on the radio Fridays on NPR’s morning edition. I’m Katie Simon, thanks for listening.