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"Giving Something Back"

When a long term successful and demanding business career in catering management and company director came to an end, Joanna Henderson had never had so much time on her hands. 

Joanna had been money-wise over the years and, at 63, now found herself in the fortunate position of having no monthly mortgage, was cash rich and had no kids to nag her about spending their inheritance. Her burning ambition to “give something back” opened a new chapter in her own life. She is now one of a growing number of volunteers helping young children, on a one-to-one basis, to read at her local school.

Joanna Henderson:

After all my years of working long hours, suddenly I had time. Lots of it. 

For several months I indulged in all the things I wanted to do. Lazed in bed, read loads of books, met up with friends. Then one morning I woke up and realised I needed a focus, a challenge. The question was "what"?

I have always loved reading and over the years had tried to imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t read.  You would miss so much.  I live in London and the adult literacy rate in some areas is very low.  Could I help people to read?  Did I have the skills?  What would be involved?   I started to make enquiries locally about volunteering my services but it was far more difficult than I had envisaged.

Once a week I go to a pretty pub on the river – my excuse is that I need to get out of my flat whilst my cleaning lady does the business.  She is such an interesting person that if I stay there we talk and I feel it is a waste of my money to pay her to talk to me.  

A Chance Encounter

A few months ago I was sitting there happily sipping my glass of Merlot and attempting The Daily Telegraph Crossword when I overhead a lady on another table telling the waiter she was waiting for her family.  When the waiter left she turned to me with an embarrassed look saying that she could not order anything as she had no money with her.  She told me that she taught English to immigrants at a school in Brixton and only took her travel pass with her.  I offered to buy her a glass of wine and we got chatting.

I told her that I had always wanted to help people who were brave enough to admit in adulthood that they could not read.  She explained the difficulties she had experienced and even though she had been a teacher she had had to take a special course at a cost of £1,800.  My plans seemed to suddenly disappear.  I was not about to pay out this kind of money to offer my services as a volunteer.  What is the world coming to I wondered.  I was not intending to teach the full works of Chaucer or Shakespeare – just enough to help people to fill in forms, read to their children and decipher labels etc.  

A few weeks later I mentioned this to a friend and she told me she had become a listener in her local school in Kent.  For a few mornings a week she listened to children reading aloud.  This really inspired me so straight away I applied to my local primary school and was accepted.  The school was impressively thorough in their vetting of me.  This included the compulsory Criminal Record Bureau check.

A Skill for Life

Since then my life has turned around and I spend 30 minutes each day listening to the pupils in Year 3.  It is such a pleasure to me and something I look forward to every day.  The teachers are so supportive and have accepted me as part of the team.  The children are a delight to teach and I can see I am making a positive contribution. To think I may have helped a few young people acquire a skill that will serve them for the rest of their lives is truly wonderful.