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This document is an anthology of participant writings from the Worker Education Program, which is a holistic workplace literacy program developed through a partnership among Northeastern Illinois University (NIU) and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textiles Workers Union (ACTWU). The document begins with a brief overview of the Worker Education Program and background information on NIU and the ACTWU and their efforts in the area of workplace literacy. Next, the writings--mostly poems, essays, and journal entries--of the Worker Education Program's participants are presented. The writings are organized by the following themes: working for a living (79 pieces); life outside the workplace (45 pieces); the Worker Education Program and the opportunities for learning that it provides (79 pieces); work and labor--past and future (30 pieces); and the immigrant experience (29 pieces). Most writings are in English; however, a few pieces are in Spanish. Concluding the document is a list of the 13 companies participating in the Worker Education Program. (MN)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert