Taking Back Control: Claude Green’s Story

Claude Green has spent nearly six decades doing what life required of him.

He worked. He showed up. He provided.

Born in 1957 and raised in Cleveland as the youngest of five children, Claude learned early what responsibility looked like. His mother was raising the family on her own, and by seventh grade, Claude was already working weekends to help out. Those habits stayed with him. Through high school, into adulthood, and across decades of employment, Claude built a life rooted in hard work and commitment.

But school was never easy.

In high school, Claude struggled in traditional classrooms. By the time he reached 10th grade, he was placed into what were called “slow learning” classes. Instead of helping him grow, those classes lowered expectations. “I wasn’t challenged,” Claude said. “They passed me on… but I really wasn’t challenged.”

Still, he graduated. But without the ability to read. 

And then, like so many others, he moved forward without ever fully addressing what had been left behind.

He got married young and went straight into work. He spent 15 years at Corky and Lenny’s, working his way up from busboy to baker. Later, he built a 22-year career on a high school safety team, showing up every day for students and staff.

At one point, looking for direction while supporting his family, Claude entered the military. He completed basic training, but struggled with the written test required to continue. His reading level was assessed at about a seventh grade level, and it became a barrier he couldn’t overcome at the time. 

Claude was honorably discharged and returned home.

And once again, he did what he had always done.

He went back to work.

For decades, Claude built a life through determination and persistence. But his struggle with reading, writing, and comprehension never left him. Instead, he adapted.

He memorized. He worked around it. He asked for help when he had to.

At his job, writing reports was difficult. “I had to ask for help,” he said. Even putting thoughts onto paper in a way others could read was a challenge. In everyday life, reading documents, understanding contracts, or navigating systems often required guesswork or trust.

And sometimes, that trust came at a cost.

“I’m sick of being bamboozled,” Claude said.

He remembers buying a car and not being able to fully understand the contract. The result was years of financial burden tied to terms he couldn’t clearly read. Situations like that stayed with him. So did moments at the hospital, where he struggled to fully understand medical information on his own.

“It’s embarrassing,” he said simply.

But more than embarrassment, it was something deeper.

It was a loss of control.

And at 58 years old, Claude decided he was ready to take it back.

In 2023, a coworker at the high school where he worked noticed Claude talking about his struggles with comprehension, reading, and spelling. Her name was Mrs. Wright, and she did more than listen. She introduced him to Seeds of Literacy—and helped him take the first step by registering him for the program.

Claude officially joined Seeds of Literacy on May 1, 2023.

At first, getting started took time. He registered, but like many adult learners balancing life’s demands, it wasn’t immediate. Eventually, he made his way into the classroom and began working with tutors, starting with assessments that helped identify exactly where he was and what he needed to build.

For the first time in a long time, learning met him where he was.

But the journey wasn’t linear.

Shortly after starting, Claude had to step away for major knee surgeries. Years of physical work had taken a toll, and arthritis required him to have both knees replaced. The first one in late 2024, then the other going into 2025 and early 2026, and each surgery meant time away from the classroom.

But each time, Claude returned.

“I came back… and I’ve been here ever since,” he said.

That persistence defines his journey.

At Seeds of Literacy, Claude found something that had been missing from his earlier education: one-to-one support. Tutors worked with him at his pace, helping him strengthen reading, writing, and comprehension skills that had gone unaddressed for decades.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Claude said. “You can come in this program, and you can work on those things… It’s free. You just have to put in the time.”

And he is putting in the time.

Today, Claude says he feels like he is moving in the right direction. “I feel like I’m in the right direction,” he shared.

That direction includes real goals.

He wants to attend community college and build his computer skills. He wants to confidently fill out job applications without hesitation. He wants to read and understand the documents that shape his life—without relying on others or risking being misled.

Most importantly, he wants independence.

“I got to be able to read… My wife ain’t with me. I got to be able to read what they’re going to do,” he said, speaking about navigating healthcare and life decisions on his own.

Claude is not starting his life over. He has already lived a full one—working, providing, and contributing to his community for decades.

But now, he is reclaiming something that was never fully given to him in the first place. The chance to learn. The chance to understand. The chance to move through the world with confidence and control.

At 58 years old, Claude is proving that it is never too late to face something that has followed you your entire life, and to change it.