Hey jdl, welcome to the Bolt.
If you just want to patch it up so your feet don't drag on the pavement just get some construction adhesive and glue metal or plywood over the holes until you can do a proper repair.
Working with metal isn't something you're going to learn by reading, it takes hands on under the guidance of a teacher. Hopefully you have access to a training program either in HS or Vocational School but in the meantime there is a lot of research to do and you could even start with little projects like fixing little things... heck, if you can read and follow instructions you can rebuild the carb.
Good luck and I hope to hear some good news from you in the years to come.
