Our one room school house

Years ago a volunteer said our classroom reminded him of a one room school house.  We do have a great variety of abilities and styles.  Two new students in 2011 have many skills and a sense of enjoyment in learning.  One whooped with delight when she remembered how to do long division today.   The other has easily moved through decimals, fractions, and percents in a quick review.  But another new student cannot tell you how many dimes are in a dollar or subtract 8 from 10 without using her fingers.  And then there all those in the middle who have been with us for a few months and need constant review and reminders to use every strategy they have available to do their math problems.  They can usually compute, but get stumped by any two or three step problems or any slightly different than the usual template.

We need to remember that Family Literacy exists for many reasons, not just the "I want to get a GED" reason.  The first two students have the ability to pass the GED exam, but if they are like others, they will need encouragement to take that step.  The second student can certainly improve in her basic skills, but maybe even more importantly, we can help her be a better teacher for her four year old.  He is delayed in speech and socialization and can act out quite violently to others.  We need to be a source of referrals for him and a source of support for her.  So I will try to hang on to her just as much as the students who have the ability to achieve a GED.

  And then all those in the middle are really my biggest challenge.  How can I nudge them to get just those few extra points in order to pass the GED exam?  I can't make them into great students, but I can help them open the doors to better employment and further education if they can just score a 410 in math instead of the failing 400! 

Another GED and why I need a new cell phone

O sent me a message on Facebook saying she wanted to send me a photo.  Apparently she tried to send it to my home phone and that didn't work, of course!   I rarely give out my cell phone number and would not really want to receive a photo on it with our reduced plan.

The photo was of her 11 month old son holding her GED diploma!  She knew as soon as she saw the words "Do not bend" on the envelope that it was going to be good news!  She said she couldn't have done it without me--which may mean, we agreed, that I would not accept oversleeping as an excuse--even for a woman who was 7 months pregnant and had a 9 month old baby. 

It's a "snow day" today and there has been almost no snow.  Apparently a few miles west of here, still in the same school district, there is plenty of snow.  I have been a bit bored although it has been a pleasant, lazy day.  Again, signs that it is not yet time to retire--a happy phone call has made my day!

Our first GED this year!

R said she tried to call me to let me know, but I think she was put off by the voice mail.  When I called her, she said the GED was a "piece of cake" and she passed it  with a 550 average. She is working as a dietary aide and has already enrolled in our community college in a nursing program.  She said she wants to take me out to celebrate.  I suggested lunch on some Friday.  We'll see.  In any case, I am so pleased that she not only passed (I was sure she would), but that she is using the GED as a first step towards other goals.   I can check off four primary goals on our National Reporting Service list:  improving a level in basic skills, passing the GED, gaining employment, and entering post-secondary education.  Hurray for her and hurray for us!

No GED--you're fired!

I asked D this morning why Family Literacy seemed to be working for her now when it didn't three years ago.  I said I couldn't remember why she left us and she said she couldn't either.  During those years, she worked fast food and a nursing home job, but eventually began working as an aide to handicapped adults.  This was a job she really liked.  However, she had lied on her application blank and said she had a GED.  Six months later, she was fired.  She asked her employer if she had been honest, would she have been hired?  He said that if he thought she were working on a GED, he would have hired her.  She would like to go back to that job, but we need to get that certificate for her first!