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One in 10 Americans cannot read this sentence.

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But there is hope. [music]

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I came out of school some 25 years ago,

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because I started off very young with a child.

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I lost my job, and I found that it was virtually impossible

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to even get your foot in the door without a high school diploma or GED.

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I was 17 years old. I came here to help my parents economically, but when I came

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to this country I knew that I wanted to be more than a babysitter or a restaurant worker.

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There are 42 million Americans who are functionally illiterate.

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Only 2.1 million are served by the national adult education program.

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The American Institutes for Research is helping partners to find solutions.

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There really are three types of learners, and I think this is one

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of the things that makes adult education unique. Adults that are

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disconnected from their education. They didn't finish high school.

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Dropped out of school, or they may be older adults who

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also left school before they completed, and now they want to

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come back. Then, you also have adults that maybe already

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had some education, but they want to upgrade their skills for

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different reasons. And, then you have immigrants who want

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to learn English, and they could be new comers or immigrants

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who have been here a while, and their English Language skills

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are not very good.

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I started from nothing, and now I'm talking to you in English.

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So, I would like to help the community to speak Spanish and English.

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We are known for education. A lot of education is about preparing

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you for employment, and there is a large segment of the

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workforce who is unemployed or underemployed because they

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lack basic literacy. So, given AIR's focus and the things we do,

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it has and will continue to be an area we emphasize.

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What is important about adult education to me is the fact that

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adult learners ... not only in DC, but in other parts of the nation,

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are often forgotten about. There is a great emphasis on

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children, infants, and toddlers, but not enough emphasis on

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helping adults to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to

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help their children to be successful.

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The top 2 reasons that adults come to us ... they want a better job

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and there is an economic reason for coming, and they can't

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help their children with their homework anymore. And,

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that's usually sort of that motivating factor. Once their child

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brings home homework that they can't assist them with, it's time

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to get that high school credential.

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I would say that my grandchildren encouraged me. They

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motivated me a lot, and they don't even know it but they did.

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Because, a lot of times I would see them doing their homework

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and things, and I would be like, "Grandma doesn't even know

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... I can't even image what that is."

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I want to learn something and I want to do something

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with my life. And, I want my son and my family to be proud of me.

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I was afraid to speak like I am doing now, but even if I make a

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mistake now, I am not afraid to speak English because in

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Carlos Rosario they taught me how to speak and how to be

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comfortable in reading, writing ... everything.

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We have a three pronged approach. We start with foundational skills,

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English literacy, high school diploma, technology literacy.

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We also have career certification training, so we have a

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culinary arts training program, our IT certification training program, and

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our newest is our nurse aid certification training program.

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I joined the culinary program, and I actually enjoyed every

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minute of it. It showed me how much more work is involved

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in the culinary field than what people think of. It's not just

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putting food on a plate and serving it.

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I want to learn pastry chef. I want to improve my knowlege in

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culinary, and I want to have my small business ... my

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own business.

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Adult education providers are committed to helping those

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individuals to be successful in those workforce development

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programs so that they can one day go to college. Get an

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associated degree, a master's degree if they so desire, and

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improve the quality of their life for themselves and their children.

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Many times adults have had to drop out of school

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because they've had to contribute to the household

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financially they needed to work, or they didn't have

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support systems in place where they were dealing with

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a lot of social issues. It's very rare that it's an

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individual who decided, "oh ... school wasn't for me and

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I decided to goof off." I've had some

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amazing teacher moments. Last semester,

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I had a student who when I asked her about

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her goal she said she wanted to improve

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her reading and she said she's at home

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now she's reading for herself. She's also

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reading with her children, and she said

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she now turns off the TV and instead of watching TV

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she reads her book. Well, that's a moment

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that every teacher cherishes.

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And, from a more practical standpoint, I had a student

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a semester ago who had just come back from a job

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interview, and she said they asked me all of the

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questions that you asked us in class. So, everything that

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we had practiced in class,

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those are the kind of questions they asked me on the

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interview ... and I got the job!

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After three months I believe I was understanding

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what people were

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saying on the bus and it was so exciting

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to be able to communicate in this country.

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I love working with this community, because they are

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really exhibiting the American dream at work. They're

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achieving the American dream. They're here to see

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what their potential is and

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to achieve it, and I see that every day here at our school.

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I want to improve myself to take some computer

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classes so that will help me in the future so I can have a better job.

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You have to have a heart for people. It's a calling. Not

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everyone can be an adult educator.

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It has just been an absolute dream job for me, and I can't

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believe I'm working at one of the best adult education

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schools anywhere in the world, and I have a job that I love

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getting up in the morning to go to. And, no matter how I

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feel when I walk into that classroom, when I see those students,

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everything else just fades away.

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Maybe in the future after I work a little bit and get more experience

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maybe I open a little business to repair computers.

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Just get out there and do what you have to do.

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Find schools like this that actually are willing to help you

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further your education. Make sure you have what you need to

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complete the GED, and go on further with your life.

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They're here to help you.

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Adult learners really are committed to their education.

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Sometimes life doesn't permit it to happen in the

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in the way that they wanted to. I didn't choose the life that was dealt to me.

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Things happen, but what I did was make bad choices.

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But, I make different choices today.

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Working with adults is just a very

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special experience, because they get it.

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They've already gone through the

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experience. They know the value of an

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education. They've gone through

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some tough experiences, and

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they're able to share that not only

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with the young people who come to our

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program, but the teaching and

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learning with adults ... were we're all

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learning in that classroom. I'll be 58 in

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July and at this point and time I've never

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felt more encouraged and never feel more

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geeked about learning. Learning is a thrill.

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Learning is just one of the most

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pleasurable things in my life right now.

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Getting good grades. Getting you know

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talking to professors. Not to say I'm

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doing it, but because I am doing it.

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[music]