The Adult Learner Story

One in 10 Americans cannot read this sentence.

But there is hope. [music]

I came out of school some 25 years ago,

because I started off very young with a child.

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

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

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

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

There are 42 million Americans who are functionally illiterate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

different reasons. And, then you have immigrants who want

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

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

are not very good.

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

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

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

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

workforce who is unemployed or underemployed because they

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

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

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

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

are often forgotten about. There is a great emphasis on

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

helping adults to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to

help their children to be successful.

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

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

help their children with their homework anymore. And,

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

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

to get that high school credential.

I would say that my grandchildren encouraged me. They

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

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

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

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

I want to learn something and I want to do something

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

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

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

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

comfortable in reading, writing ... everything.

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

English literacy, high school diploma, technology literacy.

We also have career certification training, so we have a

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

our newest is our nurse aid certification training program.

I joined the culinary program, and I actually enjoyed every

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

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

putting food on a plate and serving it.

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

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

own business.

Adult education providers are committed to helping those

individuals to be successful in those workforce development

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

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

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

Many times adults have had to drop out of school

because they've had to contribute to the household

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

support systems in place where they were dealing with

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

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

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

amazing teacher moments. Last semester,

I had a student who when I asked her about

her goal she said she wanted to improve

her reading and she said she's at home

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

reading with her children, and she said

she now turns off the TV and instead of watching TV

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

that every teacher cherishes.

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

a semester ago who had just come back from a job

interview, and she said they asked me all of the

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

we had practiced in class,

those are the kind of questions they asked me on the

interview ... and I got the job!

After three months I believe I was understanding

what people were

saying on the bus and it was so exciting

to be able to communicate in this country.

I love working with this community, because they are

really exhibiting the American dream at work. They're

achieving the American dream. They're here to see

what their potential is and

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

I want to improve myself to take some computer

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

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

everyone can be an adult educator.

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

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

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

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

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

everything else just fades away.

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

maybe I open a little business to repair computers.

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

Find schools like this that actually are willing to help you

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

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

They're here to help you.

Adult learners really are committed to their education.

Sometimes life doesn't permit it to happen in the

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

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

But, I make different choices today.

Working with adults is just a very

special experience, because they get it.

They've already gone through the

experience. They know the value of an

education. They've gone through

some tough experiences, and

they're able to share that not only

with the young people who come to our

program, but the teaching and

learning with adults ... were we're all

learning in that classroom. I'll be 58 in

July and at this point and time I've never

felt more encouraged and never feel more

geeked about learning. Learning is a thrill.

Learning is just one of the most

pleasurable things in my life right now.

Getting good grades. Getting you know

talking to professors. Not to say I'm

doing it, but because I am doing it.

[music]