Back to school: Not just for kids anymore

SOUTH PORTLAND — To David Brenner, it's an all-too-common story.

Chris Jones, moving away from a bad situation in Florida and toward a girlfriend in Maine, was struggling to find work. Finally, the 22-year-old, who had run a lawn care business in Florida after dropping out of high school, caught a break: A temp agency promised it could get him on full time with Corning Life Sciences in Kennebunk. The only catch? He had to have a GED.

“In this day and age, how do you survive out there without at least a high school credential?” said Brenner, coordinator of South Portland Adult Education.

As students in grades K-12 head back to school this week, adults, too, have a chance to resume their education that, in many cases, stopped years ago. That’s where adult ed comes in. Only four years old, with just 10 staffers and a budget of barely $43,000, the South Portland program is beginning to make a difference, especially with its GED (general equivalency diploma) and ESL (English as a second language) classes, Brenner said.

"We're small," he said, "but just look at how we’ve impacted the quality of people's lives."

As an example, Brenner points to Jones and Helen Spencer, two adult ed students who recently earned their GEDs and are now bound for college-level courses.

"I got my books this week and I started to cry," said Spencer, 48, during an interview at South Portland High School on Friday. "I just couldn't believe it. I took a picture of them and sent it to my daughters."

The mother of two has put one daughter through college. Now, she'll be taking classes alongside her youngest when she embarks this week on a path toward an associate's degree in behavioral health and human services.

Interestingly, Spencer used to work in human services, and admits now to lying about her education on her application, many years ago. But that’s not why she lost her job.

“I was working with adults with developmental disabilities and, with the budget cuts, a whole slew of us got laid off,” she said.

For Spencer, simply checking “Yes” on an application next to “High School Diploma?” was, emotionally, a lot easier than risking a discussion on why the real answer was “No.”

“There was not a lot of family support,” she said, of what drove her from Brewer High School. “I was told often that I wasn’t college material. So, I left home in my 10th-grade year and started working, and just took care of my self.”

For Jones, it’s a similar story.

“I didn't have a choice,” he recalled, when asked why he dropped out of high school. “I was 16. My mother and my sister didn't get along with authority figures. When they tried to suspend my sister for multiple reasons, my mother figured it was best to haul not only my sister out, but me, too.”

Jones channeled an entrepreneurial spirit in to a lawn care business, but when life at home began “spiraling out of control,” he came to Maine, following what moves most men – a woman.

After a long, unsuccessful job search, Jones got the offer from Corning, and realized he would need his GED, which thanks to the adult ed program, comes with little cost. State and federal grants that cover about half of its operating budget – primarily from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), so GED classes can be offered at no charge.

“The test is free, the classes are free, the books are free, everything is free. It's all paid for by the governmental grant,” said Brenner. "If they're 18 and they don't have their high school credential, we want to see them."

South Portland Adult Education served about 100 students last year, with most (about 60 percent) taking one of three ESL classes – beginner, intermediate and advanced. Most of the rest took an enrichment class, such as beginning computing (a class that teamed older, first-time computer users one-on-one with high school students) or citizenship. Enrichment classes charge just enough to pay the instructor.

“We’re not looking to make money,” said Brenner.

The GED classes are “open enrollment,” meaning one does not have to wait for a set start date to being. Usually, there are “four or five” students working toward a GED at any one time, he said.

The GED includes five tests, with one each in math, reading, writing, social studies and science.

All that’s needed is a willing student. But, Jones and Spencer said, it can take time to work up courage enough to cross that personal Rubicon.

“It's a big emotional challenge,” said Spencer. “Fear stopped me for a long time.”

“It takes a lot of guts,” agreed Jones. “It's not like it just happens overnight. For some people – people who are scared, who’ve been told they cant make it, that they’re stupid, that they don’t belong it school – it’s an achievement just to make that step to be here.”

For Jones, it was the need for a job that drove him to that that step. For Spencer, it was the passage of time.

“I think age mellows you a lot,” she said. “Up until a few years ago, it wasn't really an option, but I've had a lot of life circumstances that have made me take a wake-up call. I have a grandson with a chronic illness – he has cystic fibrosis – and he's really my inspiration to go out and do better.”

The road to the GED test begins with a test – five of them, in fact.

“I give a pre-test in each area,” Brenner said. “If prospective students score well enough they don't need to take any classes. They just go and take the tests, usually in four or five sittings.

“But, a lot of times,” he continued, “what we find, with students like Helen, who have been out of school for a while, or like Scott, whose high school education was disrupted, is that math is the tough one. They both came in and their score on the math test did not predict success, although on the other four we could see quite easily they were going to be fine.” 

Both Jones and Spencer took the free math class to prepare for the GED, sitting through classes every Tuesday and Thursday for a full semester.

“What I’ve found is, a lot of times, while there may be a lack of ability in math, more often it’s a lack of confidence that holds people back,” said Brenner. “Both of them [Jones and Spencer] came in and they were not confident at all, but, as they took the classes, not only did their skills come back, but their confidence came back, as well.”

Both ended up passing all five GED tests, including math, on the first try. For that, they credit Brenner, as well as South Portland High School math teacher Drew McNeely, who moonlights in adult ad.

“We were all on different levels – like, not at all on the same page,” said Jones. “But somehow he managed to grapple with that in his mind and each week he made sure each of us knew what we were doing, and he didn't get frustrated or anything.”

“Whatever we needed help on, he was right there, every step of the way,” said Spencer. “They were all so nice.”

“A lot better than when I was in school,” agreed Jones.

“And David [Brenner], he really knows what he's doing,” said Spencer. “That guy can multi-task.”

“To say the least,” agreed Jones. “I think he's probably really an alien with 20 different arms or something.”

Now, their GEDs in hand, and their college careers in the offing, Jones and Spencer are glad not to have to fib on job applications anymore. In the Information Age, both know they “weren’t going to get away with it much longer,” despite whatever personal references they could bring to the table.

Spencer hopes to eventually work in the court system as an advocate for children with behavioral and developmental disabilities.

Meanwhile, Jones, who will pursue a criminal justice degree at Kaplan University, is back on the job hunt.

“Corning did hire me full time,” he said. “I worked one week – 34 hours. Then they shut down 16 machines and let go anybody who wasn't there for at least 90 days.

“So, I’m looking,” said Jones. “It’s a little harder than what it seems, that's for sure.”

Still, he doesn’t regret taking the time to earn his GED.

“I’d tell anybody to just do it,” he said. “Don’t think about it, because you won’t ever do it. Just do it. It’s never too late to go back and improve your education.”

“I just hope that this program remains available,” said Spencer. “I’m just thankful it was there when I was ready. I didn’t think it'd ever be ready, but for some reason I was, and I wouldn’t be bale to get where I am now without South Portland Adult Education.”

A CLOSER LOOK

GED and ESL classes at South Portland Adult Education are free.

Most classes start Sept. 20. An open house is scheduled for 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14, at South Portland High School.

For more information contact Adult Ed Director David Brenner, 347-3389; email, adulted@spsd.org.