DEL.ICIO.USAfter wrong turns, graduates hope GED spurs right moves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Israel Hernandez was working two jobs to help his family here and in Mexico.
Iziah Clark was hitting the bottle, not the books, and following the same path that for years derailed his mother’s life.
Bita Honarvar / bhonarvar@ajc.com
Literacy Action GED graduates (from left) Allan Braithwaite, Roy Dodd, Edward Earley, Justin Price and Heather McLeod wait for their recognition at the graduation ceremony.
And Roberta Jackson wasn’t feeling like she fit in, with reading and spelling skills that weren’t on par with those of her classmates.
All three have explanations for why they dropped out of school at 16 and why — years later — they’ve now spent months at Atlanta’s Literacy Action Inc., pursuing a GED, the equivalent of a high school diploma.
Hernandez, 28, said he always liked school but couldn’t figure out how he could make his classes and work the two janitorial jobs that he took when he moved to Atlanta from Mexico.
Years went by. He kept working two jobs, married and had two children. Then last year, he found the inspiration he needed in church, in the testimonial of a preacher who described how going back to school changed his life.
Hernandez walked out of church, saying, “I can do that, too.” He quit his morning job to enroll at Literacy Action, a nonprofit offering free classes to adults who want to learn to read, write and improve their basic skills.
He was nervous. “I didn’t know how to study, do homework or do the essays,” Hernandez said.
When Clark walked into Literacy Action last fall, he was close to hitting bottom. He was drinking, smoking marijuana and testing the patience of his mother and sister.
He ended up homeless “after I burned all the bridges with my family,” he said.
After a run-in with the law, Clark landed at Atlanta’s Trinity House, a place where homeless men who have had drug problems can begin transitioning back into mainstream living.
“Ever since I walked in the door [to Trinity House], they wanted me to get my life together,” Clark, 19, said last week.
He grew up in a drug environment in New Jersey and with a mother who is now a recovering alcoholic. “I ain’t going to say I copied exactly what I seen. But as a creature of habit, I picked up on it as well,” Clark said.
He hadn’t liked school much and was always in trouble for skipping classes, drinking or smoking marijuana. Now, at least a couple of times a month, he tries to speak to high schoolers about the hazards of drugs — thinking students might listen to him more than they would a parent.
“Somebody helped me,” Clark said, “and somebody was praying for me when I wasn’t praying.”
Jackson was living in low-income housing when she went to her mailbox one day several months ago and pulled out a flier promoting the services of Literacy Action.
A recently separated mother of two, Jackson, 30, had been too gun-shy in high school to reach out for help.
“I felt behind, and I didn’t cling to any of my teachers for help,” she said. “I was afraid of what other people were going to say, feel and think.”
Jackson has found learning easier at Literacy Action, where she said the students feel free to lean on each other and the teachers.
“It inspired me,” she said.
Jackson has let her children know about the struggles she had with reading, spelling and writing. “I encourage them to read as much as possible,” she said.
Jackson has started making each of her children read at least one short book every two weeks. She even requires them to write her a book report.
“I let [my children] know it’s harder as an adult to get an education than it is a child,” she said. “I only ask them to do two things: clean your room and go to school.”
Hernandez, Clark and Jackson were part of a Literacy Action graduation ceremony Thursday night. Mayor Shirley Franklin and Clark were speakers.
Hernandez and Jackson were receiving certificates recognizing the progress they’ve made.
Hernandez is halfway through the five-part GED test and looking down the road to college and a possible career in counseling.
Jackson is getting ready to take Part 1 of the test and hopes to go on to college and a career in the medical field, probably beginning with medical billing and coding.
“I want to go as far as I can, knowing now it’s a possibility,” Jackson said.
Clark, wearing a cap and gown, picked up his GED in front of his mother and about 50 other relatives and friends. He even spoke to the crowd about his journey.
Clark said he had been told nine months ago that it would happen, but he had his doubts.
“This is a beautiful feeling,” he said. His next goals are college and a career in either electronics or computers.
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About Literacy Action
Founded in 1968, the nonprofit provides free classes to adults who want to learn to read, write and improve their basic skills.
It operates out of the Woodruff Volunteer Center, 100 Edgewood Ave. in downtown Atlanta. Phone 404-818-READ (7323).
Classes are offered in basic reading, writing and “learning to learn” skills, four levels of math, GED preparation, computer skills, 21st-century work skills, and family and health literacy.
Literacy Action makes the following claims: about 800,000 adults in metro Atlanta are functionally illiterate; 85 percent of all juvenile offenders have reading problems; children raised in homes where literacy is low enter kindergarten two years behind their peers; and illiteracy costs Atlanta $2.6 billion annually in lost wages and reduced productivity.
Who takes advantage of Literacy Action’s programs? Sixty percent of its students are under 35 years old; 90 percent live at or below the poverty level; more than 70 percent are taking classes in hopes of obtaining their GED.
Who finances the work of Literacy Action? All revenue comes from fund-raising, with more than 80 percent coming from the private sector. It is also supported by Fulton County and the Atlanta Housing Authority.
What Mayor Shirley Franklin says:
“The work of Literacy Action, addressing the central needs of Atlantans, is more important than ever. Whether it’s filling out a job application, reading a newspaper, understanding a bus schedule or helping children with homework, reading is one of the most critical skills for empowering adults to be strong citizens.”
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