NEW
Library Project
Volume 1, Number 2 - Fall 2002
Pre-GED Students
Deepen Reflection
By Patricia Andres
“When
you’re more aware, you won’t be too quick to react or misjudge
situations.”
That
is what Alphonso Smalls said about how People and Stories has influenced
his life since participating in two eight-week series led by Marian Heher
at Operation Fatherhood, where he is a member of the pre-GED class.
Alphonso,
who left Trenton High School some years ago without graduating, said he
understood “what reading was about for the first time” after hearing
and discussing the stories that “Marian read with her whole mind.”
Jana
Dunow, the instructor of the Mercer County Community College-sponsored
class, reported that not only did attendance increase on Wednesdays during
the two series, but also, “TABE (Tests for Adult Basic Education) scores
rose dramatically.” In Alphonso’s case the leap was from 4.1 to 7.0.
When
I ask Alphonso if the stories have given him new ideas about decisions he
could make, I’m surprised by his emphatic reply: “I’m more cautious
now.” He continues. “You might not handle things with your best
judgment. You can get frustrated. Reading and dealing with these stories
helps you think more and be more aware of situations.”
He
offers a counterexample from a James Joyce story with a main character who
is so paralyzed by fear that she cannot move away from a life-draining,
volatile home. “The reality of that story is she was unable to deal with
the situation. She remained stuck in a mold. Like I said, it gets back to
taking your time. It might start small but it gets bigger. You begin to
think.
Joycelyn
Samuel and Galo Cruz attended nearly every one of Marian’s sessions;
both are working hard toward promotion to the GED class. Joycelyn moved
from St. Vincent after the ninth grade; Galo left Ecuador after eighth.
Neither stayed in school in the U.S. more than a few months. When I ask if
working to understand the stories has enabled them to work through
complicated situations in their own lives, Joycelyn is eager to talk. “I
read the stories with my daughter. She always asks what I’m doing in
school.”
Currently
between jobs, Joycelyn aims to get her diploma and enroll in a medical lab
technician training program. Sometimes, keeping her eye on the goal is
hard. “I take out the stories and read them again,” she says. Leaving
problems for a time helps because “you come back and think about them
differently.”
Galo
Cruz’s reading level as measured by the TABE rose remarkably after
People and Stories. This, he says, is partly because his English skills
were greatly improved by reading along with the text while Marian read
aloud. “I used to just go over the words with my eyes and not understand
a thing when I was done. Now I know what to look for and that the story
has a meaning and that it helps you in your life.”
On
one wall at Operation Fatherhood is a large color photo of a man holding
up the oars of his canoe as it pitches down a sheer vertical drop in a
rushing waterfall. He seems skilled, centered, exuberant; his boat is
steady as he guides it. To navigate his way has taken awareness,
determination, and courage. For the men and women whose commitment has
brought them back to school, I hope the journey is as successful.