Impact Classroom/Diploma Class

                    Nominated by Kelli Davis, Titusville Coordinator

Carl Beaumont, III, (or Chip as we know him) first came to my office in April of 2008.  The pastor from the Christian school he was attending suggested that he come to see me to try to get his diploma.  Pastor Cole felt that it might be a “faster” way of getting his diploma instead of struggling on by himself.  You see, Chip was 18, but had only completed 4^th grade work at Victory Christian Academy. 

Chip was home-schooled until the age of 16.  At that point, he went to a Christian school in Meadville.  Then, he moved to Victory Christian Academy in Titusville for the next two years.  Chip said that the problem was that he didn’t know “how to study.”  He also said that he wasn’t “self-driven” enough for home-school.  (When you read the following story, you will see why I find that hard to believe!)  He added that he was always told he was dyslexic which could have only added to his dilemma.

Chip really had his heart set on not only his GED, but also his high school diploma.  However, the “cutoff” for the GED/Diploma Class is a ninth-grade reading level, and when Chip took his first assessment with me, we found that his reading level was only a 5.9.  The only choice at that point was a tutor to work with Chip one-on-one.  Chip was disappointed, but very determined.  He agreed to work with a tutor.

He worked very hard and kept asking for a retest.  In July, Chip joined our Pre-GED Class.  Again, he worked and worked and studied and worked.  We reassessed Chip in October, and his reading level was up to a 9.6!  He was thrilled, because that meant he could join the GED/Diploma Class that started in November.  He did just that. 

Chip was a dedicated and diligent learner.  He came early, stayed late, and never missed classes needlessly.  He did the practice he needed to do for class and worked to finish his graduation project.  By January of 2009, Chip’s reading level was up to a 10.5.  He took and passed his GED.  In May, he was trained as a tutor for the READ Program.  That same spring, he started his first full-time job, and in June, I had the honor to see Chip walk across the stage in his cap and gown to receive his Titusville High School Diploma – he was one of our class speakers.

We are a confidential program, and we don’t normally tell scores, but Chip wanted me to share his scores with you because he is proud of what he has accomplished in the last year.  He has every right and should be proud.  From April of 2008 to January of 2009, Chip made the following advancements: 

His starting scores were…                                            His final scores were…

 Reading 5.9                               Reading 10.5

Math 6.3                                 Math 11.2 

 Language 6.3                          Language 11.7

When I think of where Chip started, how determined he was, how hard he worked, and how far he has come in such a short time, I’m amazed.  There is no doubt in my mind that he is the true picture of success.  If you still have any doubt about his dedication to reaching his goal, just remember that in the 2008-2009 fiscal year Chip put in 309.7 hours with the READ Program to get where he needed to be.  He is my tutor, my friend, and an overall great person.  With his drive I know Chip can succeed in any goal he chooses to pursue.

Titusville Family Literacy

Nominated by Kathy Kovach, Family Literacy Instructor

The italicized words are Renea’s.

Here’s why I feel that Renea is a success story. With all that happened to her: losing her home with her mom, lacking stability as a foster child, struggling with school and not always being surrounded by positive influences, Renea has chosen to survive and make a better life for herself. She says, “I am a success because of all my friends believing in me and my dreams.”

Renea first came into my world as a foster child with a family enrolled in Family Literacy. I saw her at our Family Fun Nights and she sometimes visited the classroom. What a sweet teen! She was still in high school then and had been bounced around quite a bit.

Well, when I left my mom’s, I was 15 years old and then I moved in with my uncle in Ohio for almost a year. After that, I moved back in with my mom for a month and then I moved in with my sister. I lived with her for a few months but it didn’t work out. So then my Aunt invited me to live with her, but that didn’t work out either. After my Aunt’s house, I moved in with Aaron and Angie Scott but then moved in with Dawn Willis. After Dawn’s house, I moved down to North Carolina with my sister again. I had a great time, because I could spend time with her and niece and nephew. But I was done being down there because of the heat, so I moved back to Titusville with my Aunt.

If you weren’t keeping count, that is eight moves in five years. She returned to Titusville in January of 2009 and then started with the READ Program.

At first, it was to brush up for college, but I ended up staying longer because the atmosphere is great here and everyone is nice. Kathy is a great teacher and is helping me out a lot. She is helping me memorize stuff that I need to know for the Army. I enlisted in the Army June 1, 2009 and get shipped out September 8, 2009. I will be going to Fort Jackson in South Carolina and after that I will be in Fort Lee in Virginia. I will miss everyone that I met at the READ Program.

She has found an option to better herself by going to Army and faithfully attending classes at the READ Program. That’s why she is a success and here’s why I love Renea, besides the fact that she is a precious young woman, that is. She is always willing to help out. She participates faithfully in class, assisting with childcare as needed or sharing her skills with her classmates. She is generous with her time and talents and is quick to be a friend. She chooses not to let circumstances reduce her optimism and so she is a pure blessing to be around. Everyone at the READ Program will miss her.

            Katie decided that she wanted to play the piano, so she enlisted her neighbor, a former music teacher, to teach her.  Katie would periodically bring her keyboard to the READ office and show us her latest accomplishments.  She has performed at the Grove Street Hospital for the patients on the convalescent floor, and I was honored to be there to hear her.  She and her teacher did a variety of duets, and Katie did her own selection of songs solo.  The audience was very appreciative.  I was blown away!

            Another love that Katie has is horses.  You will see her showing at horse shows, including at the Crawford County Fair.  As with everything she does, her passion for life and her generous spirit is demonstrated by her care for the animals.

            Concerning Katie’s educational endeavors, she is one of the most dedicated learners, rarely missing a tutoring session.  She faithfully completes any assignment given, without complaint.  I am always eager to match her as I know the tutor will have a wonderful experience working with Katie.  Her diligent work shows, too.  For example, in her last assessment she increased three educational functioning levels in language!!  Since she started in our program, she has increased two educational functioning levels in reading.  Her vocabulary has increased three grade levels, and her language mechanics has also increased three grade levels. She continues to work on her math skills and has advanced in the level of difficulty of math books. 

            Besides working with tutors, she voluntarily comes in and works on her lessons at the computer weekly.  She always takes time to say hello to her “Aunt Sharon” and makes my day!

It is with great pleasure that I present Katie Conner as one of our success stories of 2008-2009.

Meadville GED Impact Class

Nominated by:  Carrie McFarland, Former Impact Instructor

Kamiryn Ferry came to the READ Program in February of this year.  Prior to coming here, she had liked school (except Math!) and left only because of health reasons.  Stress was one challenge she tried and has successfully overcome (Can I hear an “amen”?!).

She had a lot of support from her boyfriend and family-she even brought her aunt to class!  They were “accountability partners” for each other, spurring each other to be in class on time every day and to do their best. She even encouraged her future mother-in-law to come here.  When in class, Kamiryn gave her very best and was a great example to her classmates.

In April, Kamiryn accomplished her short-term goal of getting her GED.  As with many of our learners, personal experiences drive us to set and attain the goals we have.  She is now working on planning her wedding, preparing for the birth of their first child, and is on the waiting list for an LPN program.

She currently volunteers part-time as tutor and receptionist at our agency.  So if you hear a cheery voice on the line when you call or see a perky “pony-tailed” princess when you stop in, say hello to one of our happiest success stories yet!

I think Cassie surprised herself this year!  She earned her GED before she turned 18!  Cassie was one of my learners who came to class because she had to.  As most do in her position, she let me know she didn’t want to be in class.  She wouldn’t look at me or the board when I was teaching a lesson, she constantly had her MP3 player going, and she even slept in class.

I took her avoidance in stride and kept trying to reach her.  Her change in attitude was very gradual; she still text messaged during class but did her work first.  I think the turning point was a day I was able to work with Cassie alone.  She was attentive, applied herself, and did the work with ease.

As the days and weeks went by, Cassie was showing she cared about learning.  When I asked her, in late March, if she was aiming to take the GED test next month with several other learners who were signing up, she showed complete surprise.  “Do you think I am ready?” 

Cassie didn’t take the GED that month but worked continuously to improve the areas that were still a bit weak.  Near the end of April, she took an official GED practice test and did well.  Cassie did take the actual GED test on May 9^th and passed with solid scores.  Congratulations Cassie!

Diploma Class

Nominated by:  Kelli Davis, Titusville Coordinator

C.J. (Charles) Stearns started getting into trouble in the 6^th or 7^th grade.  At this early age he started fighting, drinking, and experimenting with drugs.  He took 7^th grade twice and 9^th grade three times.  Within the first three weeks of 10^th grade, he signed himself out of school.

A person couldn’t say that C.J. didn’t have a good drive to work, because from the age of 15, he always had a job – after all (he told me), he needed money to buy alcohol and to pay friends to stay at their places.  He “bounced around” from job to job and place to place for a couple of years.

At the age of 17, the “bouncing around” didn’t stop.  C.J. is the only person I know that truly did join a carnival!  He moved around with and worked the carnival until he was 20 years old.  While he was with the carnival, he worked 16-hour days.  He finally left that life because he “met a girl” with 2 kids and wanted to be with her.

The chapter of his life that he entered at that point was what he described as “one big party” with drinking, drugs, and fighting.  After about a year of marriage, C.J. went to jail (for four months) for fighting; this was followed by four years of “ducking his P.O.” while he was on parole.

 C.J. apparently fought a lot in his young life, because from the age of 18 he was in and out of jail and house arrest four times (mostly for fighting – except once for a parole violation).  When I first met C.J. in March of 2007, he told me he was on house arrest for driving without a license.  He had good intentions of getting his GED and high school diploma, but didn’t stay long enough that year to even get enrolled. 

He returned again in July of 2008; again his goal was the GED and high school diploma.  C.J started class in the fall of 2008 and was one of my most dependable learners in the class. 

But C.J. was soon headed back to court in October of 2008.  He had recently been found drunk and high, so he was looking at some more jail time.  We had a “heart-to-heart” talk about what he wanted as far as his future, and I wrote a letter to the court telling what I knew of C.J.  I knew that he was always in class, he always participated, and if given just one more chance…he had so much potential.  I believed him when he told me that he was ready and wanted to turn his life around.  I told them that I really hated to see him not be able to finish the diploma class and go on to be the counselor he wanted to be after learning what he had from years of bad choices.  C.J. didn’t go to jail, but he was on house arrest until March of 2009.  While on house arrest, he had permission to come and never missed a class.

C.J. is presently enrolled in Pitt University at the Titusville campus.  He has signed up to do a work-study in my office and to go through Tutor Training so that he can “pay it forward!” 

C.J. hasn’t fought in a long time, and on October 1, 2009, he will be 1 year sober.  (Congratulations, C.J.!)  I’ve seen some great changes in C.J. in the short time we’ve know each other.  I’ve seen him overcome some big obstacles in his life, and come out on the other side.  C.J. Stearns is a great success, and I’m proud to call him my friend. 

GED Diploma Class

Nominated by: Kelli Davis, Titusville Coordinator

When Fred and I talked, he started his story in 1989.  That year was a memorable and tragic year for Fred.  In 1989 he was in a car accident in which he lost two things – his best friend and his leg.  Both were very traumatic to say the least.

Fred was always a logger by trade, but after the accident doctors told him that he would never cut logs again.  Eventually Fred got a prosthetic and returned to work driving a skidder since he could no longer run a chainsaw, but he missed cutting logs.  One day, about four years after his accident, his boss came up to him and asked him if he could run a chainsaw, because the older gentleman who had been cutting was suffering from a hernia and couldn’t work.  Instead of telling him that he couldn’t, Fred climbed down from the skidder and picked up the saw.  Fred said that there’s “nothing you can’t do, but you have to want it bad enough.”

In 2006, Fred went through a separation from an 11-year relationship.  He again suffered loss – he lost his partner, his comfort zone, and his children.  Fred turned to the “comfort” of drugs and alcohol.  He lived that way for a long time.   

I first met Fred Tracy in January of 2007 when he came to the READ Program because he wanted to get his high school diploma.  We enrolled Fred in our spring GED/Diploma Class where he diligently went for 21 hours until he had a court hearing for resisting arrest and as a result was incarcerated.  Even after Fred went to jail, he still thought about his GED.  He worked with our jail instructor for 20 hours while he was there for five months. 

In the 2007 – 2008 fiscal year, Fred was out of jail and returned to my office.  That year, he was in both our Pre-GED and GED/Diploma classes.  He put a total of 135 hours in with us that year, but he didn’t take the GED test.

Fred came back to us one more time in 2008.  He was again enrolled in the GED/Diploma class – this time for the fall term.  This was the class that I had the privilege to teach.  I can tell you that Fred didn’t miss many classes and was always willing to participate.  When the test came around in December, Fred opted not to take it.  I was disappointed, and a little worried. 

However, with a little prodding, Fred took the GED test the first of the year and passed with flying colors!  Within a couple of days of learning his results, Fred moved to Erie and found an apartment.  Within another week or so, Fred was enrolled at Erie Institute of Technology.  He is presently taking a course to become a “bio-medical technician.” 

Fred fought his way through many struggles but came out drug free, strong, and determined.  I’m proud of what he has accomplished, what he has overcome, and where he is now in his life.  I know he can reach whatever goals he sets.  Fred is a good friend and a great success!

Joe earned his GED this year after lots of hard work.

Joe came to my class after he had taken the actual GED test.  He had missed passing by 50 points!  His skills were solid in math, science, and social studies; he needed to bring up his reading and language skills.  Since his passion was cars, I had him start reading articles out of the issue of Consumer Reports on the new cars.  He had no problem reading the articles, but he had some difficulty summarizing them.  Now I had a plan to follow. 

Joe worked diligently on his reading and language assignments.  Before he was through, I think he had studied every book and workbook we have on the two subjects.  Sometimes I thought he was getting frustrated and bored, but he plugged away and never balked.

In addition to his love of cars, Joe is an artist; anytime he finished his work or had a break he would draw.  His drawings of cars were great; they represented how he was going to design his car when he got the one he wanted.

Essay writing was another hurdle he had to overcome.  He had great ideas, but his language mechanics were weak.  This didn’t squelch his enthusiasm; Joe did seem to start liking essays.  At one point he worked on a short story he wanted to complete!

Joe often stops in to say hello or visit other learners.  He’s often at Lisa’s door to say hello or discuss what’s going on in his life.  The next step will be to help Joe figure out his future direction and how to get there. 

Ben Yauger comes from a family of five children.  He has two sisters and two brothers, one of whom is mentally challenged.  When Ben was “school age,” he attended T.W.M.A. (Titusville Wesleyen Methodist Academy); however, because of finances, Ben had to quit attending T.W.M.A. at the age of 14 and go into home schooling.  He said that he would never recommend home schooling unless a person has a “massive amount of self-discipline” and a terrific “support group.”  Unfortunately, Ben admitted that he lacked his own self-discipline that he says is necessary to succeed in home school.  Ultimately, home school didn’t work out, so Ben tried correspondence school for awhile.  That didn’t really work out either.  His mother, Nanette, was a former tutor for the READ Program, so she suggested that he come to see me and get his GED. 

I met Ben in June of 2008 when he came to the READ program to register for our GED/Diploma Class.  Ben was a soft-spoken and very polite young man.  He told me that he loved to read – westerns, mysteries, “anything and everything.”  When he took his assessment, Ben was at the adult secondary level in every category.  I thought to myself that all we needed to was let Ben sit through class, be a little bored maybe(?), and complete his graduation project.  I had no doubt that he could take his GED test and pass – Ben would be an “easy” learner.  Wow, was I in for a surprise!

I had the privilege to teach the GED/Diploma Class for the fall term, so I was Ben’s “teacher.”  He was like a sponge…he wanted to learn everything that he possibly could and more… and more…and more.  His favorite group of words for me was “I just have a quick question for you…”   I used to get a shiver down my spine when he said that to me, because very often my answer was, “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out!”  I learned a lot working with Ben that term.

Nanette came up to me one day and thanked me for everything that I had done for Ben.  I told her that I didn’t really know how much I had done for Ben, because he had such high scores when he came to see me for the first time.  She then said to me that we had ‘done for him socially what she never could have.’  That just made me think that (once again) the READ Program is more than books and lessons and studying – so much more.  We’re about people and caring and relationships…friendships.

Ben said that the READ Program gave him a second chance after he had “failed.”  He said that it gave him a chance to look beyond himself and his own sheltered life, so that he could more greatly see and appreciate his own blessings.  It “opened up” his understanding of “other types” of people, and Ben has made great friends with others that he wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to meet.

Ben agreed to attend Tutor Training with us and is actively tutoring as I write this.  His plan is to go on to post secondary education and teach in some aspect (history, constitutional law, or in a church school).  He’ll be great.

It has really been a blessing to get to know Ben and to see him grow so much socially.  He eventually “loosened up” a bit and I’ve been able to see his (warped?) sense of humor.  Ben was my learner, Ben is my tutor, and Ben is my friend.  He truly is a success in my eyes.

“Self-trust is the first secret of success.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

You’ve got to believe in yourself!                                                                          

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”—Will Rogers

Reaching your goals requires action!

“Motivating gets you going and habit gets you there. 

Make motivating a habit and you will get there more

quickly and have more fun on the trip.”—Zig Ziglar

Persistence is required.

“I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the thing he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

You’ve got to overcome those internal habits that hold you back.

“Success is getting what you want;

happiness is wanting what you get.”—Dale Carnegie

                                                            Be sure of what you want!              

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”—Thomas Edison

Staying power will see you through to success!