>>> WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT PROGRAMS WHICH HELP YOUNG STUDENTS TO
BECOME STRONGER READERS, BUT SOMETIMES ADULTS NEED HELP AND
MIGHT BE AFRAID OR HE HESITANT O REACH OUT.
THE LITERACY PROJECT OF NORTH HAMPTON OFFERS ADULT EDUCATION
CLASSES, OPENING DOORS FOR PEOPLE, AND CREATING
OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE LIFE CHANGING.
I SPOKE WITH JUDITH ROBERTS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
LITERACY PROGRAM, AND A STUDENT TO HEAR ABOUT THE IMPACT THE
PROGRAM IS HAVING.
>> THE LITERACY PROJECT IS A SMALL NONPROFIT WORKING, AND
WE'RE IN FIVE TOWNS, AND SO WE SERVE A LARGE AREA, 1500 SQUARE
MILES, VERY RURAL AREA, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS HELPING ADULTS
GET READY TO STUDY FOR AND PASS WHAT IS NOW CALLED THE HIGH SET
TEST.
A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW IT AS THE GED.
SO THAT'S THE FORMER NAME.
NOW WE CALL IT THE HIGH SET, WHICH STANDS FOR HIGH SCHOOL
EQUIVALENCY TEST, AND WE HAVE ABOUT 200 OR 300 STUDENTS EVERY
YEAR IN THE FIVE CLASSROOMS, ALL ADULTS.
THE YOUNGEST ARE 16, BUT THEY HAVE TO HAVE PARENTAL
PERMISSION.
AS YOU'LL GET TO TALK TO JOE IN A FEW MINUTES, WE HAVE PEOPLE
WHO ARE OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE REALLY LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR
LIVES.
>> AND YOU'RE HELPING THEM, OBVIOUSLY, WITH READING,
WRITING, AND ALL THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, FILLING OUT
APPLICATIONS AS WELL?
>> SO THEY HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TEST TESTS IN FIVE
AREAS, MATH, SCIENCE, READING, WRITING, AND SOCIAL STUDIES.
PEOPLE ARE STUDYING IN THOSE FIVE AREAS TO TAKE THE TEST, BUT
ALSO ALONG THE WAY, WE DO COMPUTER, WHAT WE CALL DIGITAL
LITERACY SO COMPUTER SKILLS, THE STUDENTS WORK ON LAPTOPS, AND
PEOPLE ARE GETTING SUPPORT IN OUR CLASSROOMS TO FILL OUT JOB
APPLICATIONS, LOOK TOWARDS APPLYING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BECAUSE THE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TEST ALONE IS NOT
ENOUGH TO REALLY GUARANTEE A GOOD JOB AS WE KNOW, SO WE
ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO MOVE ON TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, JOB
TRAINING PROGRAMS, AND OTHER PROGRAMS.
>> SO, JOE, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR STORY AND HOW YOU
BECAME INVOLVED.
>> WELL, I BECAME INVOLVED BECAUSE THE ECONOMY GOT TO A
SPOT WHERE I LOST MY JOB.
I WAS 52 YEARS OLD.
I COULD NOT WRITE AND READ WELL AT ALL.
I HAD TROUBLE.
THERE WAS TOO MANY PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ME THAT COULD FILL OUT
AN APPLICATION.
AND WHEN YOU CAN'T DO THAT, YOU JUST START TO FEEL INADEQUATE.
YOU DON'T EVEN GO BECAUSE THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE IN FRONT
OF YOU.
I KNEW I NEEDED TO GET THE EDUCATION.
I COULDN'T WAIT NO LONGER.
MY LIFE MIGHT BE OVER, SO TO SPEAK BECAUSE I'M OLDER, BUT
THAT LACK OF EDUCATION HAS HURT ME ALONG THE WAY, AND ONE OF THE
REASONS I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK IS MAYBE YOU'RE NOT OUT THERE
NEEDING AN EDUCATION, BUT YOU HAVE A CHILD THAT DOES, A SON, A
DAUGHTER, A NEPHEW, GET THEM TO THIS PROJECT.
IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO HAVE A GOOD EDUCATION.
>> WELL, I THINK THE POINT YOU'RE MAKING, CERTAINLY, IS
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOUR LIFE IS
NOT OVER, HERE YOU ARE, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER AND TO
CONTRIBUTE AND TO GIVE, BUT IT MUST HAVE BEEN A BIG STUMBLING
BLOCK FOR YOU, OBVIOUSLY, YOU DID WELL ENOUGH THAT I THINK YOU
WORKED IN A MACHINE SHOP, WHICH THAT'S A GREAT JOB, AND THERE'S
A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AREA NOW WITH PRECISION
MANUFACTURING, BUT BEING ABLE TO FILL OUT A JOB APPLICATION,
THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT MAYBE PEOPLE WOULD
TAKE FOR GRANTED IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, I'M HERE, YOU'RE
RIGHT, MY LIFE AIN'T OVER, BUT WHEN I SAY "IT'S OVER," I MEAN
MY WORKING CAREER IS GETTING MORE NEAR ITS END.
I'M GOING TO SURVIVE, BUT ANYONE WHO IS YOUNGER OR IN THEIR 20s
OR 30s OR 40s, WHO STILL HAS 20 YEARS TO GO, DON'T GIVE UP.
COME GET YOUR EDUCATION.
>> HOW DID YOU GET THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL KNOWING THAT YOU WERE
NOT, YOU KNOW, WELL-EQUIPPED TO READ?
I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> LISTEN, SCHOOL, TO ME, WAS BAD.
IT WAS THE ENEMY.
I THINK AT A YOUNG AGE, I COULDN'T READ, AND THEY PASSED
ME ALONG, I HATE TO SAY THAT, BUT THEY DID.
WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO WHERE I KNEW I NEEDED HELP AT 14 OR 15,
I WAS PROBABLY FEELING TOO COOL TO ASK FOR IT.
>> AND EMBARRASSED, I'M SURE.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
I WAS NOT GOING TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO BULLY ME OR ANYTHING.
I WAS MORE OF THE AGGRESSOR.
NO ONE PUSHED ME AROUND, BUT THANK GOD I DID WHEN I LEFT
SCHOOL, GOT A JOB, YEAH, AND TIMES WERE DIFFERENT.
YOU COULD DO IT BACK THEN.
PEOPLE SAID, OH, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO, OH, YEAH, WE LIKE
IT, BUT, TODAY, YOU NEED THE EDUCATION.
IT'S IMPORTANT.
COME GET IT. >> IS HIS STORY SIMILAR TO THE
PEOPLE YOU SEE THERE, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THAT SITUATION,
YOU KNOW, THAT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER PUT IT OFF OR WERE
EMBARRASSED TO SEEK HELP?
>> WE HAVE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE.
WE HAVE STORIES OF STUDENTS ABOUT WHY SOMEONE DID NOT
GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL.
IN JOE'S CASE, YOU KNOW, HE CAN SPEAK TO HIS OWN STORY, AND
OTHER ADULTS WHO WENT THROUGH SCHOOL, DIDN'T GRADUATE, BUT NOW
FIND THEMSELVES, LIKE, WE HAVE A GRANDMOTHER WHO CAME TO OUR
CLASS, AND SHE SAID, I NEED TO HELP MY GRANDCHILDREN WITH THEIR
HOMEWORK, AND SO THAT'S A BIG REASON PEOPLE SAY THEY WANT TO
HELP.
PARENTS WHO WANT TO HELP KIDS, MORE THAN HALF THE STUDENTS ARE
PARENTS, THEMSELVES, AND PARENTS WHO FAILED SCHOOL, THEIR KIDS
TEND TO FAIL SCHOOL, SO IF THEY GET THEIR EDUCATION, IT LIFTS UP
THE WHOLE FAMILY.
SO WE ENCOURAGE, AS JOE SAID, ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME BACK,
AND WE CAN WORK WITH STUDENTS AT WHATEVER LEVEL THEY ARE AT.
WE ALSO SEE REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS.
NOW, WE'RE NOT -- WE DON'T TEACH ENGLISH SO ONCE A PERSON HAS
GONE THROUGH I ENGLISH AS A SECD LANGUAGE PROGRAM OR LEARNED TO
SPEAK ENGLISH IN VARIOUS WAYS THAT PEOPLE LEARN, THEY THEN
COME TO US TO STUDY FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, SO WE ALSO
SERVE FOLKS LIKE THAT.
WE SERVE PEOPLE WHOSE EDUCATION WAS INTERRUPTED BY INCARCERATION
OR SOME PEOPLE WHO KIND OF STUMBLED ALONG THE WAY WITH
DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND THEN THEY ARE IN RECOVERY, AND THEY COME
TO US.
THERE'S MANY, MANY DIFFERENT REASONS WHY A PERSON COULD JOIN
OUR CLASSES.
>> HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS IN I MEAN, HOW LONG HAVE
YOU BEEN TAKING THE CLASS, AND ARE YOU REACHING THE GOALS THAT
YOU SET OUT TO REACH?
>> WELL, I STARTED IN JANUARY, AND I AM REACHING THE GOALS I
WANTED TO REACH.
I FULLY EXPECT I'M GOING TO GET MY GRADUATION BY CHRISTMAS.
I DIDN'T STRUGGLE IN ANYTHING, BUT SPEAKING TO JUDITH ABOUT MY
CLASSMATES, WOW, ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.
AND WE ALL HAVE GOOD STORIES WHY WE'RE HERE, AND THE THING THAT
CONNECTS US IS THOSE STORIES.
WE'RE ALLOWED TO BE A LITTLE MORE PERSONAL WITH EACH OTHER.
MAYBE SOMEBODY WAS BULLIED OR MAYBE SOMEBODY WAS THIS, BUT
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE HERE IN OUR LITTLE FAMILY.