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Recent GED earners encourage others to pursue certificate
Free practice test Thursday
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
By ASHLEY JACKSON - Bulletin Staff Writer
Several local residents who recently earned high school equivalency certificates with the help of the Martinsville Schools’ Adult Education Center are encouraging others to do the same.
Judy Barnes, 55, of Martinsville, received her high school equivalency certificate in November through Martinsville Schools’ Adult Education Center. She will begin her first semester at Patrick Henry Community College this week to study to be a customer support specialist.
“I’ve been out of school for a long time ... but when you’ve been working as long as I have, you want something better,” she said.
Before earning her high school equivalency certificate, Barnes worked at Bassett Furniture for 23 years and UK-West for 12 years. After both plants closed, she finally summoned the courage to get her high school equivalency certificate, she said.
When she started going to the Adult Education Center, “I was scared, but I did it,” she said. She hadn’t had algebra in a long time, but she paid close attention when the teachers solved problems, and “it was easy to catch on because you’re listening more than you would when you’re a teenager,” she said.
Barnes passed the test on her first try, which gave her a better outlook on life because she sees more possibilities for herself, she said. She worked in the furniture manufacturing industry all her life but said she knew it was time to take a different path.
“I’d been out of school for 30 years, so if I can, anybody can” earn a high school equivalency certificate, Barnes said.
Another recent high school equivalency certificate recipient is Melissa France, 43, of Martinsville, who received her certificate in October after studying at the Adult Education Center. Before she took the test, she worried about passing the math section.
“I was really surprised that I passed on the first try,” France said. “I was very happy.”
She said she always dreamed about getting her high school equivalency but never went to work on it until her son, who attends Albert Harris Elementary School, brought home a flier from school about the Adult Education Center.
The flier piqued France’s interest, so she took an assessment test and did well. After that assessment, she had the confidence to pursue studying for her high school equivalency certificate, she said.
She thought getting the certificate wasn’t too difficult because she remembered much of each subject once she started taking the classes, she said.
France discovered that she liked the academic environment, and now she plans to enroll at PHCC this year to pursue a degree in nursing.
“I enjoyed going back to classes,” and so she feels that she will enjoy going back to school, she said.
She encouraged anyone who doesn’t have a high school equivalency certificate to “do it, because you will feel a lot better about yourself afterward.”
If you try, “you will never regret it,” Barnes said.
Edward Day, 27, of Martinsville, received his certificate early last year. Day said he struggled a little to pass the test, but “I never stopped trying” because “I had to do it for me, my family and my son.”
“I had to man up and be more than what I am,” Day added.
It always bothered him that he didn’t have a high school diploma, and “I wanted to get better at life ... and the better you do, the better crowds you are around,” he said.
Day’s family encouraged him to go back to get his high school equivalency certificate, and he began taking preparation classes at the Adult Education Center. During the classes, teachers held one-on-one sessions with Day to help him learn the subjects, and he took several practice tests.
The first two times he took the test, Day passed a couple of the parts but didn’t pass all five sections. He kept pushing on by asking more questions in class until he felt that he was ready to take the test again. He passed the test on his third try, he said.
Since receiving his high school equivalency certificate, Day enrolled at PHCC, where he is starting his second semester. He currently is working on prerequisite credits to later receive a bachelor’s degree in human services.
Those interested in working toward a high school equivalency certificate are invited to take a free practice test from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Adult Education Center in the former Druid Hills School at 746 Indian Trail, Martinsville.
The practice test helps students evaluate whether they are prepared to take the full exam.
There will be day and evening preparation classes available for those who wish to take the GED exam. For more information or to register, call 403-5466.
A 10-week preparation course for the GED test is being offered separately at the Spencer-Penn Centre. For more information on that free course, call Spencer-Penn at 957-5757 or the Henry County Center for Community Learning/Adult Learning Center at 638-1668.
