Entries for September 2011

September Student Success Story- Nancy Dunn:
"As with most students attending the Fort Smith Adult Education Center, I was laid off work. To better prepare myself for job seeking, I needed help with math and also computers. I was really scared to start school after more than thirty years of being out of school. With the help of my counselor Ms. Dye and my teachers Ms. Langford, Ms. Holland, and Ms. Russell, I was able to do more than I ever dreamed I could. They not only educated me, but also gave me the confidence to go forth with my education and life. I enrolled and was accepted to the Fort Smith School of Massage Therapy. The instructors there are helping me and guiding me as I complete my training.
To my surprise I have found that you are never too old to reinvent yourself. Without the help of my teachers at the Adult Education Center and also their faith in me, I would have never reached my goals."

Ana Hernandez is the student of the month for September. Ana has been taking classes at the AEC for over a year, and during that time she has shown great progress. She started taking ESL classes last year, and through her hard work and determination, she has advanced to ABE. She now attends math and writing classes four days a week.
Ana is pushing herself in her ABE classes this year. She was a very dedicated ESL student last year. She came to class regularly and quietly and persistently built her English grammar skills to a level that allowed her to advance to ABE. Although her classes are challenging, Ana is enthusiastic about taking the next step in reaching her goal of enrolling in college in the future. 
Ana’s motivation for improving her skills in math, reading, and writing is driven by her desire to help her children do well in school, and her efforts are paying off. Her children’s grades have improved so much that their teachers have praised and thanked Ana for helping her kids with homework and working with them at home when they needed help. Because she is taking math and writing classes herself, Ana understands her children’s assignments when they have questions. 
We are very proud of the progress Ana has made so far. We admire her determination and persistence in continuing to work hard to help her children to be successful and reach her personal goals.