Second Chances: The World of Adult Basic Education

What happens to people who did not get the needed education to flourish in life? In this book you will encounter some of the most tenacious of adult students, hungry for learning and eager to move into the next phases of their lives. Meet Ella whose education ended at third grade to be replaced with work in the fields. Now that her children are grown, at last, she had the opportunity to go to school. Then there’s Phet who struggles to feel okay in a world where he cannot read a menu. Many students have disabilities which curtailed earlier success in school; others lost out because of instability during their childhood. Now they are getting a second chance to expand their knowledge and skills in an educational setting geared to their pace and learning needs.There is no music more beautiful to my ears than hearing the student who came in saying, “I hate math,” later telling me that they really like math. The successes they have in their endeavors change their self-perception. This is the power of education. Read more