What do you like most about your job?

The best thing about this job, or any other job in education, is watching our students be successful. It doesn't matter what that success is whether it's passing a GED test or finally learning how to "solve for x" or how to answer the extended response essay correctly. The small successes are sometimes as important and rewarding as the large ones. Seeing a student experience that "click" that happens when what they were working on makes sense to them is one of the reason why people become teachers. We get to share these experiences with our students and be part of completing sometime life-long goals.

What do you want students to know about your class or our program?

Just like many things in life--you get out what you put it. The harder you work at something the more likely you are to do it or learn it. All of our students who study regularly (online or in class) pass the all or some of the GED tests or show some kind of improvements. Some things are harder to learn than others, but if you put in the effort, you will learn something and improve your skills.

What subject was difficult for you in school?

Even though I enjoy learning, I was never the best student. Despite having started teaching reading and language classes as a GED instructor, in school, the language arts classes were always the most difficult for me because I'm a slow reader. Being a slow reader, I understand how discouraging school can be at times because of the reading and comprehension requirements throughout high school and college. The biggest thing I've learned is that the most important thing about reading is similar to the most important thing about getting your GED: it doesn't matter how fast or slow the process is or how easy or difficult the journey. The end result is what matters--finishing and understanding the chapter you just read, or earning your GED.

What are two things most people don't know about you?

1. My first job was at a comic store when I was about 13 years old, and I got paid under the table with merchandise.

2. I almost didn't finish college. It took me 8 years to complete my bachelor's degree.

3. (An extra one for Mary) I am currently the staff bowling champion----I won with a whopping 109.