Regional Adult & Career Education

1 day ago

In the spring of 2006, Perla McMurray walked into the Regional Adult and Career Education of Lee, Scott, Wise, and Norton Public Schools in Southwest Virginia (RACE1) classroom for the first time to embark on - what would become - a quite remarkable educational journey. Originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, she moved to Scott County, Virginia at 18 years old and enrolled as an ESL student. After diligently working on and completing her ESL study and vastly improving her English skills, she prepared for her GED tests with the help of her instructors Jan Stallard and Judy Vicars. They explained concepts to her in English, and she took copious notes in Spanish. She completed the entire GED battery of tests within 6 months!

Following her impressive completion of her GED, she enrolled at Mountain Empire Community College, where she earned an Associates degree in General Studies. Moving with her family to Knoxville, Perla enrolled next at the University of Tennessee and earned her BA in Psychology in 2016. And just last weekend, she earned her Masters in Counseling and Psychology at Tennessee Tech. She is enrolled to start classes this summer to earn her Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) with a concentration in school psychology, a program up to 2 years in length with a year-long internship. Her goal is to be a school psychologist with a public middle school.

Perla admits her journey was a bit intimidating at first because no one could understand her when she first came to America except her husband. “It took a lot of courage and commitment to attend ESL classes because I was worried the teachers wouldn’t understand what I needed, but I could not have had a better experience”. Not only were the classes convenient, she also expressed praise and gratitude for the instructors that she had. “Everyone was so nice and wonderful to work with - they always allowed me to express myself and develop my knowledge and language.”

Now seeking her Ed.S. degree, Perla’s experience in America has been about education and the limitless opportunity it provides. She’s excited for her next chapter, and looking forward to giving back and making an impact on those around her.

Perla and her husband and two children now reside in Clinton, Tennessee. We couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments! ... See MoreSee Less

Regional Adult & Career Education

2 days ago

No matter what, just don’t give up.

If we had to describe Quentin’s journey to his GED in one phrase, this would be it.

School attendance was an issue with Quentin during his teen years and his academic record was less than exemplary. Quentin’s journey in adult education began when the juvenile court judge released him from public school attendance and he enrolled in the Duffield Adult Learning Center with his father driving him to class.

Being a good reader, Quentin worked through the GED Academy online studies in Reasoning through Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies quickly. On May 6, 2016 Quentin began GED testing and passed the Reading through Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies GED tests one after another. Then time came to study math. Jane Bowlin, Quentin’s instructor, remembered clearly how disheartened Quentin was with his initial math practice test score. “It was as if he had a sort of mental block and believed math was impossible for him to conquer”, she noted. His high school counselor and the county’s attendance officer had said that Quentin had been enrolled in Algebra I, Part 1 numerous times with no success. Following a conference with Quentin and his father, he decided he would continue his studies, even though his dad was no longer able to drive him to class. He was able to obtain a used car and return to class. He was determined to finish his studies.

Quentin and Jane began an intense math journey together. Quentin began mastering required Algebra and Geometry concepts quickly and started to feel more confident in his ability to learn math. Then one day, Quentin’s car broke down. Over the weeks and months that followed he tried to buy, trade, or swap car parts to get his car running, but to no avail.

Jane kept in touch with Quentin as time passed. By the fall of 2021, Quentin had a new job and better car for transportation. Jane convinced him to return to the Duffield classroom to take a TABE assessment and enroll in distance learning. He was working long hours and had little or no time to attend class in person.

When GED Flash was introduced by Regional Adult and Career Education, Quentin was one of the very first students to receive a GED Flash account. This would enable him to practice GED math questions in short 15 minute segments around his busy work schedule. Quentin learned about the then ongoing no-preparation GED testing opportunity and Jane encouraged Quentin to use his GED Flash account for math study and take advantage of this opportunity.

During the last week of the no-preparation testing blitz, a simple text from another instructor was all it took to motivate Quentin to schedule that last remaining, and dreaded, math GED test. On Wednesday, May 11, Quentin took the math GED test and passed! Everyone at RACE1 celebrated joyfully with Quentin. Quentin told his instructors that the idea of being in a job he didn’t like, and the fact that just a math test and a simple piece of paper stood between him and his long-term goal of joining the military is what pushed him to jump that final hurdle. Quentin has taken the ASVAB and performed well. He is speaking with the Army recruiter and considering enlistment.

Quentin’s journey is one of determination, despite life’s obstacles. He has been such a pleasure to work with and we are so excited for his future! ... See MoreSee Less