Middle Georgia Technical College

GED opens doors to wide variety of students

By Jake Jacobs - jjacobs@macon.com

Reposted from The Sun News

Warner Robins - Joi King of Middle Georgia Technical College has a message for students seeking a GED (with apologies to a well-known tennis shoe manufacturer): Just do it.

"My advice for those contemplating a return to get their GED is definitely don't wait," said King, who's been named the college's Instructor of the Year. "I always tell my students they're blessed to be in Georgia with the HOPE scholarship and grants."

Students here have opportunities people in other states in the same situation don't have, she said.

"You can make your life with the opportunities you have at hand," she said, "and there are times when you really need assistance in making decisions that can change your life so quickly."

King, the team leader for instruction and curriculum for the Adult Education program, will compete in the district level competition Thursday with other winners from the East Central consortium of Technical Colleges at Central Georgia Technical College in Macon.

King has been involved with adult education for about 20 years, and began as an evaluator of classes taken by military personnel.

"I was overseas in the late 1980s with my husband, and I tutored soldiers," she said. "I was an evaluator with City College of Chicago, assessing classes service personnel took and awarding appropriate college credit."

The Nebraska native (she has a big "Go 'Huskers!" drinking cup on her desk) said she loved the travel and visited some 270 military sites worldwide.

Upon moving to Warner Robins in 2002, she looked for volunteer work, she said. Her two children were in school and she needed an outlet for her boundless energy.

"I saw a flyer for the Family Literacy Program at Parkwood Elementary. I trained for it, and after I got my first three students to get their GEDs, I was hooked," she said. "If you could see the looks on their faces when they realized it was real, that they could do it. It made an impact on me."

She was a volunteer for three years before becoming a full-time instructor in 2005.

King said she sees about 200 returning students in a year, and will probably hit 250 this year. The age ranges "from 16 to 100," she laughed.

"Really, my oldest student was this guy named Charles who was 68 years old. The first day of class he came in, said 'Good morning. My name is Charles and I've been out of school for 52 years,' and then sat down. But he was a wonderful student. He made perfect scores on his tests at the end," she said.

Why do students come back for their GED?

"I really don't know, but I think something awakens in them and it's something they have to do," she said. "People do want this so bad. They feel their education is half done and they're motivated to get the GED. Every one, though, is different."

One student who was 60 years old said all her children and grandchildren had graduated, and so she was getting her GED for herself, King said.

Another student said she lost out on a promotion because she was the only one in her office who had not graduated from high school. She knew she could do better if she went back to school.

"But then there are the ones who have had to make the hard choices. It's disheartening to see a young person leave school before they graduate because they have to provide for their family. Their future is compromised," she said. "But when they come back you feel you have to give them all that you have. It takes so much to return to classes."

The reasons for returning vary along with the age groups, she said. Students 16-to-20 years old, a large group, say they come back to further their education because they dropped out of high school; those 20-30 years old say it's for the education and their career; and those 30 years old and above have more personal reasons, more along the lines of self-satisfaction.

"They're driven, they're motivated," she said.

King was nominated for Instructor of the Year by her peers and was selected from a group of three candidates. They were judged by a panel of community leaders and college staff.

Judges for the competition were Therisa Patton, Hawkinsville Chamber of Commerce; Marsha Buzzell, Warner Robins Convention and Visitors Bureau; DeAnn Dent of MidSouth Federal Credit Union; Craig Jackson, college vice president for Student Affairs; and Dick Farnan, college director of Evaluation and Planning .

"Joi King is a model instructor," said Brenda Brown, vice president for adult education at the college. "She consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty to teach, reach and ensure the success of her students."

King is married to Willie King, and their children are William Joseph, 11, a student at Thomson Middle School, and Jordan Marie, 9, a student at Westside Elementary School.

Joi King, Instructor of the Year at Middle Georgia Technical College