Good News

By Tressa

I guess this is to compare my thoughts and attitudes about coming here now to how I felt about it when I first started. When I first started here at ALC I felt a little scared, and a little nervous, but the folks up here made me feel real welcome. I have been out of school for about twenty-two years, yea I’m an old critter, but that’s o.k. because most of us up here are too (no offense).
I guess my worst fear was that I was not smart enough or that everyone would think I was just plain stupid. Good news!! I’m not that dumb after all, and these good ole folks up here helped me to see and believe that. Before I came to ALC the thought of going off to college was very intimidating, but not now I’m actually a little excited to go.
The people up here are the best; I mean it they really are. I can honestly say that I will miss these fine folks; they have helped prepare us for another step in our lives. I know that we would not have been ready for this if it had not been for this program and its caring people.
So I guess in conclusion to my little comparison essay, I would have to say THANK YOU ALC for all your help and good works.

The Best Outcome

Feelings About Going Back To School

By Bessie

I worked at the Rockcastle Manufacturing. for 10-½ years before the plant closed down. I had a choice of attending the Adult Learning Center or finding a job. I chose to attend classes with no intention of furthering my education. I thought this would be perfect opportunity to rest up and still have a check coming in. Later on as time went by, I was going to find a job and go back to work.
I am still attending the Adult Learning Center. Time is closing in to make a decision to get a job or go on and further my education.
I can get a better paycheck if I get a job. I can get a paycheck if I go on to college but for less money. I could get a job that I hated. I could go to college and get a job that I would enjoy for the rest of my life. A job isn’t going be as time consuming as going to college. Both choices have hard work and at times will be very stressful.
College in the end would be the best outcome. Everyone should better them self if the opportunity arises.
.

Read My Story!!!

By Dina

When I first started to come up to the Christian Appalachian Project for school I was very disheartened. I had just lost my job that I thought I would retire from someday. The plans that I had for my life had been just thrown out of the window and I wasn’t sure what direction I would go. When I started school I felt so out of place. I had been out of school for about twenty years and did not think that I could do it. It has been different from anything I have ever done in my life. When I was young and in school, it was more like I had to go. Now that I have been going back to school at the Christian Appalachian Project, I have learned so much more than I did when I was in High School. I guess by me being older, it feels like a second chance. I had thought about going to college and even went so far as to going to orientation and getting my classes. I finally came to the decision that I do not think that college is for me. I know that a lot of older people go back to college, but it was really stressing me out. I thought about where I lived, if I would be driving farther. I have always lived in Rockcastle County and more than likely will not move away.
I had to stop and look at what I would have gone to college for and if I could find a job. I decided that I probably would do just as well to go to the Work Essential Skills classes and find a job in the surrounding counties. If I had been younger I probably would have gone to college, but I do not regret not going now. I have really enjoyed learning math and being able to write about something and not be afraid for someone to read it. When I first came to computer class I had no idea of how to turn it on or off. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be able to come up to Christian Appalachian Project and learn all things that I have. Even if I never use a lot of this in my job, I hope someday, I can help my son if he has a problem in school. I can use my computer to do almost anything. I have more confidence in myself and the things I can do.

"I CAN DO THIS"

By Veronica


My factory shut down and moved overseas. According to the new government rules this entitled me to TRA (Trade Readjustment Assistance) this allows me to be re-trained in the work field. I will be paid to go to school plus the government will pay for my college. This sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime, but for me it was a very scary feeling. Telling someone who has a family and monthly bills and obligations to give up a weekly paycheck and benefits can be overwhelming. You still receive unemployment but for myself it is less than working at a job. As the day approached to go to the ALC, all my fears of going to school resurfaced such as: ‘Can’t afford to do this’ ‘I can’t go to school, I’m 40’ ..‘I haven’t been to school in forever’.. “I can’t take a computer class I don’t know that much about them”. I was giving myself all the reasons of why I couldn’t go to school, but to my surprise, my family have been the ones who have encouraged me to go on to school.

I am five months into my education at ALC and believe it or not, it’s not that bad, “I CAN DO THIS.” I have learned a lot with computers. I am refreshed on my mathand I am learning how to type. I will be attending a forty-two week program that will help me get a job in a office doing secretarial work. Am I scared? The answer is no. I think coming to the ALC has taken the edge off of doing schoolwork and learning new things. I am glad I decided to go on to school and I think I will enjoy starting the office essentials program.

Learn Something New Everyday

By Lisa M

For twelve years I worked in a factory. Then one day they came and told us that it was closing its doors and moving to Mexico. That was the day that my whole life changed. When it closed we were given the opportunity to go back to school if we wanted to. A lot of people decided to further their education and some of them decided to get out and look for a job. We started up here at CAP in February. When I started I was thinking that it has been sixteen years since I have been in school and, "am I going to be able to do this?" Let me tell you that you don’t realize how much you have forgotten until you start doing math, English, etc. I realized that for my self that I had forgotten a lot and that I was behind. But now I am where I need to be thanks to the hard working teachers here.
I was planning to go on to college but for financial reasons I just decided to take an office essentials course. Coming up here to school is nothing compared to working in a factory. When you work in a factory, you go in and do the same thing day in and day out. It’s the same old routine nothing ever changes. You work hard for your money, so the harder you worked the more money you made. But when you are going to school you can do different things like math, computers, English, etc. It is so much more laid back and you sort of do your own thing. While we are going back to school we are able to draw what they call TRA benefits. This is for people also called “dislocated workers” that were working for someone and they decided to move their company overseas. You do not get paid what you were being paid from the place that you worked, far from it. But at least you do have some form of income. I always thought that I would be in that factory forever, but life can change in an instant. This time for the better. I really like coming up here and learning something new everyday. You never know what you are going to do. I like it that way. Hopefully I won’t have to work in another factory again. I’m hoping that coming up here to CAP and then going on to Office Essentials Skills, that I will find a better job that has better pay and benefits, and that I won't have to work so hard (physically) in the process. Wish me luck.

Transition

TRANSITION
BY; SHARON

Most of us saw it coming at least a year before it actually happened. Some of us were worried. However, others felt it was the best thing that ever happened to us. I was undecided, there were arguments for the future of working in manufacturing, such as good benefits, production bonus, etc., but part of me was still holding on to the dream of having a career in a field I could really enjoy, moreover, the repetitious body movements were causing problems with my joints and muscles. And the dust and lint that I was inhaling every day, were starting to affect my physical and mental health. There was an underlying fear that I would never have a truly fulfilling career. The thought of going back to school was still far from my mind.
When prior to closing the factory, the management informed us we would have the option of furthering our education, expenses paid, I did not see this as an immediate solution, I was adamant about job hunting. After many fruitless contacts I realized I was out of touch with the skills I needed for a decent paying job. I finally decided, as a result of encouragement by management, Career Center, and people who had previously been in the same predicament and with the support and encouragement of my family and friends, to go back to school, but not without misgivings.
With a good deal of uncertainty, I embarked on my journey, which began with some help from the Christian Appalachian Project’s Adult Education Center. I knew it would be tough to learn Algebra, which I did poorly in high school. I soon learned I could depend on help and encouragement from the staff of CAP adult ED. This knowledge made me consider that it might actually be possible not only to make a passing grade, but to go on and work toward my goals with confidence. I did not feel so alone in my struggle. With the help of Math Teacher, Janet Heinz, and other helpers, I have completed all the series of Breakthrough to Math books and gotten to the Fifth chapter of the Algebra book. That’s good for me!
My writing and computer skills have drastically improved thanks to Keith Gilbertson, who has somehow found time to give me the help I needed on the computer, and the pointers he’s given me on writing have helped me to organize my thoughts.
All of these things and more, that CAP has done to help, has given me a big boost of confidence, and I now believe that I can really do something with the rest of my life that I will enjoy and that will contribute something to society as well..

Adventures in Learning

By Christina

I began taking classes at CAP back in March of this year, and wasn’t positive about how things would be. Now my time with CAP, is coming to an end and I have a different outlook on things.
We started out with a TABE test to see what you needed to review. I was nervous and was afraid I would score poorly. My test scores were shocking to me. I scored fairly okay, considering I had been out of school for seventeen years.
This gave me a little encouragement to get things rolling. It started off rocky and stressful. As time went by things came back to me and made it easier for me.
Math and English were my favorite subjects in high school, as well as now.
Now it wasn’t always easy and there were days I would be ready to quit. I learned to close the workbook and take a short break in order for work to be easier for me.
The classes we were reviewing were Math, Language, Computers, and the Work Keys Training. Meanwhile, the learning center has books on different subjects. If I were having trouble understanding the math I was working on, I would quit doing math and get a book on reading, writing, and science. This would help me forget my problem and learn something different all at the same time.
In comparing my feelings in March and now, going back to school is going to be an adventure for me. I have learned that you are never to old to go to school and be able to learn. There is an old saying, “you can’t teach an old dogs new tricks”, and this is what I’m saying also. You don’t learn new tricks about school, you learn as you always did before.

Submitted by: Christina

You Can Do It!

How I lost my job, and now am going back to school.

By Teresa C.
In September of 2005, Rockcastle Manufacturing shut down. I had worked there for twelve years, and didn’t know how to do nothing else. They gave us a choice of going back to school or finding another job. I chose to go back to school and was scared to death because I hadn’t finished high school, but did have my G.E.D.
In February of 2006 I started going to CAP at Renfro, along with about forty other students from the factory. We started taking classes in computers, language, and math. The workers at CAP have really taught me a lot. I didn’t know anything about computers and now I know a lot, thanks to Keith Gilbertson. In math, Janet Heinz taught me a lot that I didn’t know. Now I can do things in math that I never had in school.
All of us from the factory have come a long way. We will start college August 14. I am starting to get scared all over again, but I try to think on the positive side, and tell myself everything will be all right. We also have a lot of encouragement from everyone at CAP. It helps a lot to have someone to keep you thinking that you can do it.
If you ever get the chance to go back to school to better yourself, do it. If I can do it, you can do it. I promise it will beat standing on your feet for eight hours a day. I know, because I did it.