Transforming the GED Experience
Studying for one’s General Education Development (GED) test can be a difficult and lonely pursuit. You work through your test prep book, you arrive at your assigned testing destination, and then eventually receive your emailed results. And in the end, it doesn’t come with the celebration of a high school graduation. The fun parts of high school, like field trips and events, aren’t there, and you don’t get to be around friends who are also working toward their diplomas. However, at LifeWorks, the High School Equivalency (HSE) program is determined to build community and motivation as people work toward that certificate.
“If you are connected to people around you, you are engaging with them...those are all the pieces that you need to feel like this is a place for you. That’s been my focus, and why I do things not directly aligned to our big goal of passing the test ... I know that those are the ingredients to get them there.”
Using VR to explore careers at the Make it Center
Martinez and the rest of the staff have boosted educational opportunities and community-building outside of the classroom by hosting outings for students. These have included visiting the Make It Center at Austin Community College, where students explored career paths like electrical technology and healthcare hands-on; a tour of Huston-Tillitson University, where they spoke with an academic dean; and the TyRex Group Facility, which where they learned about methods of advanced technology. These outings have clearly had an impact.
One student said that the university visit was the first time they had stepped foot on a college campus.
Another shared after the tour of the TyRex facility: “I had no idea this could be a career. I can see myself doing this.”
“They do need to see something beyond just these four walls; what is out there? What opportunities?” Martinez said.
During each field trip, the teachers also take the students to a fun activity, such as disc golf or a cave tour of Inner Space Caverns, and treat them to lunch at a local spot, to encourage clients to engage with the opportunity and help them form connections with their fellow students.
“If you leave here feeling good, the chances that you’ll come back on Monday are increased, right?”
Taking a cave tour of Inner Space Caverns after visiting the Make It Center
The educational trips are just one of several ways that the HSE program is looking to improve the student experience.
Knowing that attendance is a key factor in the rate of successful GED completion, Martinez created a system where students can collect points based on the number of days they were present. Points can be exchanged for prizes, things like games or electronics, which were all selected by the students based on what they decided would be exciting to work towards.
“If I can get them here, and they want to be here, we’ll start to build that habit of [staying] with it when things get tough,” Martinez said. “We need to encourage them, and we need to have them feel some of that motivation.”
Another effort they made was redesigning the space to feel more welcoming and inclusive for students. HSE Instructor Abby Lincoln shared that it is important that every client feel comfortable and secure in the classroom setting.
“A comfortable environment means that you can be more relaxed and focused when you are studying”
Poster photos taken from the HSE classroom
“So, I made sure that the posters that are on our walls more accurately represent the demographic of clients that we have in the room. I wanted to make sure that there are pride flags everywhere,” Lincoln said, “I wanted to make sure that there was a cozy corner. You know, it's kind of hard to get into a book when you're sitting in a hardback chair at a table. But beyond just reading, you know, if you're having a bad day, you probably would like to sit in a beanbag chair with a blanket instead, so we have that.”
Lincoln and Martinez both added that they will ask clients what would make them feel more at home in the classroom or excited to attend, and if possible, they will make it available.
“If Pop Tarts are the reason you come to class, then by all means, we will give you Pop Tarts,” Lincoln said.
Nox, a former student who completed their GED in January, said the environment is helpful to make students feel willing to attend and connect with others.
“They definitely try to make it as comfy as possible,” they said. “You can go get coffee—they gave me coffee every day I was in here. They'll give you snacks… they’re always on it.”
“There’s a lot of interesting people, and a lot of them will talk to you. It was a nice environment, for sure.”
“The frequency at which [students] are here really is determinant of their success and their completion of [the GED]”
- Marc Martinez, HSE Program Director
Christiana, a current student who hopes to find a better job to support her son, said that this program has helped her get closer to her GED than any other program she has tried before.
“We’re very supportive of each other,” she said. “It’s a very calm, peaceful environment. People bounce off the peacefulness, so they give off that chill and happy vibe.”
Martinez said that while the skills, like math and English, you learn by studying for the test are important, what’s most important is that students start to feel less alone in their lives and that they can reach any of their goals. Their hope is to make the experience of completing a GED less dull, more supportive, and more inclusive. By creating not just a classroom, but an engaging community, education can empower clients beyond what they achieve by earning their certificate.
“When somebody's had a negative experience in school, what that often means is that they will start to tell themselves things like, ‘I can't do it. I don't have the skills for it. I've just not been able to master this thing,’” Martinez said. “What we've seen in a lot of our entry and exit surveys…they start to feel more ... able to control their daily lives, [and they have more] hope and resiliency.”
“They’re not going to necessarily need all the math that they [learn, but] we know that whatever they decide to do after this program, those are the skills that they’re going to take.”
Written by Sophia Ryland, Communications Intern
Edited by Tara Chbeir, Communications Specialist