Megan Sanderson
For The New Era
The elderly gentleman was retired and he couldn’t read well, until he met Heather Horn, Graduate Equivalency Diploma instructor at Linn-Benton Community College.
“He could read a little, but not a lot,” Horn said. “I was surprised. After working with him a few terms, he was reading, reading and reading. He read all the storybooks they (LBCC) had.”
Horn knows the value of the GED program herself. That’s the road she took to college and now she helps others get there too.
Horn not only completed her GED, but went on to college to complete a certificate in administration at Central Oregon Community College, an associate’s degree in elementary education at Linn-Benton Community College, a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in counseling, both at Oregon State University. Horn currently teaches GED classes at LBCC in Sweet Home, and substitutes at Lebanon, Albany and Central school districts.
The GED program is designed to give adults a better understanding in basic skills such as reading, writing, and math. Through these classes, the students are prepared to enter the workforce, improve job skills, improve college placement test scores, assist children in homework, and ultimately prepare oneself for the GED exam.
The GED program offers benefits such as a supportive class environment, no charge for books and materials, and earns free college credits among many more.
The program is small, with an average of 10-15 students per quarter, but is growing and the LBCC staff would like to see even more growth. Ages in the program range from young to seniors.
“I’d love to see more people in the community come to visit the classroom and give it a try,” Horn said.
Those looking for a place to further their education by getting a GED, in an environment that’s positive and encouraging, should come to Sweet Home’s LBCC center, she said.
Prospective students are required to attend an orientation before starting classes. The orientation dates for new students are: for morning students, Monday, Sept. 19 and Tuesday, Sept. 20, or Sept. 26-27, from 9 a.m. to noon; for evening students, Monday and Wednesday, Sept. 19 and 21, or Sept. 26 and 28, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Classes start Sept. 26.
After choosing an orientation date and attending both days of the session, a $30 program fee is required. Class attendance is encouraged, but is not required.
“We’re fortunate to be in Sweet Home, with both a.m. and p.m. classes. It makes it flexible,” Horn said. “It’s a really positive place.”
Mary Sue Reynolds, coordinator of Sweet Home and Lebanon campuses, encourages anyone, regardless if they think they can or not, to join the program.
“Getting a GED is a stepping stone in a person’s life path,” she says. “Completing it gives a person a sense of accomplishment.”
For more information or to sign up for the GED program, contact LBCC’s Sweet Home Campus at (541) 367-6901 or go to http://www.linnbenton.edu/go/ged
“There’s no time like the present,” Reynolds said.