Driven by his desire to speak English more fluently, Adrian will gladly try his new language out on anyone willing to talk with him. Since arriving from Colombia in January of 2011, he has been attending classes here at Dover Adult Learning Center. When he arrived, he could read English, but he could not speak it so that Americans could understand him, nor could he understand what they were saying to him. This made it very difficult for Adrian to find employment, primarily because it was so important to be able to speak and understand English during interviews. He was finally successful in landing a job at Liberty Mutual as a power punch press operator. Fortunately, his direct supervisor speaks Spanish, which makes his job easier while he continues to master English.
When he lived in Colombia, Adrian drove a bus for work. Adrian's mother, who has lived in the United States for approximately 15 years, began the application process to bring Adrian here five years ago. Finally, his application was approved and he joined his mother here. Almost immediately Adrian began attending Martha's Level I English class. Through his hard work, Adrian was able to advance to Jodi's Level II class this year. Adrian spoke glowingly of both teachers, "they are good teachers," he said, "I like everything" in the classes. How does he like being better understood now? One of Adrian's favorite stories to share involves a time when his fellow Colombian girlfriend needed to use a restroom and he was able to obtain the information she needed. It is clear that Adrian enjoys his new home. He enjoys watching "House" on television, exercising and trying out his new language as often as possible. He understands that speaking English is important to his effort to obtain U. S. citizenship. "He is one of the brightest, shining stars in the class," says Jodi.
When George first dropped out of high school, he was able to get jobs without a high school education. Unfortunately that is no longer true, claims George, who has been looking for a job while working to get his GED. He should get his GED soon when he takes the writing test again in December.
George worked for the Machine Tool Company for 27 years. He's also been a school bus driver. Unfortunately, his retirement disappeared due to an unscrupulous fellow employee. Realizing he needed to get his GED to find work, he began coming to DALC-Rochester about a year ago. His wife is working and is thrilled about George's efforts to get a GED, and then hopefully a job. He misses being employed.
At the Center he has worked with Paula Dubois and Mary Caulfield. "They are good teachers." It has been the writing skills test, one of the five tests in the GED, he has struggled with. The writing skills test is composed of 50 grammar questions and an essay. "I haven't had to deal with (writing). I didn't have to write reports." The other tests he had no problem with, Reading, Social Studies, and Science. George enjoys reading. He said, "The biggest thing about taking the GED tests is the ability to comprehend what you are reading."
After he passes his last test, he states he will miss being at the Center. "I will miss coming to school every day." When he gets his GED soon, he is hopeful he will be able to take some courses. "I've never had the background," he said. George is definitely looking forward to learning even more.
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