Lifelong Learning @ Lawrence

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T16:36:00.002-05:00

We all start the year with resolutions for self-improvement. Here's one very simple way to turn those goals into reality. Sign up for a course! Our Winter/Spring brochure is landing in mailboxes this week and we hope you'll take a few moments to explore this semester's offerings. Want to work off some holiday pounds? Take a Zumba exercise class. Looking for some crafty ideas? Sign up for Craft Mania. Concerned about your financial future? How about a class on annuities or budgeting? Looking forward to spring? Consider a class in organic gardening or beekeeping. With over 60 academic, vocational and enrichment classes, there's something for everyone.

A Learner Again

2010-10-21T14:31:00.003-04:00

I firmly believe that all educators should demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning by becoming students again. Not only does it keep the brain cells firing, but it also reminds us to look at learning from the perspective of a student. I have just begun a new course on college readiness which I hope will help me improve our college transitions program. Here's the catch-it's an online course. Suddenly, I am thrust into a learning situation that I am not yet comfortable with. One of the course requirements is that I have to submit posts to a discussion list and respond to posts by classmates from around the country, classmates that I will probably never meet in person. If our adult learners aren't proficient with technology, they may have a difficult time in college today because so many courses are delivered online or have an online component. This class promises to teach me more than just the course content- it will teach me how to be an online learner, a lesson I hope to pass on to our students.

Harvest Time

2010-10-07T18:07:00.004-04:00

Many thanks to Kate McCarty and the Maine Cooperative Extension for presenting "Preserving the Harvest." This one night workshop on September 23 was full of folks eager to preserve the bounties of their gardens. After listening to Kate's presentation, the class put preserving techniques into practice when they made and canned jars of salsa. Class participants found the course very helpful.

NATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION WEEK

2010-09-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

September 13-17 in National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, a time to celebrate the success of adult education programs around the country.
Why does adult education matter? Adult education:

helps adults get and keep good jobs with family sustaining wages
ends dependency on public assistance and helps adults contribute to the tax base
prepares parents to be their child's first and most important teacher
reduces crime and recidivism
improves the health of individuals, families, and communities

Each year in Maine, over 3000 adults earn a high school credential. Another 4000 adults enroll in adult education college transition programs. In addition, almost 20,000 adults enroll in adult education for job training and retraining. Beyond that tens of thousands of adults look to adult education to provide accessible and low cost community education programs.

It seems like we have a lot to celebrate!

Back to School

2010-09-02T15:49:00.003-04:00

It's not too late to register for fall classes! Although kids have already returned to school, we usually wait until after Labor Day to start our classes. Given the curent heat wave, we're glad that our adult learners are not having to sit in hot classrooms this week.

We have some exciting offerings this fall! Want to make a loud noise? Try our drumming classes on Wednesday evenings. Thinking ahead to handmade Christmas gifts? The sewing classes on Monday nights offer adorable aprons and coordinating kitchen linens. More ambitious sewers might want to consider some of our Tuesday night quilting workshops. If poetry is your passion, join our poetry writing class on Mondays. Returning class favorites include oil painting, line dancing, sign language, woodworking, guitar, stained glass, and crochet. We continue to offer a wide variety of computer classes for all skill levels. So pick up the phone, sign up online or drop by the office to register.

2010-08-17T15:56:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the start of a new year at Lawrence Adult Education. We know that many of you received your brochure in the mail over the weekend because the phone started ringing Monday morning and it hasn't stopped since. I love the picture on our brochure cover- to me it says "Hurray for learning!" We hope you will also be excited by our offerings this fall as we try to meet your learning needs from the practical to the artistic to the academic.

Summertime learning

2010-07-06T16:58:00.005-04:00

Now that we are halfway through our summer semester, I want to recognize the efforts of a dedicated group of students who are taking summer classes with us. For over sixty adult learners, it's not about the lazy, crazy days of summer. While others are chilling by the lake or taking siestas in the hammock, they're tackling chemistry and algebra, improving their math and writing skills, or preparing to take the GED tests. Instead of fireworks in the sky, their brain synapses are firing with new learning. Congratulations to our summer learners who are making the most of this learning opportunity!

Congratulations graduates!

2010-06-10T10:43:00.003-04:00

Last night we celebrated. The Lawrence Adult Education graduation ceremony contains many of the same elements as a traditional graduation: caps and gowns, the playing of Pomp and Circumstance, diplomas and handshakes. But the part of the event that most people comment on, the part that makes each graduation unique is the student speeches. They are emotional and heartfelt as our graduates describe their educational journey- both the events which caused them to leave school in the first place and the challenges they faced as adults returning to school. As one person in the audience last night noted, " If only we could make everyone who is thinking about dropping out of school listen to these speeches, we might have fewer drop outs."

Thank you to Peng Yi, Darlene Mooers, and Jessica Verdejo for sharing their stories with us last night. congratulations to all our graduates. Keep on learning....

You're invited!

2010-05-27T14:29:00.004-04:00

Lawrence Adult Education graduation ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, June 9 at 7 pm in the Williamson Auditorium. It's a rewarding time for us and an exciting time for our adult learners, some of whom have been waiting for this day for many years. This year's graduating class of 35 adults range in age from 17 to 49. With a high school credential in hand, many are hoping to continue their education at the college level, a few are headed into the military, and others are looking forward to being able to apply for jobs that require a diploma.

Our graduation ceremony is brief but meaningful. Instead of guest speakers, our only speeches are by the graduates themselves. The speeches are heartfelt, emotional, and inspiring and reflect the difficult road that our graduates have had to follow to earn their high school credential. Our ceremony is open to the public; we invite you to see for yourself how adult education can change lives.

Looking for a "Wicked" Good Time?

2010-05-10T10:01:00.002-04:00

Here's an early opportunity to sign up for a fall offering. We are collaborating with Mid-Maine Regional Adult Education to offer a bus trip to Boston for a matinee performance of the hit musical Wicked. There will even be time for lunch and a little shopping at Quincy Market. The $125 registration fee includes bus transportation and left or right center mezzanine tickets. These bus trips have proved to be exceedingly popular and we do expect this one to sell out quickly.

Buyer Beware!

2010-05-03T12:47:00.002-04:00

With the growth of online learning, there has also been a growth in fraud. Some unscrupulous companies take advantage of vunerable students with the promise of a high school diploma or GED diploma for a fee. Beware- many of these companies are diploma mills! They will take your money, require very little of you, and send you a fancy piece of paper that is absolutely worthless. How can you separate a diploma mill from a legitimate online learning institution? First of all, no one in the United States can earn a GED diploma online. The only way to receive a GED is to pass the tests at an official testing center like ours. In the state of Maine, there is no fee to attend GED preparation classes or to take the GED tests. If you are interested in earning a high school diploma, do a little research before you pay any fees to an Internet school. Is the institution accredited? Do they promise you a diploma in a very short period of time? Will your local college accept a diploma from them? Remember the old saying, if it looks too good (or in this case too easy) to be true, then it probably isn't legitimate. At any adult education program in the state of Maine, there is no fee to attend classes leading to a diploma. This June we expect almost 40 adults will be receiving a GED or high school diploma through our program. They didn't pay a cent for their credential but every one of them will tell you that they earned it.

Summer School Sign Ups

2010-04-28T17:22:00.003-04:00

Thinking about starting college in the fall? Lawrence Adult Education's summer program focuses on college transitions for adults. If you need to pick up a prerequisite like biology or chemistry, improve your math or writing skills, or bring your computer skills up to date, our intensive eight week summer session is a great time to do this. Classes meet twice a week and most are held in the air-conditioned comfort of our learning center. Space is limited so call soon if you are interested.

College Connection

2010-04-12T10:13:00.003-04:00

"They had lots of questions," explained KV Academy Coordinator Val Landry about the group of adults that he led on a tour of KVCC on Thursday evening.

Seven prospective college students from our program joined a group of about twenty-five from the central Maine area. As they toured the classrooms, labs, library and bookstore, many noted that this was the first time that they had ever been on a college campus.

Another tour, this time of the UMA campus, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27.

Students in the news...

2010-04-05T10:10:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Lawrence Adult Education student Martha Rodrigue who recently was sworn in as a US citizen in a ceremony held in Falmouth. Martha, a native of Colombia, attended adult education classes to improve her English and to help prepare her for the citizenship test.

We recently learned that Michael Peatfield, a student in the KVCC Respiratory Therapy Program, has been named KVCC's 2010 Student of the Year. Michael took biology and chemistry prerequisites through Lawrence Adult Education.

The artwork of Donald Abrams is currently on display at the Kennebec Federal Savings Bank on Main Street in Waterville. Donald attended art classes at Lawrence Adult Education.

Lawrence Adult Education is proud of the role we have had in preparing these adults for citizenship, college, and lifelong learning.

Spring flowers, rainy weather, stained glass, etc.

2010-03-31T10:26:00.013-04:00

The creative folks in the stained glass class have completed some beautiful projects as the class nears the end. This lamp shade is an excellent example of their talent.

Adult ed staffer Kathy Cote created this colorful suncatcher. After days of rainy weather, we're all beginning to feel a bit like fish!

These lovely tulips are another product of our stained glass class. We should be seeing the real thing soon.

Lifelong Learning in Chicago

2010-03-23T14:07:00.009-04:00

Mention Chicago and most people think of the Windy City, deep dish pizza, and the elevated train system. Last week I got to experience all of that and more when I attended the joint national conference of ProLiteracy and the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE). Over 1500 adult literacy providers from around the country took part in this outstanding professional development opportunity. Although it was exciting to learn about high quality adult education programming in other parts of the country, it was frustrating to be able to attend only a few of the more than 300 workshops available! I was also privileged to join two other Maine adult educators in presenting a workshop on our Maine College Transitions programming. In addition, plenary sessions featuring Washington policy makers provided insight into new directions in public policy. For example, I attended a session with Chris "CT" Turner of the GED Testing Service who explained how the GED test will be changing to align with the national Common Core Standards. Just as "Cloud Gate" reflects the Chicago skyline, our adult education program seeks to reflect the interests and needs of our community of lifelong learners.

Feathered friends

2010-03-12T11:54:00.003-05:00

Dr. Richard Brzozowski (r) uses a few feathered friends to demonstrate a point in the Backyard Chickens class which ended last night.
Now that spring is around the corner, if you are anxious to get out in the garden, we have a few classes to help you get started: Starting Plants from Seeds; Beginning Gardening 1- A Healthy Start; Beginning Gardening 2-Control Pests and Diseases; and Grow Your Own Organic Garden.
Don't forget to turn ahead your clocks this weekend. It's always a welcome change when students arrive for our evening classes while it's still light out.

Connecting the worlds of education and work

2010-03-11T16:22:00.007-05:00

Just returned from a tour of the New Balance factory in Skowhegan where we held our monthly meeting of the Somerset County Workforce Development Team. The team includes educators, business folks, employers, and various groups involved in workforce development. The mission of the group is to provide a regular forum for dialogue between educators and employers about the needs of the labor force.
So what kind of skills does New Balance look for in prospective employees? According to HR director Sheila Williams, New Balance seeks employees who can work as part of a team and who have excellent communication skills. Interestingly enough, those are exactly the same qualities that the WorkReady program emphasizes. Touring the factory floor, I saw first hand how their employees work in teams to produce a high quality product. Whether affixing that recognizable N on each sneaker or cutting out pieces of leather, each team takes obvious pride in their work and of the Made in the USA label. Part of our mission in adult education is to provide opportunities for workforce training. Today's tour confirmed that "soft skills" like communication and teamwork are a critical part of vocational training.

The Myth of Multi-tasking

2010-03-09T13:11:00.002-05:00

I've been reading an interesting book lately called "Brain Rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home and school." Author John Medina is a molecular biologist who specializes in applying brain research to learning situations. One point about which he is very clear is that students who allow their study time to be interrupted by email, phone calls, texting, etc. are not doing themselves any favors. "Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to perform a task. Not only that, he or she makes 50 percent more errors." (p.87) Time is a precious resource for many college-bound adults who need to juggle work and family responsibilities with school. In our study skills class, we help them learn strategies to make their learning more efficient, some as simple as finding a quiet place to study, free from interruptions. In our adult education classrooms, we require that all cell phones be turned off to protect the learning environment.
Medina suggests that we try carving out an interruption-free zone during the day to see if we get more done. That's one challenge that I would like to try.

A new day...

2010-03-04T17:58:00.004-05:00

Welcome to a new day in communication at Lawrence Adult Education. Over the years we have increased our presence on the Internet. Our first web pages contained information about our courses and programs. Since 2007, visitors to our web page have also had the ability to register and pay for courses on line. In 2008, we joined other adult education programs around the state to use a web portal developed for the Maine Adult Education Association. The web portal enables visitors to our web site to search for specific courses. Today, I am starting the first blog about our program and adult learning. Look for information about new courses, trends, and interesting tidbits.
I am often asked how we decide what courses to offer. Sometimes it's based on requests from the community; at other times a prospective instructor will approach us with an idea for a course. I also try to keep on top of trends in course offerings in other parts of the state or the country. The Backyard Chickens course which started tonight is a great example of how a course offering reflects community interests. People are becoming more interested in producing and consuming local food. Books like Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" have both topped the best seller lists. Some communities are passing ordinances to allow residents to raise chickens within city limits. Thus was born our course. I contacted the Maine Cooperative Extension Service, they put me in touch with an instructor, and tonight 17 people are learning how to grow chickens in their own back yards.
So what courses would you like to see Lawrence Adult Education offer?