Benton retiree uses spare time to get GED

Tuesday, 25 September 2007

Floyd Elder stands with GED instructor Becky Ballard as he shows off the diploma he received Sept. 7. Elder said finishing his education was a lifelong dream. Ballard said Elder used his work ethic to successfully complete the program. (Photo special to the Courier)
Statistics, such as the fact that 18 percent of Saline County’s adult population (or approximately 11,500 people) does not have a high school diploma, tell part of a story. A face behind the numbers tells another part, though, and Floyd Elder, 50, of Benton is an example.
Elder worked for one company for 30 years. A stroke left him physically challenged, but he continued to accumulate his 30 years and retires. He then decided to pursue a lifelong dream: completing his high school education. He enrolled in Saline County Adult Education Center’s program.
    “I drove by here one day and I saw the education center and it made me think, ‘I didn’t finish school; here I am retired and now I have time to do it,’” Elder said. “That moment, I decided to do it.
    “I didn’t tell my wife, Jennie, when I enrolled. Later, when she found out about it, she was shocked. Jennie was a big supporter for me to continue in my studies.
    “I was scared to death, but when I walked in Janice [Housley, instructor] and Becky [Ballard, instructor] made it easy for me to come in and fit right in with everybody. [They taught me] how things worked. They made me feel very comfortable about my decision to come back to school.”
    Giving his studies the same diligence that he afforded his job, Elder recently completed and passed the general equivalency diploma and earned his Arkansas high school diploma on Sept. 7.
    “Floyd attended school as if it was his job,” Ballard said, “and he worked as though he were being paid. Floyd is one of those individuals whose work ethic is second to none and it paid off for him. He now has a high school diploma and has completed a chapter in his life that had been left unfinished.”
    Elder’s advice to young people: stay in school and get your education. To adults, Elder says: “If you don’t have your diploma, think about getting it. It gave me a sense of accomplishment.”
    As for the future, Elder is looking at the Pulaski Technical College catalog that instructor Housley gave him. He is considering enrolling. He’s not sure what course of study he would pursue, but he doesn’t want to stop with his GED.
    “I want to thank all of the teachers for their help, support, and encouragement,” Elder said. “They helped me to succeed and are a big part of my accomplishment.”
    Housley said Elder deserves the credit. “Floyd had such a great attitude and was willing to learn and apply new concepts to the life skills that he already had acquired.” she said. “We are so proud of him.”
    Arkansas’ 52 adult education centers offer free classes and is only one of two states that offer free GED testing for state residents. Approximately 425,000 Arkansas adults do not have a high school diploma. In 2006, 8,053 Arkansans took the GED test and 6,635 passed it. In the same year, 132 adults passed the GED at the Saline County Adult Education Center .
    According to Director Yvonne Dougherty, the Saline County Adult Education Center in Benton (a division of Pulaski Technical College ) serves about 600 residents of the county every year.
Enrollment includes includes students 16 and 17 who are released from public schools or home schools, international students who want to learn English as a Second Language and a part of the population of the Arkansas Department of Corrections Benton Unit. The program is funded through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education.
    “September 26 is Arkansas GED Pride Day,” Dougherty said, “and we at Saline County Adult Education Center are extremely proud of all of our students and their accomplishments.
    “Floyd Elder is a man whom we think represents the type of spirit and hard work that typifies our students. I am so proud of him and am delighted to have him represent Saline County Adult Education Center on GED Pride Day 2007.”
    For more information about the program, call 778-3235.

Article Credits go to The Benton County Courier
http://www.bentoncourier.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57976