FORT SMITH, Ark.—
Many children went back to school Wednesday across Arkansas, but many adults are also getting ready to start classes themselves at local adult education centers.Last year, about 3,000 people enrolled at Fort Smith's center to earn their GED or other certifications. Director Gary Udouj says with today's job market those numbers are going to continue to rise.
"It's going to get worse before it gets better," he said Wednesday.
Udouj says most of the people that come in look like the floor's fallen out from under them, and the Center helps them find the direction they need to go.
"They have the deer-in-the-headlights look," he said, "They've been working 20 years at the same position and they don't know where to goÂ… So we depending on where they live and their situation we work with them, or help them find someone who can."
Linda Wight has been working as a counselor at the AEC since 1987, helping students develop their skills or earn their GED. She says working at the Center is very rewarding, though today's tough economy seems to bring more bad days then good ones.
"For the older workers, my heart breaks sometimes," she said. "They don't really want to retrain, they just want to work enough so they can retire."
But most students, she says, turn into success stories, like Rebeca Martinez. She came to the center after being laid off from Whirlpool, with just some broken English and almost no computer skills.
"I was scared to touch the computer, now I'm not," she laughed.
Since she started, her English has improved and she got a job at the center, where she occasionally does some teaching herself.
"I watch the babies in the morning, teach them letters and words and talk to them about respect," she said.
Martinez says her family's proud of her progress, and she's proud to be doing her part as well.
"It's wonderful when you understand people, you can help somebody and they can tell you thank you."
For more on the Fort Smith Adult Education Center, you can visit their website at AdultEducationFortSmith.com.
