Adults Going Back to School - 1
Tutors Needed - 2
Elmsdale Adult High School - 2
Numeracy - 3
Gift Basket Draw - 3
Sweat Treats and Auction - 4
EHATS Drivers Needed - 4

Adults Returning to School Need a Great Teacher

Comments by Hannah Mills, Level II and III instructor at the Adult Learning Program—Elmsdale.

Hannah Mills is a devoted teacher and community volunteer who has dedicated her talents to enriching the lives of people for 34 years. She has witnessed a lot of change in the teaching profession over that span and has influenced many, many people. The majority of her career was spent mentoring and enriching the lives of adult learners. Hannah said that her students who have dropped out of school for any number of reasons but are now faced with parental demands or low esteem issues that hamper their employability. In her current class she has two students who are over 40 years of age and who are returning to the classroom because getting a high school diploma is something that they always wanted to do.

Although Hannah did not want to generalize on reasons why an adult wants to return to school, she indicated that some students just don't feel confident in writing a letter to their child’s teacher or can't help them with the child’s homework. “These people are not the same people who left school, they have lots of valuable life skills”. Hannah is an encourager and often functions like a coach molding her students into a cohesive work team. Every student has different needs but also different skills; by working together their interaction is supportive and upbuilding. Hannahs goal is for each student to develop his/her brain building and problem solving skills. “There is no cut-off between school and home”. When asked about the impact of todays culture and especially the electronic demands, Hannah said that the demands and needs are just as great today as they were 18 years ago. Everyone has basic needs, unfortunately employers demand a minimum of a GED for new employees. The need for adults to retrain and upgrade is greater than in the past, in fact it's urgent. Young people don't feel that urgency and haven't seen the dead end of social assistance”.

As a teacher Hannah must relate constantly to each student, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and strength development is paramount. Sometimes you have to take a person by the hand and lead them until they become accomplished. Adult students are no different from any other student; some are very needy and require extra attention, which they find in Hannah who is not only a teacher but a counsellor, a mentor and a friend.

What makes the Adult Learning Program environment unique is the quality of the learning environment; it isn't authoritarian or disciplinary, but rather it's nurturing and caring. Because the students that enroll in the program have literacy levels ranging from grade 7-9 the students are with Hannah for 3 or 4 years. Students become very close friends and the classroom is an environment of trust, confidence and success. There is certainly no Teacher-Student stereotype in this class; it's an extension of an old country kitchen where family gathers to learn and enjoy everyones company.