Lynn...

They were so proud, especially my daughter. She said, “Wow, mommy, you’re in school!” She was telling all of her little friends in school. I pick her up at school and sometimes they would say, “You’re in school?” So, it was really a rush feeling, to see my daughter so proud. My son too . . . he was a little shocked at first and didn’t understand it. But then I talked to him some more and explained what was going on and that I wanted a career. I wanted a life. I didn’t want to just sit there, you know. I wanted to give my children something. When I got the GED, knowing I was out of school for 12 or 13 years and then, I do this thing in such a short amount of time . . . he was very proud. This is good for me right now, because my son is having trouble at school. So, it’s like a big boost for me to say, “Kevin, I sat on my butt for so long and this is what happened. I’m 31 years old . . . because I didn’t go to school.”

The hardest thing for me to overcome was getting up in the morning. It was the motivation, “Can I do this? I started; can I finish?” I was scared I would get lazy, just not bother with it, or make excuses. Just failure, period! I was scared of taking tests and not passing them. The whole school scenario got me really nervous.

When I got here, it was totally different. There was a lot of one-on-one . . . not a lot of people around you. You don’t have to be shy. I didn’t have to get up and speak in front of the class. You don’t have to stand in line if you need help. I could just go into the corner if I wanted to and work on my own. I was one of the older ones. Then, in the last couple of months the younger people came. That was quite different, but I dealt with it because I was already comfortable in the class. The age difference didn’t matter. I don’t find that there is any negativity in this program.

I had to leave for a little while because of a family situation. I didn’t have to worry about being kicked out of classes or falling behind. My daughter was in the hospital for appendicitis. It was very scary; I almost lost her. It was such a relief not to have to worry because this program was very supportive. You don’t get that from high schools. So that really helped.

After I got the GED, I redid my resume. I passed out several and had three phone calls that afternoon. I was very shocked. Impressed. I wasn’t expecting replies back so fast. Not the best paying jobs, but still they were call-backs. It was what I needed: more reassurance, more confidence. I can go out there and do this. I plan on going to college in the fall to take an Administrative Assistant course. Good hours, not sure about the pay yet, but hopefully it will be enough.

-A passage from a chat with Patricia Lynn Curtis, Bathurst NB