MTC Tifton GED Student Sets Mind on Success
For many a lifestyle of literacy begins in Pre-Kindergarten when letter sounds are first formed and then continues into high school when classics like “To Kill A Mockingbird” are first explored.
But what happens when “life” happens and the formative years of gaining a general knowledge of the world around us glide into an aimless existence?
Fred Bennett, who was born in Hahira, Georgia, learned the hard way when his mother died when he just five years old. He spent his elementary and middle school years raised by an aunt.
By Bennett’s own confession, “I was angry with the world.”
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| Recent Moultrie Technical College GED graduate Fred Bennett, right, spent a full year under the teaching of MTC Tifton Campus Adult Education instructor Sandra Griffin, left. |
“She had a time with me,” he said of his upbringing under his aunt. “I stayed in trouble and didn’t listen. I didn’t really like school.”
In the tenth grade at Cook County High School in Adel, Bennett chose to drop out and hit the streets at age 17.
“I was just hanging out in the streets and trying my best to do right,” said Bennett. But he admits that he worked infrequently, going from job to job. The turnaround came when he began attending church at age 25. “Once I made up my mind to do that, everything has been all right,” he said.
Bennett moved to Tift County in 2007. The reality of a slim job market without the benefit of an education hit home and life seemed grim.
That is until a friend at Bennett’s church gave him a copy of the GED test preparation textbook from Moultrie Technical College’s Adult Education program in Tifton.
So he enrolled in the program mid-year 2007 and began taking daily classes to ready himself to take the GED exam. He said he knew he needed to be refreshed in every subject, but it was a daunting task after so many years out of the classroom.
However, Bennett added, “With Mrs. [Sandra] Griffin and all the teachers, it has been very easy. They saw something in me that I didn’t, and I thank God for them.”
He obtained his GED on July 14 after working toward it for a full year and passing all portions of the exam. About his new diploma and on going back to school after a 16-year absence, he said, “It’s something I wanted.”
Bennett, who says he enjoys tinkering with computers in his spare time, has made an obvious impression at Moultrie Tech’s Tifton Campus among the Adult Education faculty, staff and students, according to MTC Adult Education instructor Sandra Griffin.
“Fred received our superlative award for friendliest and best sense of humor…everybody loves Fred,” said Griffin.
Of his study and classroom learning habits, she added, “He asks lots of questions. If he doesn’t know the answer, he doesn’t stop there.”
Griffin says other MTC instructors have been impacted by Bennett’s strong work ethics and dedication and that it is not uncommon to hear statements such as “I like that fella” when referring to him. And Bennett says he knows he has their backing in return.
“Everyone has been supportive and been behind me.”
Bennett’s network of supporters doesn’t end at MTC. “My friends, family members and church members have been on this journey with me.”
So what does the future hold for Fred Bennett?
He plans to apply for acceptance in Moultrie Tech’s Computer Information Systems program for the College’s fall quarter beginning in October. And he hopes to find a job in computer diagnostics and troubleshooting following graduation.
Clearly, Fred Bennett has adopted literacy as his new lifestyle.
