Governor’s Adult Literacy Task Force 

May 21, 2004    

     To all the members of this distinguish committee, 

     You all have my utmost respect for the work you do in helping the citizens of our great state of Rhode Island.  The fact that this committee is interested in hearing what my thoughts are on Adult Education shows me that we have good people working for us in this state.

      Let me introduce myself; my name is Robert Pippins, but you can call me Bob. I’ve lived in Rhode Island all my life.  My mother’s side of our family migrated down from Canada to the Woonsocket area, and most of her family worked in the textile industry. All my relatives worked hard so they could provide for their children; therefore, not many of them finished high school.  This legacy has been passed down to all the children in our family until recently when my oldest son went to college and received an Associates Degree in Business.  Also, I have furthered my education by receiving my GED certificate in 1995, and this fall, I have enrolled in my first college class at CCRI.  Thanks to the wonderful staff at Transition to College, Project RIRAL’s ABE-to- college preparation program, my family’s legacy toward furthering our education will change.

     The coordinator for the Transition to College program is Marie Crecca-Romero. Whatever praise I could give about Marie and her staff would not do them justice for the way they have made me feel about myself.  They have not only taught me academically, but in addition, they have helped me to increase my confidence and self-image.  Furthermore, they have become my friends and mentors in life.  If you would like to know what I think makes a good teacher, or a good program, TTC (Transition to College) would be a great program to emulate.

     I believe a good education program starts with a good educator, one who is a good listener as well as a good speaker. She or he must be observant to the special needs or attention that should be given to a particular student; for example, some students may have problems with transportation, childcare, time scheduling for class, need for tutoring, etc.  A good line of communication between the teacher and the student would help to mitigate these obstacles in the student’s educational journey.  

     Additionally, a good teacher should nurture and build confidence in a student.  I believe that students can learn from one another; therefore, it would be wise for a teacher to allow a student who is struggling in a particular subject to persevere and remain with the group, not create a subclass issue where the student would feel belittled or less intelligent.  This could cause a student to want to drop out of school.  I know, because I was this student.  

     I remember very clearly what happened to me when I was in the third grade.  I couldn’t read very well or fast enough to keep up with the other kids.  The teacher put me in a slow reading group.  Even though all the ‘slow readers’ were in the same group, the kids in this group never felt so all alone.  I particularly felt shame, and even though no one ever spoke about it, I’m sure the others in the group felt it, too.

     I struggled through school because there wasn’t enough emphasis on education in my life from my family, or from the teachers I had in those early years.  I was not read to as a child or made aware of how important it is to be a good reader.  Now I am aware that from books you gain knowledge, whereas you can learn to do anything.

     I am fifty-two years old now, and like my relatives from Canada, I’ve worked hard all of my life.  With my increased self-confidence in my ability to be successful academically, I have decided to go back to school with the intent on changing my career. The way things are going for retirement, I may have to work until I’m 80; however, instead of working in manufacturing, I think I might like using my brain instead of my back.  I would like to help people in some way, maybe in social work, or in some kind of teaching capacity.  

     There should be a way for people to know about adult education programs like TTC. In my case I found Transitions purely by chance.  I had gone to CCRI to ask if I could talk to someone about what I needed to do to get back to school.  They told me that their counseling staff would not speak to me until I register for a class at CCRI.  In my mind, I questioned this procedure, but nevertheless, followed their suggestion.  I register and then was told that I had to take a placement test before I could speak to someone. I began to get a little frustrated because I didn’t feel that I was ready for testing, and all I wanted to do was to talk to someone about going back to school. At that time, I just happen to see a brochure on the message board for Transitions to College.  I called the number, and it was one of the best things I could have ever done for myself.   Now wonderful things are opening up to me, for I am on my way to a college degree.   I love reading and I love writing.  I’m still having difficulty with math, but because of my pre-college preparation classes, both are coming along well.

     I have a long way to go before I reach my goal, but it’s not only the goal that I’m drawn to, it’s the journey as well.  I remember reading some facts about geese, and how all people could learn some lessons from them.  I am attaching these facts and lessons to this letter, because I believe the “lessons from the geese” are an example of how a good educational program should be created.  

     I’ve met so many wonderful people on my new journey, and now I get to meet you also.  I thank you for this opportunity, and hope that I have been helpful to all of you in letting you know what I think makes a good  educational program and a good teacher.

Yours truly,