Mollie Verret Verdin
January 17, 2007
Pre-schoolers heading to Terrebonne libraries’ Reading WELL
January 19, 2007
Administrators at the Bayou Cane Adult Education center have a rising concern that many Tri-parish residents are unaware of the Terrebonne Parish program.
The program, located on West Main Street in Houma, is designed for out-of-school youths and adults, 17 years or older, who want to further their education.
Bayou Cane offers instructional programs to give adults the opportunity to upgrade themselves, according to center director Kathy Richard. She said the program is dedicated to serving the individual needs and goals of each participant.
“We believe that all people have the right to and the need for the best education possible. Education provides each of us with the ability to expand our horizons and to better our lives,” she said.
The education program, a component of the Terrebonne Parish School system, averages about 1,000 students a year. Only 10 to 15 percent of them get their high school diploma, according to Richard. The center serves as support services offering comprehensive education, child-care and family literacy programs. She said not many residents in the area understand what the educational program offers to the community and surrounding parishes.
“The program is not designed for people to just get a General Education Development (GED) diploma. Although that’s what most people associate it with. This program prepares students for GED exams, career placement testing, college graduation exams or just basic reading and writing skills,” Richard explained.
Richard said students are given a pre-exam to test their basic skills; all the students scoring above average are placed in the enrichment and secondary education programs. However, most of the adults in the program fall in the basic skills program and work their way up the secondary education program levels.
“Most of the enrichment students have diplomas already, they are seeking help from the adult education center for various other reasons like career placement test, college exit exams and so forth,” she said.
The enrichment, secondary education and GED program students take more advanced courses at L.E. Fletcher Community College. Richard said the students are encouraged to continue their education at Fletcher and go on to four-year universities.
“This is the only opportunity for some of the students to get an diploma after they have dropped out of school, or learn how to read and write in a controlled setting outside of school,” she added. “We would like to see each adult attain these skills. We, in the Tri-parish area, have the greatest respect for adults who return to school in an attempt to better their lives. We are, therefore, committed to making this experience an enriching and a rewarding one.”
Concentrating on the specific goals of each student, enrollees work individually on computer-assisted assignments from the Kindergarten level through 12th grade. Richard said the students work at their own pace because many of the participants have jobs and families that hinder them from coming to the class daily. “Completion dates depend on the student, the teacher works around the student’s schedule,” Richard said.
“Our responsibilities are to our participants and to their needs. We continually strive to meet these needs and to help each participant have a brighter and more productive future,” she added.
The courses and programs Bayou Cane offers includes the following:
Beginning Literacy/Non-Readers is designed to teach primary reading skills with a computer-based program.
Adult Basic Education (ABE) concentrates on individual student goals such as reading, language arts, mathematics and vocabulary improvements and workforce development.
Adult Secondary Education/GED program prepares the student for the GED exam.
Family Literacy classes, a grant-funded program, are designed to meet the needs of both parents and children by providing a fun time to learn together in a childhood setting.
English for Speaker of other Languages (ESOL) assists foreign-born students who have difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English language.
The director said day classes are taught Monday through Friday and evening classes are taught only on Mondays and Wednesdays at Bayou Cane. There is also an adult satellite center at L.E. Fletcher Community College and the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex in Ashland.
For more information on the Bayou Cane Adult Education Center or future enrollment contact Kathy Richard at (985) 876-3180.
