Changing Courses
When Katrina canceled his
senior year, an enterprising New Orleans student
found another way to get his diploma: the GED program at Hope
House
Monday, February 13, 2006
By Maria Montoya
New Orleans Times-Picayune Staff writer
This was supposed to be his senior year. Hurricane or no hurricane, 18-year-old Michael Hammond of eastern New Orleans wanted to get it started.
"It was just so frustrating to be here and not have
any schools opened up right away," he said.
Instead of stewing in his frustration, Hammond decided to
take his education into his own hands.
"I knew I would need my diploma to move on," he
said, "but going to a private school just wasn't an
option because of money and transportation issues. So that's
why I came to Hope House for help."
Hope House, an adult literacy program housed on St. Andrew
Street, was the first such program to reopen its doors
following Hurricane Katrina. Hammond was as much a godsend to
program leader Sister Lilianne Flavin as she was to him.
Flavin was worried there would be no adult learners for her
to tutor in a dramatically depopulated post-K New Orleans;
Hammond was worried he'd never get his diploma if he waited
for his old school, Marion Abramson Senior High, to reopen.
With the urging of his grandmother, Sylvia Hammond, Michael
decided to forgo his senior year of formal high school and
pursue his general equivalency diploma under Flavin's
tutelage. Since October, alone for the better part of four
hours a day, five days a week, teacher and student created a
veritable one-on-one senior class in the warmth of Hope
House.
"A surveyor made the measurements shown in the diagram
below," Flavin said one morning last month as she
reviewed a sample question with Hammond just days before his
test. "What is the measure, in feet, of AB, the
straight-line distance across the stream?"
Hammond scribbled down a formula on his test sheet. He said,
"You have to cross-multiply and divide, right?"
"That's right, you must recognize similar triangles in
the diagram and set up the correct proportion," Flavin
said as she guided Hammond to work the problem on his own.
"Let AB be represented by X, and substitute the other
measures from the diagram to get the proportion of the
unknown measure."
"It's 100 feet, right?" Hammond said.
Flavin smiled, then said, "You're ready, I do believe
you're ready for the test, Michael."
Hammond yawned.
"I am just ready to finish, ready to get a good
job," he said.
He was ready -- he passed the exam and received his diploma
in January, becoming one of the first New Orleanians to
receive his GED since the storm.
Hammond is working late-night shifts at Domino's Pizza, but
his goal is to enroll at ITT Technical Institute in St. Rose
and train to become a computer engineer. He said he expects
there to be plenty of good-paying jobs in the technology
field as New Orleans businesses rebuild, and he wants to be
ready to capitalize on the opportunities.
"I am kind of excited about the possibilities that may
be available here," he said, "and I knew by
studying with Sister Lilianne I'd have a better chance to
earn more money."
In the months since Katrina, Flavin said, she has attended
numerous meetings with local, state and national education
officials warning about the potentially large number of New
Orleans students who may never return to high school as a
result of Katrina.
"I am totally convinced if we truly want a better New
Orleans we need to get not only our children better educated,
but our adults as well," Flavin said. "There's a
lot of talk about jobs being available, jobs paying more, but
they are jobs as dishwashers, hotel maids, and I am not
satisfied with that. Michael and everyone else in our city
shouldn't be limited to just the service industry."
With a GED in hand, one could easily go on to attend college,
Flavin said, which is what she hopes to see Hammond do this
fall. That's why, despite deep budget cuts and a severe drop
in student participation, she is keeping the doors of Hope
House open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, and
from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It's her hope
that as more people repopulate the city, they'll hear about
the center being reopened and come in to get help with a GED
or take entrance exams for government job placement.
Michael's grandmother is certainly glad that Flavin has kept
the program up and running.
"I don't have an education myself, so I try to emphasize
to my children and grandchildren just how important education
is," Sylvia Hammond said. "Sister Flavin gets that,
and she teaches it to the children. My grandson, he is a
strong child, and I see him going far in this world. But like
I told him, that one piece of paper can be the difference
between a good life and a hard life."
At the end of January, Michael received his GED in the mail.
Should he wish to, Flavin said, she doesn't see why he
couldn't start taking college classes as early as this
summer. For now, Michael said, he plans to work and save some
money so he can perhaps make the move to St. Rose in the
fall.
Although he said he was initially disappointed about missing
out on the pomp and circumstance of a traditional high school
graduation, he has no doubts about the path he has chosen for
himself.
"The hurricane really was a wake-up call for
everyone," he said. "Yeah, maybe I didn't get to
experience all the things someone my age normally does. But I
couldn't go back to my school. I just feel fortunate to have
my life and the chance to look forward to the future."
_____________________________
Hope House Adult Learning Center
What: A neighborhood-based organization offering assistance
with adult education and access to books, newspapers and
magazines. The adult literacy program is built on the
principle that adult learners need flexibility to persist in
their studies toward a GED. Anyone interested in receiving
help preparing for the GED exam or any government placement
exam is welcome to visit.
Where: 916 St. Andrew St.
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday,
and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
Call: (504) 524-7353.
Staff writer Maria Montoya can be reached at mmontoya@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3446.