Sucess Stories

A New Mother’s GED Success

by Jessica Telford
Bowie-Cass Adult Education Cooperative, Texarkana

I began taking classes for my GED in November 2007 after I had turned 17. I had quit school after becoming pregnant. In school I struggled, especially in math. When I started classes, we took a test just to see what we knew. I was mainly at 8th grade level, but the last grade I attended in school was the 10th. I was a little behind and ready to get past this obstacle for the benefit of my family and me.

My boyfriend and I were living with my mom in Hooks, Texas. The classes I attended were in Texarkana, Texas. We didn’t have a vehicle, so my mom would have to take me to class. The other people living in my house were my step-dad, my little brother, my big sister, her boyfriend, and her baby girl, Montana.

I worked hard all the rest of November and December, and when January came around, I was doing great. I was on a 12.8 grade level in writing and even in math, I had moved from an 8.4 to a 12.4 grade level.

At the beginning of January, I was only a few short weeks to having my son, so it was hard for me to go to class. It became unbearable because I felt so bad and very pregnant. I had to stop going to class. The weeks went by and on January 18, 2008 I had my son, Korey Parker Cragg, III. He means so much to me. He makes me want to do better. After having Korey, my boyfriend and I were finally able to get our own apartment. It made us feel more responsible and we were ecstatic about being on our own.

In March, my mother called and told me that she was coming to get me on the 10th to go and take my GED tests. My mom watched Korey while I took my tests because my boyfriend works. The first day I took the math test. I was worried since I had only had a few days to study, but eventually I finished the math test. The second day I had to take all four other tests. I’ve always been pretty good at reading and really didn’t have problems with science or social studies. I was also a little bit worried about the writing test essay, but things went smoothly.

After two days of testing, I was happy it was over – at least until I got my scores so I could see if I had passed each test or not. A couple of weeks went by and my mom called to tell me that I had passed all of the tests and there is even a chance that I could get a scholarship. I was so proud of myself. I had tried my best and succeeded!

I plan on going to college whether I get the scholarship or not. I’m pretty sure I want to be a cosmetologist, but I also want to wait until my son is a little older to go to college. Being able to go back to school and better myself for my new family was so important to me. I would like to give a special thanks to Vicki Angel. She was my GED teacher and she helped me out a lot. I want to encourage everyone who doesn’t have a diploma or GED to get a GED. This will help you better yourself and give you more opportunities.

About the Author

Jessica Telford is a 17-year old mother of a three month old son. She was a student at Bowie-Cass Adult Education Cooperative. She presently lives in DeKalb, Texas with her fiance and their son. She plans to attend college when her son is a little older. For the present time, she is happy to be able to stay at home and give her full attention to her son.