Don't be afraid to try one of the adult or community education or online classes leading to the GED.
By MICHELE MILLER
Published August 1, 2004
At 65, Jean R. Vallee figures she has led a pretty full life. In her younger years, being a mom was most important for Vallee, who raised four children in Connecticut with her first husband, Bob.
As a truck driver in later years, she crisscrossed the country, hauling produce from Los Angeles to the East Coast with her second husband, Chuck Graham. After moving to New Port Richey in 1989, she took art classes, learning the wet-on-wet painting technique of the late artist Bob Ross, famous for his Joy of Painting show seen on PBS. That led to a career as an art teacher that would take her to New York, the Netherlands, England and Germany.
No doubt there were some difficult times.
After a serious back injury and a mild stroke in 1997, Vallee was no longer able to paint.
"I felt like I lost everything. I couldn't teach. I couldn't remember colors, read or spell. For many years I stayed in the house and felt sorry for myself."
But after a good friend of hers became ill and died, Vallee picked herself up. She became a volunteer at hospice, paying visits to patients with her Maltese dog, Little Bit.
"I did very well," said Vallee. "I realized I had a pretty good life."
Still, something was missing.
"I felt like I was doing something for other people," said Vallee. "But I felt it was time I did something for me."
That something turned out to be taking the steps to acquire her GED.
Four months ago she started taking classes at two local libraries.
"At first it was difficult with kids in the class that were reading very well, and I would be stuttering," Vallee said. "It was very scary."
But the teacher, Rosemary Wolfe, made Vallee feel at ease.
"I honestly feel that if I had a teacher that cared as much (as Wolfe) I would have stayed in school," said Vallee.
It was a big step for Vallee, who quit school at 15 to get married and start a family.
Taking that first step into the classroom is probably the hardest part of going through the GED program, said Alfred Palma, assistant principal of adult and community education for west Pasco.
"They think about high school the first time around," Palma said. "They think, "Oh my, it was terrible." But that's not what these programs are about. The teachers are caring individuals who have dealt with this kind of education. They understand. They create a nonthreatening atmosphere."
It's never too late, said Palma to those, like Vallee, who think they missed out by never getting their high school diplomas. "I suggest that the key to a happy life is an education," Palma said. "A high school diploma is an entrance. It shows a commitment. They should get it in whatever form they can."
That's the plan for Vallee, who says she enjoys the hours in the classroom and offers a little advice of her own for those contemplating that step.
"Try it," she said. "What a wonderful feeling you get when you get in there and do something right. I'm doing multiplication and fractions now. I never knew what that was three months ago. Whenever I get it I say, "Oh yes!"
Adult and community education classes are located at sites throughout the county. There is also an online GED program available and a reading assistance program. For information, call Alfred Palma at (727) 774-1700 or Bruce Lockliear and Scott Sinclair at (352) 524-9000 or (813) 794-9000.
