A GED Is Right for Me
My high school couldn’t help me catch up.
I decided to leave my high school when I realized I’d never have the credits to graduate on time, if ever. I’d failed all my math classes and became so discouraged that I failed other classes, too.
I tried to catch up in Saturday school but that didn’t work because the teachers just gave us handouts and didn’t explain the work. I failed all the tests and quizzes.
Too Many Worries at Home
When I was in middle school, my family was homeless and we moved around from shelter to shelter before I came into care. Each time we moved I had to change schools, which made me fall way behind in math. I couldn’t understand my math homework and no one in my home knew math well enough to help.
I went to at least eight different schools. In seventh grade, I missed more than half of my classes, but the school still passed me to the next grade.
Then, four years ago, I came into foster care because my mother was using drugs and my siblings and I weren’t going to school. My aunt said she’d take us into her home until my mother got well, but my mother only got worse. This affected my concentration at school. When I was supposed to be paying attention to my teachers, I worried that my mother might get hurt out on the street.
Desperate to Change Schools
My aunt was also getting tired of my mother not taking care of her responsibilities. She hated having to deal with our appointments and a social worker in her personal life. I feared that my aunt would give up on us and we’d have to move to another home.
I was fed up.
I knew that switching to a very small alternative school wouldn’t help me graduate on time, but at least I’d have a chance at graduating.
To transfer out of my high school, I went to see my foster care social worker in the South Bronx. I told her, “I need to talk to you. It’s important.” She looked at me as if I was bothering her and told me, “Wait up, I’ll be there in a second.” After I’d waited 23 minutes, she told me to see Ms. Cynthia, the school coordinator.
I explained the situation to Ms. Cynthia and told her that I’d like to go to CUNY Prep, a new small high school in New York that helps students get their credits straight, then transfer to another high school or go for a GED. My boyfriend had gone to that school and he told me that teachers there help students find jobs, talk to them one-on-one, and tutor students who need extra help. I wanted to take the GED because I could accomplish that in six months, then go on to college.
I Know What’s Best for Me
Ms. Cynthia didn’t want to hear it. She said, “Everyone has a problem in math, not just you. You are always going to have some people who don’t like you, just ignore them.”
She rejected my plan to get a GED, saying, “You can’t make decisions for yourself, you’re just 17. You can’t go to a GED program or another school just because you want to. We have to check it out first and make the decision, not you.”
She wasn’t taking my problem seriously. I felt angry. Who was she to tell me what would be best for me? She’d never even met me before.
Ms. Cynthia just kept lecturing. “This is a good school, mama! Are you doing this on purpose so you can go to a zoned [neighborhood] school or get a GED—the easy way out?” she asked. “I am going to break it down to you: When I used to hire people, the first thing I did was look—GED? No good. I’d throw out the application. Zoned high school? No good. So you need to stop making up excuses and do what you have to do.”
I Took Action
I was so upset. I felt like she was judging me and assumed that I was lazy and just wanted the easy way out. All I wanted was a school that could help me. Ms. Cynthia made me feel hopeless. I thought to myself, “Why doesn’t anyone want to help me? If I don’t leave Graphics High School I’ll just drag along until I get kicked out at 20 years old. If I drop out I’ll have problems at my home and end up lost and confused.”
I knew this lady was wrong about at least one thing: a GED can lead to college. My boyfriend got his GED at CUNY Prep and went on to Bronx Community College. So I decided that I wasn’t going to listen to everything she was saying. Who knows what else she had wrong?
I started my own research. I went around asking teachers, other social workers and friends for second opinions. It worked. I found out that when I turned 18 a few months later, it would be my decision whether to stay in school or go to CUNY prep to take the GED.
Then I called CUNY Prep. They told me about an upcoming open house and put me on the waiting list. I felt great. I’d taken the first step and it wasn’t hard.
The School Welcomed Me
Two months later I went to the open house. The school was a small building, painted baby blue inside. The school made me feel very welcome and I got a good vibe.
The small group of students who showed up took an entrance exam. They called us one by one to tell us if we passed, and then we met the staff and the principal. The staff had great attitudes. They seemed happy to see new students and had smiles on their faces.
The school counselor gave me my score and asked me some questions about why I was having problems in school. When I told her why I couldn’t pass my math classes, she was very understanding. She didn’t judge me. She said many students are at CUNY Prep for the same reason, and if I needed to talk about anything I could come to see her.
I feel more hopeful about my future now because I know for sure that I will be attending a school that can help me get into college and be someone. I’m also proud of myself. I didn’t listen to the people who couldn’t help me. When people told me I couldn’t do what I needed to, I did it anyway. That feels good.