GED Stories

Name: Kathie

Age: 42

City and State: Smyrna, Tennessee

What motivated you to get your GED? Well, I am 42 and recently divorced. I have always worked but not for very high pay. My daughter is 22 and getting ready to go to college. It is almost Christmas, and I can barely give my kids Christmas this year because I cant afford it. I want to get my Nurse Practitioners License so I can help bipolar kids like my youngest son, and guess what? You can’t go to nursing school without a high school diploma or a GED, and did I tell you I dropped out of school when I was 15 to take care of my newborn son?

How have your friends and family helped you? My kids have been great. They have helped me study and taught me stuff i never learned. People ask if it embarrasses me to have my kids teaching me, and I say no. It makes me soooo proud that they are so smart. My youngest son, who has ADHD and is bipolar, is an honor roll student at 15.

What problems have you faced? I am so afraid of failing that I keep putting off taking the pre test.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED? A college degree, the ability to help my kids and their kids, and to have a comfortable retirement.

Kathie,

That’s so wonderful that your kids can help you, and that you don’t feel embarrassed about it. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about! You’re going after your dreams. Remember that even if you don’t do well on the pretest, that’s not the end. Once you find out how you did on the pretest, you can take steps toward getting a good grade on the final test. It’s always hardest to start something because we’re afraid we’ll fail, but once we start doing it, simply knowing that we had the courage to start gives us the confidence to finish. Good luck!

The GED Academy