About
The GED Academy is part of a new breed of educational software. Through their innovative passGED study program, The GED Academy brings a virtual classroom to life on students’ computer screens–a classroom peopled with fellow students who struggle with real-life problems. “Maria Ramirez is a virtual student at The GED Academy,” says Michael Ormsby, the Academy’s president. “Her story shows how easily young people’s lives can be side-tracked by personal issues. But she’s back on track now.”
Maria is a 22-year-old Latino single mother with a young son, Roberto. “My mother is proud of me,” she says, “and Roberto, too. They want me to do good on my GED, and I want to do it for them.” Maria’s focus on family reflects many students’ priorities. Her main goal is to make a better life for her son. “I want to become a nurse,” Maria says. “No, I mean I am going to become a nurse. Because I know that I can achieve my goals.”
The GED Academy believes that human interest and entertainment are essential to education. “Learning is a process that takes place inside the student’s mind. Engaging students–involving them in the lives and stories of others–creates learning.” Students follow Maria’s story as she struggles with and learns language skills, math skills, and critical thinking skills.
“Maybe I haven’t always made the best choices,” Maria says, “but I know getting my GED is a good choice.” Roberto’s father and Maria’s ex-boyfriend is a convicted drug dealer named Octavio, who claims to have turned over a new leaf. Maria struggles with deciding whether to let him be involved in her son’s life.
A native Spanish speaker, Maria sometimes has difficulty with English. “English spelling is so hard! Nothing is spelled like it sounds. But it helps me to have a reason to write, like when I wrote a letter to my son, when he is older, so he’ll know better about his father. Writing something important like that helps me learn better.”
Ultimately, Maria’s purpose is to help others learn. Many of the issues that Maria faces are shared by adult learners who want to get their GED–having to support a family, learning English as a second language, and struggling to change the course of their lives. “Following Maria’s story and her learning process helps our students,” Ormsby comments. “Like Maria, passGED students are changing their lives.” For more information about Maria and the passGED study program, visit: www.passged.com