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A Reason To Be Thankful: Prince George's County
Grandmother Earns Diploma
Hyattsville (November 27, 2007) – The
graduation that 59-year-old Paula TyndleBuford
will attend on Tuesday is not that of one of her
child’s or grandchild’s. It is her own. The
Prince George’s County resident is a mother of
seven and grandmother of ten. And she will don a
cap and gown for the first time and process down
the aisle of Northwestern High School’s
auditorium Tuesday evening.
For TyndleBuford, the path to a high school
diploma has been riddled with obstacles and
hiccoughs. This season, she will not only be
celebrating the holidays and her 60th birthday,
but earning a high school diploma as well.
“I was trying to take shortcuts on things that
were not quick and easy to do,” said Paula
TyndleBuford of her high school education. “But
as you go through life, you find out that there
are no short-cuts. I am 59-years-old and I am so
proud of myself for completing this program to
get my high school diploma. Next on my agenda?
College starting in January 2008.”
Just six months ago, TyndleBuford enrolled in
the External Diploma Program of the Literacy
Council of Prince George’s County, MD, after
learning about it online while surfing for adult
education programs. The External Diploma Program
(EDP) is an alternative route to earning a high
school diploma through a self-paced,
competency-based program that gives credit for
demonstrated and rigorously-assessed life
skills. The program is best suited to the needs
and experiences of working adults.
“I am the matriarch of my family and I can be
bossy when I need to be. But, talking to the
young people in my family about the importance
of a good education would be difficult if I did
not accomplish this task myself,” said
TyndleBuford.
On Tuesday, she will walk across the stage at
Northwestern High School at the Literacy
Council’s fifth biannual graduation and student
recognition ceremony for adult learners.
"Working with adults who have suffered the
consequences of having dropped out of school,
for whatever reason, is the most rewarding and
satisfying job I could ever wish for,” said
Helen Ottley, Lead Assessor/Advisor for the EDP
of the Literacy Council. “To watch them grow, to
see the hope in their eyes, to listen to them as
they realize their dreams and know they can
improve their lives and move forward is the
absolute best."
TyndleBuford will be joined by 25 other
graduates – ranging in age from late teens to
sixty – of the Literacy Council’s GED and
External Diploma Programs.
“Many people believe that adults can’t learn.
But each of our graduates and every adult
learner with whom the Literacy Council works
prove that it is, in fact, never too late to
learn,” said Bruce Knotts, Executive Director of
the Literacy Council.
According to the National Assessment of Adult
Literacy, more than one-quarter of adults in
Prince George's County are functioning at the
lowest level of literacy. Overall, the Literacy
Council works with more than 1,600 students each
year through 55 basic reading, pre-GED and GED,
and English for Speakers of Other Languages
classes, in addition to its one-on-one tutoring
and External Diploma Program.
The Literacy Council of Prince George’s County,
MD, empowers adult learners to realize their
full potential as contributing members of their
families and communities by providing services
in acquiring, improving, and applying basic
literacy skills. The Council is the county’s
primary non-profit organization for the advocacy
and implementation of literacy programs.
To learn more about the Literacy Council of
Prince George’s County, visit
www.literacycouncil.org.
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