County jail graduates dozen with GEDs on The Murfreesboro Post

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County jail graduates dozen with GEDs

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Posted: Friday, January 28, 2011 3:29 pm

Obtaining the GED opens doors that can lead to a higher education and career opportunities, said a student who graduated after earning his high school equivalency diploma.

Inmate Tarontae King was one of 12 inmates and a former inmate who received their GED certificates during a ceremony Wednesday at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

They join some 390 inmates from the detention center and the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center who earned their GEDs since 2002 after taking classes while incarcerated. Rutherford County Schools’ Adult Education program provides teachers for both men and women inmates.

King was chosen to give the graduation speech representing the students because he earned the highest score from the class. He noted the GED will allow inmates when released to meet more positive people who will help determine the future.

“I know that I have just obtained one of the most valuable tools of life,” King said in his speech. “I became tired of the road that leads nowhere but to a dead end. So I took my GED. I not only passed it but scored high enough to receive the Hope Scholarship, which will ensure my entrance to college. With good health, potential and a sound and sober mind, I have the ability to do and be anything that I want to be.”

King is striving for success, saying when situations become rough he will think back to the time when he asked God to show him the way to a better life.

“No matter how long it takes, I am not going to quit or give up until I’ve reached my goal,” King said. “What is my goal? My goal is to be a better father, a better son, not just a man, but a real man. Success is the key to a long and stable life.”

Teacher Rodney Hayes told the graduates to take the GED accomplishment and move forward with their lives.

Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell encouraged the inmates to use their GED to improve their lives. He mentioned several celebrities who earned their GEDs.

Lt. Chris Deal, who supervises the detention center’s educational programs, said students must pass five tests covering math, science, reading, writing and social studies. The 7-1/2 hour test measures skills in communication, information processing, problem solving and critical thinking.

Deal quoted Booker T. Washington, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he or she has overcome.”

Tagged under RCSO, Schools

Member Opinions:

By: Sprtman on 2/1/11
Who pocket is this comong out of - the tax payers?

By: cmac on 2/2/11
Better to move forward than back. Some will take advantage. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat everyday. Money well spent.