Sometime
in the 1970s, a public service commercial ran on television that made a
lasting impression. A man in a black suit was shown from behind sitting
straight and tall in a chair at an employment agency.
Across a
cluttered desk, an agency official listened as the man slowly recited
his odd-job experiences, including some public speaking. As he quietly
spoke, the camera showed his fingers fidgeting with the brim of a black
stove-pipe hat on his lap. Asked about his education, the man said he
had little formal schooling but had read a lot. The agency official
then sat forward, took a bite of a sandwich laying on his desk and,
while wiping his mouth, said flatly, "You're not goin' anywhere without
that sheepskin, fella."
Just as the camera pulled away to reveal that
the man looking for a job was Abraham Lincoln, the agency official
leaned across his desk, thumbed through a Rolodex of job openings,
pulled out a card and asked, "Do you have any acting experience?"
The gist of the ad: no matter how intelligent,
self-disciplined, or enterprising you might be, finding a good job to
improve your life is sure a lot easier with a high school diploma.
Lincoln, who grew from ages 7 to 21 on the
Hoosier frontier is the greatest Indiana resident to ever live. He's
also the most famous Indiana resident never to receive his high school
diploma. If a man of his substance would have a hard time landing a
good job today without that "sheepskin," as the ad suggested, how hard
must it be for the average person?
That ad appeared a quarter century ago when
the highest tech most of us encountered was a Texas Instruments
calculator. It's even more imperative for Hoosiers to have a complete
education as they enter today's competitive job market.
Still, about 20 percent of Hoosiers, for many different reasons, leave school before obtaining that most basic asset.
This month, Electric Consumer and our
subscribing electric cooperatives join the Indiana Department of
Education, Learn at Home and PBS Television in promoting the "GED ON
TV" instructional series.
For all of its shortcomings these days,
television occasionally reminds us of the good it can do when people
work cooperatively to solve problems. GED ON TV is one such program.
Through the cooperation of many public and
private sources, this series carried on PBS reaches out to adults who
never finished high school. The General Educational Development
diploma, the equivalent of a high school diploma, is a second chance
for a better future. But jobs and family duties make it hard for anyone
to find time to take the instructional classes necessary to pass the
exam to get the GED diploma. Rural folks, especially, have to drive
sometimes 30-50 miles in all kinds of weather on all kinds of roads to
reach these classes. The new series allows GED-seekers to brush up on
skills at home. It now offers Internet lessons, too.
Indiana's electric co-ops congratulate the
Hoosiers who have earned their GED - either through the TV course or
conventional classes. Going back to the books after being out of school
takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline. Those who've earned a GED
have earned our pride and respect.
Part of our commitment to our communities is
to encourage education. An educated populace enhances the quality of
life for all consumers. An educated workforce is one of the keys for
continued economic development, as well.
The GED-TV option is inexpensive and
convenient. What's more: it's effective. In the past 15 years, some
6,000 Hoosiers have earned a GED through the TV study course.
When we think of "educational TV," we most
often think of "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Rogers," the touchstones of
educational programming for children. But PBS and GED ON TV is quality
educational programming for adults that is getting results, and making
a lasting impression in their lives, the lives of their families and
their communities.