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Learn to speak English for free! The Adult Education program at Pellissippi State Community College offers free English classes throughout the Knoxville area.

If you would like more information, call (865) 539-7109 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. today.

Do you need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language or Michigan Test to enter college? If so, the Adult Education program at Pellissippi State Community College can help.

The program is offering a free TOEFL/Michigan Test preparation class in Room 330, Educational Resources Center, at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road. The class will meet each Monday and Wednesday, 5-8 p.m., starting Oct. 5.

Adults from non-English-speaking countries are required to take the TOEFL (or Michigan Test) for admission to most undergraduate or graduate programs. In this class, students will be given a practice TOEFL to evaluate their specific needs. The class will prepare them to take all sections of the test: oral listening, grammar and sentence structure, reading and essay writing.

“Pellissippi State’s Adult Education program has assisted several adults in achieving TOEFL scores high enough for them to be admitted to various colleges and graduate programs throughout the United States,” said Joe Morin, Adult Education teacher.

To register or find out more, call (865) 539-7109 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State Community College offers free classes to prepare participants to take the GED test.

Day or evening classes are available Monday through Friday, for people ages 18 and over who want to earn a high school equivalency diploma. Individuals who are 17 years old may participate with an attendance waiver from their high school.

The GED program uses small-group or individualized instruction, computer tutorials, videotapes and printed materials to help people achieve their personal, educational and career goals.

The Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State provides three main preparation sites in Knoxville: Northeast, West and Downtown. Classes are scheduled to accommodate the needs of most adults.

In addition to the GED, the college also offers classes to prepare people to take exams for a variety of employment and educational opportunities: the ASVAB to join the military, PRAXIS to become a teacher’s assistant, business/industry-required basic skills exams and college placement exams.

To learn more about the GED classes and upcoming class orientations, please call (865) 539-7109.

Interested in improving your English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills?
The Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State Community College offers several free English Speakers of Other Languages classes and preparation for the Test of English as a Foreign Language around the area.

The classes, which run through Dec. 13, are for adults at a beginner to advanced level. To enroll, just come to the class during its meeting time. It is never too late to join.

Locations and other details—unless listed otherwise, locations are in Knoxville:

• Church Street United Methodist Church, 900 Henley St.; beginner-intermediate level; 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays (child care available), started July 7.
• Heart of Knoxville Career and Resource Center, Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue Campus, 1610 E. Magnolia Ave.; intermediate-advanced level; 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays, started July 8.
• Middlebrook Pike United Methodist Church, 7234 Middlebrook Pike; beginner-intermediate level; 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, starts Sept. 15.
• Montgomery Village Baptist Church, 4601 Joe Lewis Road; beginner-intermediate level; 9-11 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, started July 8.
• New Vision Fellowship Church, 3343 Dewine Road; beginner-intermediate level; 2-4 p.m. Saturdays, started July 11.
• Norwood United Methodist Church, 2110 Merchant Dr.; beginner-advanced level; 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sundays, starts Sept. 20.
• Pellissippi State’s Pellissippi Campus, Educational Resources Center, Room 123, 10915 Hardin Valley Road; intermediate-advanced; 1-3 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, started July 6.
• Pellissippi State’s Pellissippi Campus, Educational Resources Center, Room 123, 10915 Hardin Valley Road; advanced-level ESOL/TOEFL prep; 5-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, starts Sept. 14.
• St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 327 Vermont Ave., Oak Ridge; beginner-advanced level; 6-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, starts Sept. 14.
• Virginia Avenue United Methodist Church, 2201 Virginia Ave.; beginner-intermediate level; 10-noon Saturdays (child care available), started July 11.
• Washington Pike United Methodist Church, 2241 Washington Pike; beginner-intermediate level; 5-7 p.m. Saturdays (child care available), started July 11.

Classes cover conversational English, American culture and traditions, vocabulary development, reading with understanding, English grammar, form completion, message and letter writing, and more.

For more information about the classes, call (865) 539-7109.

Are you among the many workers the current economy has left unemployed or underemployed? Whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to move up in the one you’re in, a high school diploma or GED can start your average annual earnings at 50 percent higher than if you never graduated.

The Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State Technical Community College offers GED preparation and many other services to help you improve your job status and/or earnings … and the resource is absolutely free.

Adult Education student Marion Butler is set to graduate on June 20 with her GED. Butler worked at two area distribution centers, and both were shut down, one in 2006 and the other in 2008. After losing her last job, she decided to take advantage of the program’s GED preparation services in February.

“I’ve always worked and never had time to work on my GED,” she said. “Getting the GED means that I can get a better job, a steady job to help support my family. [Coming to Pellissippi State] has built my self-esteem, and the teachers are great. I would never have gotten this far without their help.”

The Adult Education Program is available year-round to anyone age 17 or older, including those whose primary language is not English. You can attend classes days or evenings, at either the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road or the Magnolia Avenue Campus, and you can start at any time.

The program offers–

• Adult literacy
• Basic workplace skills
• GED preparation and official practice tests
• Beginning and fast-track skills development
• English for speakers of other languages
• College placement test preparation

The Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State also has classes for preparing to take the ASVAB military entrance exam, the PRAXIS exam required of teacher’s assistants and a variety of business/industry-required basic exams.

Gwendolyn Anderson, a college-prep student enrolled in the program, is refreshing her academic skills to prepare for college entrance exams.

“While I have over 30 years of work experience, a number of training certificates and the knowledge to train others to successfully operate a warehouse or distribution facility,” she said, “I lack the necessary degree to advance to the management level….

“After I do well on the test, I will start down the path to obtaining a college degree, which will enable me to build a better, more secure future for myself.”

Want to learn more? Contact the Adult Education Program at Pellissippi State, (865) 539-7109, or visit www.pstcc.edu.

Tamela Wheeler, assistant coordinator of English as a Second Language and a teacher in Adult Education at Pellissippi State Technical Community College, was recently recognized for her teaching accomplishments by having a flag flown in her honor in Nashville.

One of three statewide recipients of the 2009 Belz-Lipman Holocaust Educator of the Year Award, Wheeler was presented with the flag by Sen. Tim Burchett at the Tennessee Holocaust Commission’s Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration on April 21. The flag was flown over the State Capitol in Wheeler’s honor and was accompanied by a certificate signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Wheeler, whose work in bringing lessons of the Holocaust to her students was recognized with the Belz-Lipman Award, says she did not expect the additional honor of the flag.

“Senator Burchett’s presentation took me totally by surprise,” Wheeler said after the ceremony. She was accompanied at the event by two of her Pellissippi State Adult Education students, Bertrina Sanders, who nominated Wheeler for the award, and Deborah Richardson, whose grandfather was a Holocaust survivor.

As part of the award, Wheeler also received $1,500 from the Tennessee Holocaust Commission to spend on developing new curricula, purchasing classroom materials or attending training that will assist in engaging students in Holocaust studies.

Adult Education at Pellissippi State Technical Community College is hosting two free workshops in April and invites the community to participate. The workshops are 11-noon in Room 328 of the Educational Resources Center on the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road.

“Keys to College Success: Unlock Your Potential” is Monday, April 6. Discover strategies for more effective note taking, time management, test taking and studying.

“Choosing the Career That’s Right for You” is Monday, April 20. Which one would be your perfect fit? Come and learn the steps to making the right career choice.

Free parking is available in lots designated “Open.”

For more information, contact Tricia Varga at (865) 539-7079.