Chalkbeat Detroit, 5/16
‘A window to them as people’: This Detroit teacher helps adult learners return to the classroom
By Ethan Bakuli

In recent years, the Detroit Public Schools Community District has prioritized restructuring its GED program. Adult educator Christian Young, a Wayne State University College of Education alumnus, was named Adult Educator of the Year by the Michigan Reading Association. Young focuses on welcoming his adult students back to school, recognizing that for many of them, it is the first time they have stepped foot in a classroom in years. For Young, endearing students to class assignments and term papers starts with an autobiographical essay, an exercise that focuses on the student’s life. Not only does it allow him to gauge their writing skills, but it “gives me a window to them as people,” Young said. He added, “I continue to pay attention to them throughout the year and find plenty of ways to incorporate their likes and dreams into the lessons.”

https://detroit.chalkbeat.org/2022/5/16/23076571/michigan-adult-education-ged-detroit-public-schools