This year, I was honored to receive the Adult Basic Education Teacher of the Year award at the recent DAACE Summit for my work over the past four years as ABE Coordinator/Teacher for the Delaware Center for Distance Adult Learning (DCDAL). How does an on-line teacher engage/motivate/guide/teach and empower beginning students to become successful learners who will realize their long-term goals of achieving a GED or diploma? It’s really not so different from a teacher in a traditional classroom.

On-line students have several opportunities for one-to-one interaction with their teachers—intake is in-person, of course, as well as TABE post-testing. It’s important to congratulate students who qualify for the “preliminary” Writing Seminar/ITTS Instruction and to thoroughly explain “what happens next.” Following intake, contact with students is one-to-one including weekly emails, in- person tutoring (as needed), phone calls, corrected assignments which emphasize the positive in the material and clearly delineate needed corrections. I ensure students are provided with a high comfort level in contacting me—phone messages are promptly returned and the conversation is always supportive. Once students are successful in qualifying for GED prep classes or James Groves classes, the ABE teacher refers the student to the James Groves counselor or GED teacher –while follow through by the teacher is important for students in any program—it is essential for the on-line teacher and her student.

Of course, all staff at DCDAL contribute to the success of our on-line learners, from the OAASIS worker to tech support to counselor to receptionist to the Director—hearing a familiar voice who promptly responds to a request is meaningful to and appreciated by the adult learner. I share the honor of my award this year with my team at DCDAL.