Growing Together: Enrolling and Completing a Correspondence Course Make Student and Educator Grow in Unexpected Ways
About six months ago a gentleman from my housing unit, here at FCI Petersburg, earned his GED. He was very proud of this accomplishment — as was I — and wanted desperately to continue on with his studies. The gentleman had heard that I wrote a book about prison education — Education Behind Bars: A Win-Win Strategy for Maximum Security — so he came to me to find information regarding correspondence programs open to inmates. We discussed his interests, aspirations, and financial backing.
To my surprise, this man was interested in becoming a veterinary assistant/technician. This surprised me because he honestly didn’t act or seem like someone who cared about animals; not that animal lovers look any certain way. To tell you the truth, he’s one of the loud and obnoxious ones in my housing unit. So, I was surprised in his interest in continuing his education. Those who act the way he does typically are more focused on less productive habits in prison. Needless to say, I was enthralled with his aspiration.
