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Welcome to Vermont Adult Learning!

Vermont Adult Learning helps adult learners, ages 16 and older, acquire reading, writing, math, and computer skills to earn high school diplomas/GEDs. We teach English Language Learners skills to advance educationally and at work. We engage in workforce development. Our services are offered at no cost and are available in person and online. Text VAL to 833-900-0907 or contact a Learning Center nearest to you to learn more!

Note for in-person learning: We no longer require masks in our learning centers. Anyone at high risk or wishing to continue wearing a mask for other reasons is welcome to do so. We will continue to have masks available in our centers for those who need them.

Those who choose to wear a mask do so because it is a decision they have made for their health and safety. Vermont Adult Learning expects that decision to be respected. If you have concerns about your safety, please let us know so we can discuss options to address them.

Learning Matters Blog and VAL Updates

Dee Gilbert appointed to Board of Trustees (8/17/2020) - Dee Gilbert has been appointed to the Vermont Adult Learning Board of Trustees. She is the Assistant Director for Employer Relations and Outreach in the Center for Careers and Internships at Middlebury College. She fosters employer relationships in order to provide high quality and diverse employment and internship opportunities to students. Gilbert has a passion for helping people set and achieve goals and brings sixteen years of Human Resource experience in higher education. She is active in her church and has served as a volunteer for Vermont Adult Learning since 2013. “I am excited to serve on the board of Vermont Adult…

Student Voices: What is White Privilege? (8/13/2020) - What is white privilege? What is Black Lives Matter? Recently I’ve been hearing a number of people say, “all lives matter,” which is true: every life matters. BLM isn’t saying one life is more important than another. The people in the BLM movement are trying to bring awareness and justice to multiple African-American lives that have been taken for no reason. Most people just want to turn away and pretend it didn’t happen or give the killers a slap on the wrist. BLM wants to bring consciousness to racism which is, sad to say, still alive in many ways. Parts…

Tina: Finding a Tactile Way to Understand a Complex Issue (8/11/2020) - We, as a nation, find ourselves in a complex period regarding law enforcement. Documented instances of excessive use of force by police have raised the national consciousness. The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, graphically displayed via video, drove home the lethal consequences of police officers abusing power. Tina is a member of Vermont Adult Learning’s (VAL) Class of 2020, earning her diploma at age 53. She is a survivor of trauma, which affects her ability to understand complex issues and synthesize information. She worked very hard, with support from VAL teachers, to complete all…

“Everybody’s life path is so different when it comes to school.” ~Rachel* (7/30/2020) - Rachel is twenty-one and works for a financial services firm. She was furloughed, temporarily, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. She picked up a temp job in another office for now. “Everybody’s life path is so different when it comes to school,” Rachel said. “I know I’ll eventually figure out what I want to do and go to college. I actually really enjoyed my classes in high school. Depression and anxiety set in and I missed lots of school. I then grew anxious about going back to school with people asking me why I was ‘out’ for so long.” Rachel’s counselor…

“We do not give up.” (7/23/2020) - By Jolana, an ELL Student at our Addison County Learning Center My beginnings in Vermont were marked by euphoria. Everything was new to me, exciting and interesting. My self-taught English was met with considerate understanding, absolute hospitality and friendly encouragement. My pronunciation has sometimes been the subject of smiling situations. Can you imagine how terrified I was when I ordered “vodka” as a drink instead of ordinary water at a restaurant? When this situation repeated itself a few times a ‘la Amelia -Bedelia, it ceased to be cute; it became frustrating to me. My lifelong passion for reading books turned…

Welcome to Vermont Adult Learning!

Learning Matters Blog and VAL Updates

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