Adult education, as we all know can be continued at any period of your life. There is a huge difference of education between adults and youths. Youths are young adults and are pretty much just students who go to school to learn. Adults, on the other hand, are wage earners therefore, education is of secondary importance. Adult education guarantees its students better competency with the demands of society. In some states, especially in the U.S., this type of education is usually funded by federal grants so it’s good. And many of their citizens are able to improve the quality of their lot because of their occupancy in adult education that provides and furnishes for more education. Not only is one being helped to compete better in a competitive society and more generally in a competitive world, but is also tendered with better job opportunities irrespective of age. There are a good number of people who did not have the opportunity and the chance to take higher education or at least finish a degree. And although many would prefer to tackle their education in school institutions, adult education programs will work fairly for those who want the same but can’t, therefore does it otherwise. Adult education will help you acquire your degree in the latter time if during the course of a given period you were not able to do so. So when you feel that your level of education is not enough and hindered to carry on because of your age or by any other matter that may compromise with your top priorities, adult education opens new hope. You will be guided by your activities especially those that concern for better improvement of your work, business or to family relationship. The administrations of education have helped come up with many options for adults in order to carry on education. Certain authorized organizations and institutions are responsible in regulating a number of adult educational programs. And now there is the availability of interactive technology and online learning equipped for this type of education. In fact there are more accessible options and effective approaches in a much interactive way recently. Adults who have missed significantly on education must now be given the chance to be taught their rights and obligations as citizens of a country and what they can do for it.

Going about our daily activities in life make us realize that regardless of which direction we turn to we always come across educating ourselves inevitably. Education is a fundamental necessity for living. Attending schools and going to colleges may be easy for some, but there are others who never had the chance. If they did, either they quit studying at a certain point in time and never got to have the opportunity again. It becomes distressing especially for a good number of adults who have spent half of their life feeling sorry for himself/herself for missing a great deal of something valuable. The breakthrough of technology has given hope to many. The advancement of computer and the Internet brought back long lost chances and made a lot of “impossible” things possible. Now, adults can catch on where they left off and continue an unfinished business, if not pursue something further in the line. The aid of computer technology reaches us and in just the tick of the clock opportunities are open the way we expected them to be. Education is important not only for kids and young people, but just as significant to adults. Adult education is a phase where adults believed they can improve their standard of living. It somehow promises a kind of living made more bearable in today’s competitive societies that exist anywhere we turn.

There are many choices of degree programs for adults. They can choose among the fields of study available in good schools and colleges. Getting an extended education is relatively easy if you have your priorities in order that it is all designed to help you get ahead. Adult education can be continued in any stage of life. You can pause to take a good look at your future and it comes to you that it must have something more in store ahead. And then you think about what benefits it may bring to gain further education and how it can influence the later part of your dreams. Come to think of it, our dreams do not stop at a certain age. There’s no such thing as becoming totally secured and stable at a point in time. Our dreams do not end with age, it continue to exist. Therefore, as long as we have dreams we should continue to learn and keep our education intact. The value of adult education lies in enriching ones life.

Adult education is now gradually gaining grounds in many parts of the globe as countries realize that persuading school drop out adults and professionals to go back to schools and earn a degree is of vital importance. The need of being educated not only lies in the young generation but to the school drop outs as well to find time to enroll and become professionals, and those professionals looking for more opportunities.

The 2008 graduation ceremony at the Conway Adult Education Center will be attended by veteran educator of her time, Dr. Emma Kelly Rhodes, as this year’s graduation speaker. This is a very momentous event for the graduates as said accomplished educator is going to share her knowledge on May 17. Rhodes, according to reports has a very exciting story to tell about her life as a student until she became a very successful and accomplished educator.

Rhodes is happily married to the late Clyde Rhodes, Sr and their union bore seven children. As retired educator and former administrator for the Arkansas Department, Rhodes significant success was largely attributed to her doctorate degree in education after being a 10th grade dropout in high school at 15. Upon reaching the age of 29, Rhodes also became a widow when her husband died. Despite of that sad part of her life being left with seven children she still manage to sent them to high school, college and technical school aside from obtaining her GED. Rhodes obtained her BA degree at Philander Smith College and at the University of Houston. She had her master’s degree at UCA and pursued her Master of Science in Education also at UCA. She also got her Educational Specialist degree and Doctorate in Education at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She finished her post doctorate degree at the Little Rock’s University of Kansas for her adult education. She had established the Education and Multi-purpose Center for Adult Education, E.K Rhodes activity center. She said it has been her mission to help others as well as persuading the parents and adults to pursue their career no matter what and even if they are already adult students. As of this month there are now over 300 students which have successfully obtained their GEDs and also graduating this May at the Conway Adult Education Center.