Dean Hall is living proof that RE:START’s mission of improving quality of life through adult education is more than a mission statement. Embarking on an eighteen-year journey with our program in 1989, he had no idea the twists and turns life would throw in his path during the course. His is a story teaching all of us that determination, ambition and the desire never to accept NO for the final answer can create positive results.
He was born in June of 1961. Throughout elementary, middle and high school, Dean had been placed in special education classes, largely for behavioral problems. At the age of 18 he began smoking marijuana and abusing alcohol and lost all motivation to stay in school. He dropped out during his junior year. For 10 years, Dean was involved in troubling activities until he entered substance abuse treatment. That was the beginning of a brighter future for an unsettled soul.
While participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, he was asked to read a passage from The Big Book of AA, which he was unable to do. Inspiration came from a fellow member of AA who said, “ You can either do something about it or if you accept it, this is as good as you’re gonna get.”
It was at that pivotal moment that the fire for knowledge was ignited within Dean Hall and he embarked on the long journey to literacy. In 1989, 28 year-old Dean Hall enrolled with RE:START – The Center for Adult Education to prepare to take the GED® test.
Dean hoped to earn his High School Equivalency Diploma quickly. However, in addition to pursuing his education, he needed to work to support his two children. He started and stopped classes repeatedly for twelve years between 1989 and 2001. In 2001, he was injured at work and began receiving SSDI benefits. However, he continued working to sustain his family responsibilities.
In 2005, sixteen years after having enrolled for the first time at RE:START, Dean was injured a second time at work. While he was recovering, Dean turned his energy toward his education.
Dean received over 750 hours of instruction in preparation for the GED® test and took the test twice, yet didn’t pass any subjects. In early 2006, Ann Swint, a RE:START instructor and a former Chattanooga City Educator, noticed that Dean had difficulty paying attention. Ms. Swint asked him if he had ever been tested for a learning disability, which he had not. Dean took matters into his own hands and found a local psychologist who took his case pro-bono. At the age of 44, Dean was diagnosed with a learning disability.
The State Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Adult Education helped RE:START to prepare the necessary paperwork for Dean to take the GED® test with special accommodations due to his newly diagnosed learning disability. Dean took the GED® test a third time on May 22, 2006. He passed only one of the five subjects – Social Studies.
After 8 years of frustrating and failing attempts, many people would have given up. But not Dean Hall. He took another route.
Dean heard from a peer at RE:START that she had been able to re-enter high school and take the Gateway tests. At the age of 45, he took a gamble and called Brainerd High School.
Gateway tests require that all students entering the 9th grade must successfully pass examination in three subject areas, Mathematics, Science and Language Arts, in order to earn a high school diploma.
In the summer of 2006, Dean passed the Language Arts and Science components of the Tennessee Gateway Assessment. In the fall of 2006 on his second attempt, he passed the Mathematics portion of the Gateway Test and successfully completed the Gateway exams.
Dean Hall beat the odds. Twenty-seven years after dropping out of high school, he received his high school diploma. He has also been sober now for 17 years.
Because Dean has disabilities, he qualifies through the TN. Dept. of Human Services to receive Vocational Rehabilitation benefits. The TN. Dept. of Human Services has helped Dean to prepare an Individualized Plan for Employment/ Career Development. Dean will begin college at Chattanooga State in the fall of 2007 and will major in Human Services with a concentration in Drug and Alcohol Counseling.
In an exercise entitled “One Rule to Live By”, Dean wrote, “Everyone has at least one rule to live by. The first one is never take anything that doesn’t belong to you. The second rule is to be honest with yourself. The third rule of life is never lie to yourself. The last rule to live by is always pay your bills. The last rule should be the one main rule to live by. That rule, to pay your bills, is the number one rule everyone should follow. Paying your bills makes you feel good about yourself. You are being responsible for your own life.”
Dean is living proof that stamina, courage, honesty, and responsibility can change your future. Dean is breaking the cycle of illiteracy in his family. His daughter is an honor student at Dalewood Middle.
Dean Hall pays his bills.