Articles - Summer 2009 - return to index
Faculty Spotlight: Mary Foust
Instructor helps students access career pathways
By Chris Cunningham
Mary Foust understands that it takes courage for students to enroll in her Adult Basic and Secondary Education classes at Lane.
They’re shy, yet they know they need additional academic skills to embark on a new career path.
She and other ABSE instructors help students “who need to brush up on their skills after high school, or who come back for training, or who require extra help because English is their second language.”
The majority of ABSE students, Foust says, are likely juggling the demands of family and employment, and “often come in with a variety of issues” that make school especially challenging.
Foust, named Teacher of the Year in 2006 by the Oregon Council of Adult Basic Skills Development, shepherds students along by teaching them reading strategies that help them understand academic materials.
She brings to her work a master’s degree in adult education from Oregon State University and a wealth of experience teaching people with disabilities, prison inmates, and populations who need support preparing for high school equivalency tests.
When student Barbara Radillo (see front cover story) told Foust her instruction had “made a difference,” the seasoned teacher knew she had introduced just the right tools to help this motivated student access Lane’s Career Pathways.
Find out more about Career Pathways online at: 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/pathways
