Genita Whiting Named Outstanding Adult Education Teacher by AACAE

Genita Whiting, an adult education instructor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, was given the Outstanding Adult Education Teacher award by the Arkansas Association of Continuing & Adult Education (AACAE) at the association’s 2016 conference in Hot Springs on Nov. 4.

“Ms. Whiting provides her students with the spark of encouragement they need to feel empowered and realize they are capable of achieving their goals,” Kim Darling, the director of adult education at UACCM, wrote in her nomination letter to the association. “She is the reason UACCM’s Adult Education program has been and will continue to be a thriving program. She is a role model for all UACCM employees, and she is a blessing to Arkansas Adult Education.”

L-R: Martin Loa, Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) Representative for Region 6; Genita Whiting, UACCM Adult Education instructor; Lloyd Huskey, Director of Adult Education at Arkansas Baptist College

Whiting, who is in her 27th year with the UACCM Adult Education program, said she was “completely overwhelmed by this unexpected honor.”

“During the awards ceremony, I listened to the speaker read the qualifications of the 2016 Outstanding Adult Education Teacher,” Whiting said. “At some point, I realized the combination of qualifications sounded familiar to me: a start date from January of 1989 and certification as a Career Development Facilitator. When I looked at my colleagues seated beside me, I discovered they were videoing the presentation.” 

UACCM provides adult education instruction in Conway and Perry counties. Classes are designed to help people improve their skills in English, math, and reading. Our program provides GED instruction, basic skills refresher courses for students about to enter college, and training for people who need to develop their basic skills for the workplace.