High School Equivalency teacher Jeff Smith has taken an active hand in helping inmates at the Orleans County Jail pass the rigorous GED exam. Not only has he filled the role of educator and mentor, he has provided them with structure, compassion and encouragement along the way. “For most of them, this is the most successful thing they have ever done,” he says.
“It all started in 2004 when I was teaching ESOL (English as a Second Language) at the migrant camps for Orleans/Niagara BOCES,” he explains. “That transitioned into working with at-risk youth in Niagara Falls. “A lot of those kids are just in nightmare situations and they fall through the cracks. I would tell them to come around and bring a friend and let me help them. They were not always open to it, but sometimes they would have a change of heart and let me assist them.”
Eventually Jeff and his wife started teaching at the Niagara County Jail in 2013, helping the prison population there with their skills in English, math, science, social studies and reading. “My wife Shelly is not only a great wife and mother, but people just flock to her. Between the two of us we helped a lot of people get their GED.”
Jeff was approached by the Orleans County Sheriff in 2015 to become a deputy and help the community that way as well. Jeff graduated from the law enforcement academy and worked that job before he aged out. “I guess I am a bit of an overachiever,” he laughs. “Not every day was a bowl of cherries, but I was able to help some people and that makes it worthwhile.”
Now at the Orleans County Jail, Jeff teaches out of a 10x10 room that has five desks. “Many of the inmates are in their for about six months, so we encourage them if they don’t have their high school diploma to come in and work on it.” He says he loves watching the correction officers’ (CO) faces when they see the red stars hanging from their ceiling. “Every time I get a student that gets their GED, I hang a star,” he says. “The CO’s can’t believe it. I like to show off my graduates and personally it is rewarding for me when I hear them brag about how many of the prisoners get their diplomas. It really doesn’t matter how young or old you are, there is never a bad time to get your GED. I truly believe that the Lord gives me these people’s hearts and I can help them.” Jeff also partners with GCC so that his students know that is an option for them. “Robin from GCC comes in once a month and pushes them to keep going with their education and explains that there is help with tuition. It is amazing to see them succeed and get on another path.”
“I would say the secret to my success is attitude. I believe they can do it and I help them to see that they can do it. It is really the key. Sometimes you have to be tough with them and other times you just lend an ear. It is really a rewarding thing in my life and I believe I have been led to be where I am supposed to be.”