One Crystal Springs family has recently made education a familyaffair, studying together, learning together, and stressing outabout grades together.

That might not sound very out-of-the-ordinary, until you learnthat the family is not a typical father and his two little girlspacking backpacks and meeting the school bus.

David Boykin, 53, and his daughters Lindi Fallin, 33, andElizabeth Lewis, 28, decided when it was time to go back to school,they all wanted to go together.

“I had recently been laid off and I wanted to better myself andgo to college,” said Boykin.

But first, he needed his GED, as did Lewis. Fallin had graduatedfrom high school, but it had been a long time and she wanted somerefresher education before she attempted college courses.

So the three decided to enroll in Copiah-Lincoln CommunityCollege’s GED program at the end of March.

And they have now finished, with Fallin and Boykin earning GEDscholarships to Co-Lin. Lewis and Fallin want to be schoolteachers, and Boykin wants to be a practical nurse.

Their dreams aren’t far from becoming reality either, they said.Boykin plans to enroll in classes starting this summer, with hisdaughters waiting until the fall. And all three are grateful forthe chance to start over.

“It was an accomplishment,” said Lewis. “I was struggling withthe math part and I didn’t think I’d pass it, but they keptreminding us to think positively.”

Part of that was just keeping the mood light in the classroom,said instructor David Langston.

“We try to interject a lot of humor, and make it as lightheartedas possible,” he said. “Just take each thing step by step bystep.”

And the girls said part of what makes getting their high schooleducation equivalency certificate at this age is that theirchildren get to be there for it.

“I’ve got a 14-month old, and this is a good time to work inclasses,” Fallin said.

Lewis said her children Brooklyn, 8, Emily, 7, and Mari-Fran, 2,were part of her inspiration as well.

“I’m excited the kids get to see me graduate,” she said with abig smile.

Instructors and administrators were also proud of the family’sgood work.

“The GED test is seven hours,” said Director of Adult EducationJeff Posey. “A lot of high school seniors can’t even pass it. Thisis quite an accomplishment.”

He said he occasionally sees husband and wife teams come throughthe classes, but this is the first time he’s seen a father and twochildren at the same time.

“In 15 years this is the first time I ever remember a dad andtwo daughters,” he said.

The three will walk in the regional GED graduation held atSouthwest Mississippi Community College in McComb at the end ofMay.

“I’m excited, because I didn’t get to graduate with my highschool class,” Boykin said.