Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j8SJFaG14204; Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:15:36 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 15:15:36 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <433A88E6020000A000000692@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Katrina Hinson" <khinson@future-gate.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2273] Re: (still) reading the world? X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 7.0 Status: O Content-Length: 3794 Lines: 35 I haven't seen discussion on the lists re: these topics but I can tell you that as an instructor, I've talked about all of the issues below. My class and I discussed the events in New Orleans not long after it happened - everything from weather patterns, hurricane history to politics. We've discussed issues like whether or not the President could/should have acted sooner - that led to a discussion of state law vs federal law, a discussion on the US Constitution vs a State's Constitution - we talked about what it "state of emergency" meant. I live in North Carolina and we were hit by Ophelia not long after Katrina hit New Orleans...we compared and contrasted the response of our Governor with that of Louisiana. We continue to talk about the events as time goes by - considering the area of the state I live in, we've even discussed whether or not the people here see/saw it as racailly motivated in any way. The irony is, the majority think that whole train of thought is flawed. We've even discussed the 4,500 lb Crocodile that was killed last Friday in New Orleans. As for the violence related to urban areas - again that's a real issue for the community I serve. This is not a metropolitan area- it's a rural area with a total population in the whole county of not quite 60K - and yet there is a curfew in place in an attempt to curb violence. There was a young woman that killed herself by hanging herself in a closet this past week all because she felt she had no where to turn for help. As a class, we discuss issues like this as time allows us during our week. We talk about what motivates or drives people to do the things they do and how communities can work to change problem areas. We talk about what it means to become involved in the community, in the schools as parents and simply as citizens. I have alot of young men and the statistics are alarming. I don't want to open the paper and read about one dying or going to jail but happens far more than I like. Being an instructor is by no means instruction only on the "standards". Students that enter our programs need life and social skills as well as academic. They need to understand the world around them and learn how to postively affect change in that world. As instructors we can be bridges to understanding for them. We can offer them a "safe" environment in which to learn to express their ideas and share their opinions. I use every opportunity I can to teach my students more than the academics - everything that I can - from parenting to employability to future planning and goal setting. I want them to be a success not just in my classroom but also in life. I don't know if this is the response you were looking for Eileen but I hope it helps. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> eileeneckert@hotmail.com >>> Hello all, With the catastrophic events in New Orleans and beyond, I'm a little surprised and disappointed that there has so far been no discussion of whether and how adult education teachers and programs can address these current events and the issues behind them with their students. Or maybe I just missed it. On another topic, I recently heard the end of the Youth Radio broadcast on KQED out of San Francisco; at the end of the program they read the names of Californian youth who have been killed in action over the past month, as well as those who have died by violence in the Bay Area. Of the dozen or so names that were read, one was killed in Iraq; the rest died by violence on city streets here. It seems it is more dangerous to live as a poor person of color in some of our cities than it is to go to war. Are these issues relevant to the teaching and administration of adult education, or are we limited to the technical points of standards and assessments? Eileen
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