Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g1IID6u22531; Mon, 18 Feb 2002 13:13:06 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 13:13:06 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <007601c1b8ab$63c72b00$b9f72a3f@cbking> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Catherine King" <cb.king@verizon.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:729] Re: Literacy Rates and Reality X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 12412 Lines: 277 Hello Mary Ann: In your Feb. 3 note, you talk about using: ". . . words that aren't emotionally charged or that are devoid of negative connotations that heap blame or guilt on others. I am not interested in blaming the dominant culture--I am much more interested in effecting change to make our programs truly responsive to our learners' needs." Of course there will always be some who like to "point the finger" at those they deem as culprits. However, there is such a thing as corporate guilt that exists already in a semi-consciousness of many who have waked up to our identity with whiteness-against-other as a historical phenomenon and who automatically take the "I didn't do anything" stance because of our own recognition of a collective responsibility for the racial, et al, problems we find ourselves in. (We see this in the "male-backlash" idea regarding feminism.) I hear this in my classes from other white people over and over. What I do is walk them through the difference between (1) what they think they SHOULD be responsible for as an individual and, on the other hand, (2) what we-they **already sense**, at very deep levels, they ARE responsible for, and that emerges as an automatic defensiveness in the face of--NOT direct accusation--but rather the silent accusation distilled in historical discovery and our automatic identity with what has gone forward in the name of white supremacy, class elitism, et al. For instance, male corporate identity is obvious and automatic. They feel it, can't do anything about it, and sense that the entire force of historical identity is going to crash down on them if they don't protest against it. It's a sense of suffocation precisely because--corporately--there is some truth to male identity with a group, but only corporately. This is not to whitewash white-high-economy America generally or to disabuse ourselves of any tacit involvement in across-the-board racism/elitism, or our individual complicity of silence in specific circumstances where our silence equals endorsement. But to distinguish corporate guilt we DO feel from individual complicity and actual guilt IF it applies, and what that means, and to raise these distinctions to the level of reflective thought seems to dissolve the tension in the classroom, or at least move it to a level where discourse is possible without automatic defensiveness or mud-slinging. My black students are often more aware of white tensions than white students are because they receive the tension as racism and exclusion. My aim for them is usually to help them distinguish real consciously-intended racism from the inherited tensions that still unfortunately exist in many democratic and well-meaning Euro-white teachers who still need to do some serious internal inspections with regard to their mon-cultural inheritances. My classes are called "cultural democracy" and have this self-inspection component as part of teacher development. It is my judgment that, though ALL people have to deal with their own brands of elitism on many scores, the black-white native-American tension still needs to be brought to consciousness in Euro-white people in this country because of our particular history of split and conflicting national stories. Most of my white students do not recognize the extremely different historical patterns that black/native Ameerican students identify with and what that means to their discourse with one another. Religious histories, of course, constitute a different level of historical identity pattern and must be approached on their own related-different grounds in terms of biases involved. I don't know if other venues besides a classroom are appropriate to the reflective experience it takes to bring this thought to fruition. But I do know it takes a teacher who has her-himself done some serious inspection in terms of the historical-identity-group we belong to. I also think it takes a little bit of teacher-control to create the intellectual space for people to raise these issues peacefully and talk about them. I also think it helps that a teacher is a member of the perceived group who needs to self-reflect--to make the waters smooth. In the case of white corporate-identity guilt, it is helpful to be a white person. I don't think this answers your question, but I hope it sheds a little bit of light on it. Regards to all, Catherine King Adjunct Instructor National University Department of Teacher Education San Diego, CA ---- Original Message ----- From: Mary Ann Corley <macorley1@earthlink.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 9:23 AM Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:710] Re: Literacy Rates and Reality > Hello, Everyone: > > Thanks to Matthew, Judy, David, and others who have posted messages on the > topic of social justice and literacy. Your messages have touched a nerve > and re-energized me. I have a confession to make, and I'll do so in this > public forum. As moderator of this listserv, I have been stymied about ways > to get such a discussion going, and I thank you for moving us in this > direction. > > Let me speak for a minute about my experiences as moderator. We started > this discussion list about a year ago, with the NIFL agreeing to host the > list (There currently are approximately 400 subscribers to this list). I > wanted such a discussion list because, in working this field for more than > 30 years, I have become convinced that the delivery of adult literacy > education in this country has got to make some serious changes if it is ever > to reach larger numbers of learners and support those learners in reaching > their goals. I am aware that the social-political-economic contexts in > which our programs operate often create barriers for us in effecting change, > the kind of change that would truly give voice to adult learners. I believe > that it is NOT impossible for us to create an effective delivery system, > but, like Quigley, I believe that we might have to do so outside the > constraints of current major funding streams. That is not an indictment of > the current system--much good comes of the current system, and we have > hundreds of thousands of learners to attest to that. My point is that we > need additional, alternative delivery systems to reach those learners for > whom the current system does not appeal. > > When teachers embark for the first time on the adult literacy journey, their > training consists of how to teach reading, ESL, life skills, etc. That's > not wrong--but it often fails to take into account the cultural dissonance > that can exist between teachers of the dominant culture and learners. And > it often fails to take into account the relational learning styles of > persons who represent various cultural groups. And it often fails to give > voice to the learner. Is it surprising, then, that our drop-out rates > across the field are so high? > > People are at different comfort levels in discussion the "-isms" of class, > race, gender, and ability. We don't often provide opportunities for open > forums on the topics--especially that of racism. That there is need for > such forums on the topic is evidenced by the huge number of postings when > this list was initiated. We had dozens of postings from people describing > the prejudices they or their families have endured. But, after the first > months, the discussion got "stuck"--we weren't sure how to take it to the > next level, that of creating change in our programs. As someone remarked at > a workshop I did redcently on the topic, we don't even have good vocabulary > words to discuss these topics--words that aren't emotionally charged or that > are devoid of negative connotations that heap blame or guilt on others. I > am not interested in blaming the dominant culture--I am much more interested > in effecting change to make our programs truly responsive to our learners' > needs. I don't pretend to have answers, although, as Judy Titzel points > out, there have been developments around these issues at the K-12 level that > can give us some direction. My hope for this listserv is that we can (1) > raise awareness among the field concerning the need for change, and (2) > foster discussion about the nature of that change. > > I have tried to take these issues to different national literacy groups, but > find that many in leadership positions in adult literacy are wary of the > topic. It's easier (and less negatively charged) to call this effort > "diversity" than it is to face the issue head on. > Any ideas or suggestions on how to bring this issue to the surface and give > it notice at the national level? Or does change have to happen at the local > level first among those innovative programs that are committed to this > effort? It seems to me that, within the already marginalized field of adult > literacy, those innovative local programs risk becoming even more > marginalized/ outside the mainstream. So, where do we go from here? > > OK--that's my confession. Please join the discussion! And thanks to those > of you who have jump-started it! > > -Mary Ann Corley > Povracelit List moderator > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <PDRNRI@aol.com> > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> > Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 8:13 PM > Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:707] Re: Literacy Rates and Reality > > > > Judy, Matt, and everyone: > > > > First, on the point of "leaving no child behind" - This motto (as co-opted > by > > the Bush administration) coupled with the divisive policies it flies > above, > > is a glaring example of doublespeak. To my mind, there is no way for a > > system to create a condemnable category of failed children and schools > > without leaving children behind. > > > > Second, I agree with Judy about the relative silence among adult educators > > around sociocultural education (in my experience, this has also been the > > case). I can think of several possible reasons for this (a relatively > small > > body of adult ed.-specific research in this area, for example, perhaps a > > relative lack of engagement with theory among practitioners) but none to > me > > seem more pervasive than the steady narrowing of overall adult ed focus by > > funding-related federal legislation. Programs relying upon governmental > > grants for their existence are justifiably preoccupied with satisfying > > funders' demands (almost entirely "workforce development" related, with o > > utcomes measured through a small range of standardized instruments). > > Educators with little time for professional and program development can > > ill-afford to spend time off the topic of teaching to performance and > > reporting requirements dictated by the corporate interests which support > > their work. > > > > I am just beginning a process of developing a survey of people in > > organizations that work for social change to try to assess their > perspectives > > on how adult education can better support their work and their > communities. > > I hope to develop a report around which interested adult educators and > social > > change agents can open a dialogue on how they may collaborate, and > possibly > > develop a coalition to address common concerns. > > > > An exciting, recent development in Providence is the incorporation of > English > > for Action (EFA), an education program developed by two recent Brown > > University graduates which aims to make community action an integral part > of > > its ESOL classes in Olneyville, a low-income neighborhood in Providence > with > > a large immigrant population. I'm planning to work closely with the EFA > > education director, Jennifer Chase Smith (who is also a classmate of mine) > on > > my project. My hope is that EFA will serve as an example for others in > the > > Providence area on developing and sustaining adult education programs > which > > make social justice issues a focus of their work. > > > > I too would be interested in hearing from others about where the kind of > > dialogues Judy describes might be happening around the country, and what > kind > > of work is being done at the program level to address these issues. > > > > Peace, > > > > David Hayes > > Harvard University Graduate School of Education > > > > > > > > > > > > >
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