Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e8R1iR928506; Tue, 26 Sep 2000 21:44:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 21:44:27 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <d0.b8d46ab.2702aa5f@aol.com> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: AWilder106@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1005] Re: Questions X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Mac - Post-GM sub 146 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2383 Lines: 60 Daphne, Yours are three valid points. 1) The instructor a survivor. As much self-examination as possible is essential. A survivor or not can get easily blown out of the water. I suggest team teaching where possible; students can see how teachers work through this issue together as teachers. This can be important modeling for students who don't know how to do it themselves. If possible teachers should have a trained counselor/therapist to go to for de-briefing, guidance, etc. 2) Own journey. I can be flippant and say everyone's on a journey, and of course that's true. Ideally, teacher/survivor should be in a therapeutic group or have regular counseling. 3) Subject brought up ex tempore. Seems we know that it will be brought up. With this knowledge in hand, I would do observing in classes where it is being openly discussed to find out how someone else does it. I would also practice dialogues with myself to prepare for contingencies that I know will come up. I'd also have back up curriculum ideas. I'd do a lot of writing on this listserv to find what other people are doing. I'd read Jenny's book and find out how to get in touch with some of the people in it, and I would get in touch. This way I would create a network and a safety net. ******* In my first year of teaching--this was with kids--I would go regularly to the counselor's office during recess and sob. She would listen sympathetically, active listening is what I mean, then I would go back to class. In small group faculty meetings in our division I would invariably throw out some very emotional comment which was right on the money, and watch it kind of roll around the floor and gather dust before someone spoke. I used to laugh about the group dynamics after meetings with my teaching friends. But I was right, because I could pick up those emotional classroom feelings like a charm. I didn't know I was a survivor then, that took years to piece together my behavior with my memories, such as they were. Survivors and non-survivors need access to counselors, teaching is too hard without it. They need to be prepared for this stuff, and they need not to be in classrooms alone, if possible, when dealing with issues around violence. You don't have to be a survivor to pick up the unconscious undercurrents like lint. Andrea
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