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 gAD349X23344; Tue, 12 Nov 2002 22:04:09 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 22:04:09 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sdd179f9.036@langate.gsu.edu> 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: "Daphne Greenberg" <alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:2389] students/learners X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.0.2 Status: O Content-Length: 1743 Lines: 46 Thanks to Judy and Gail, I think that I will go to a nearby adult literacy program and survey the students/learners and find out if they want to be referred to as students or learners. I will also ask my graduate students this question. I will let people know what I find out. BUT A broader question has now been sparked for me. I do agree that we should call adult literacy/students whatever they want to be called. But is this always true? For example, what if you are a male and feel that all adult females should be called women and not girls? What if your female colleague/student/friend/lover/adult daughter/mother,etc. like to be referred to as girl in professional contexts? Do you call this person a "girl" or do you call this person a "woman"? In other words, should we always let the person being referred to, dictate what we feel comfortable calling him/her? Even if we feel that the label they want to be called is either offensive, degrading, humiliating, etc? Daphne Daphne Greenberg Associate Director Center for the Study of Adult Literacy Georgia State University University Plaza Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-4901 dgreenberg@gsu.edu >>> JATDP@aol.com 11/09/02 09:56 AM >>> I agree with Gail that students/learners should be the ones to determine how they prefer to be named. I was always uncomfortable with the term 'learner' because it felt imposed by practitioners. Sometimes we get carried away with our well-meaning PC labels. When I worked at a community-based agency in Providence, we did ask. The students wanted to be called 'students'...they said we don't say 'college learner' or 'high school learner', why would we say 'adult education learner". Judy Titzel Providence, RI
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