First:
"The ridicule is even worse if you teach adults. People say in front of
you, 'Oh that is so wonderful. That's really needed,' but behind your
back they say, 'Couldn't get a real teaching job, huh?' It's almost like
you are being punished and that you might as well be working at an
alternative school."

Wow Renee, I am sorry you feel that way.  I take the initial compliment
and don't think about the second part, I guess someone could be saying
that, but then we would know they were full of it (or I'd punch them in
the mouth, joke).   

Your last comment about alternative schools is true, we are an
alternative to the Prussian Soldiering school method of top down
instruction.  Instead of teaching at our students we teach with our
students... That Freirian ethos of learning for the world, the anarchist
belief of unschooling, this is what we use to make our students use
knowledge outside of school, to connect the dots and apply what they are
learning to their world.

And bottom feeder, isn't that a bit nice?  I'd say if Education is the
red-headed step child in politics we are the bastard who won't go away.

So, let's not go away, but use what we are learning with NCSALL and
scientific based research in Adult Ed to transform traditional K-12
education and work ourselves out of a job.  That would not be a bad way
to lose a job, being so effective your services aren't needed anymore.

Second:
In response to David's question and the timid teacher, it is important
to respect other people's culture and it is important that they respect
mine. Instead of openly accommodating a request that does, in my
culture, devalue one group of people based off physical attributes the
teacher can flip the request into a learning opportunity.  The learning
opportunity can be accomplished in several different ways: one way would
be for the teacher to mediate a discussion between the varied groups, or
a discussion/learning task comparing and contrasting two different
cultures (preferably not one's own), or, because we work with adults, be
the autocrat and tell this group you will not separate the class but the
students can make a proposals to the class.

The students gave the teacher a golden opportunity to make learning
tasks based off student interest, it is the teacher's responsibility to
fill the void.  In order for students to learn (whether they be ABE,
ESOL, etc) it is important that the exercise has purpose.

That being said, I too would have been shaken by the student request and
not known how to react.  If it were a white person refusing to be in
class with a black person you would respond, "it's the way of the world
and to get over it," no learning opportunity, if the rolls were reversed
the request might be granted, also no learning opportunity.  I guess
where I am going is, how do we stop being offended and start seeing and
acting upon learning possibilities.

PS- excuse the awkward phrasing, this is an initial response.

Barry Burkett, Adult Educator
Thorn Hill Learning Center
Frankfort, KY
502.223.3110