Jackie told the silent observers to speak up so I finally decided I
would. I've been swamped with grad school and work and haven't had as
much time to respond to discussions as I would like but I did decide to
add my information to this one.

1) What state did you start your career in adult literacy? North
Carolina

2) How did you enter the field and into what role? I started off
majoringin Chemical Engineering and planning on going into the Air
Force. I spent 3 years on this "track" in college until I met the man
that would become my husband. Ultimately his job and my own personal
desires caused me to change fields completely. When I finally graduated
it was with an English Degree. A lady in my church kept asking me what I
wanted to do and I told her I wanted to work with adults...that I didn't
want to teach children. I wanted to teach adult students. She came by
one day where I was working and asked me to substitute for a class. I
said "why not". That led to teaching a week long study skills class to
then being offered the chance to teach part time in ABE. I've taught in
almost all areas of basic skills, Human Resources, ABE, GED, ESL and
AHS. I wouldn't trade one minute of the experience.


3) How did you move within the field? Consider changes in:

-- role:  I am first and foremost a teacher - but over the last 3 years,
I've been asked to take on more responsibilities in regards to training
and coordination.

-- provider type: I work at a state funded community college. Basic
Skills classes are part of the continuing education division.

-- part-time to full-time or vice-versa: I started off part time in
1996. In 2005 I finally had the chance and opportunity to seek a full
time position. 

-- promotion - there really isn't any where to "promote" to - unless I
wanted to move into administration and personally, I don't want to leave
the classroom. That's why I teach.

-- location (did you need to relocate for the job?)No, that's actually
how I ended up teaching - my husband's jobs relocated us as a family and
I would always seek out the community colleges and actively work to get
an interview and a job.

4) Did you leave the field, if so, to what position, and why?  Briefly,
yes. My husband's job moved us to a different part of the state and
everytime I called the area community colleges I hit a brick wall. I
felt like my experience didn't matter so I fell back on my training and
skills and my degree and took my technical writing background and put it
to good work for a web design company, two computer companies and a
property management firm. 

5) If you left the field, did you return and if so to what role or
position?  While working in property management I actually went back to
teaching part time at night in the GED program. I had known for a while
that I really really missed a classroom and I missed helping people. In
all my jobs, I encountered people that so desperately needed the
services we provide in adult education...and it was always a reminder
that I was out of place. When my husband accepted a final move with a
bigger TV station, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when we moved and
I called the two local community colleges and within a month I was
working part time. Now, 3 years later, I'm full time.

6) To whom does the top pay go in your state or area? In the state, not
sure. Locally, it goes to curriculum professors and coordinators - it
goes to the people that are "up" in the chain so to speak from those in
the Basic Skills classroom. It is competitive to some degree but not
always fair. 


7) What supports or resources, if any, were helpful to you along the
way? The professional development activities I've been actively
encouraged to seek out and participate in, a supportive director and
dean, diverse co-workers who share their knowledge and things like Focus
on the Basics and NISOD abstracts and even the LINCS forums that I
participate in and read.

8) Other thoughts?  I'm going to second the thought that although I
stumbled upon the profession, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love
what I do, even when I have bad days at work or hit stumbling blocks and
challenges.  I loved the commnet in one of the first emails I read about
"being a real teacher." I encounter than ALOT where I am - especially
with a "teaching" college in my hometown. I always respond that I am a
real teacher and I teach the students that other teachers have labled in
some way or the other as unteachable for what ever reason may have
arisen. That usally makes a few eyebrows raise. I've even invited people
out to my classroom. They end up leaving with "I don't know how you do
all you do in a day with the number of students you have" kind of
comments as they go home. It leads to a whole new respect.

I think there are several obstacles that our field needs to find a way
to be a proactive voice - one is in the area of assessment of students
and how programs are judged to be successful or not. We've talked about
this issue a number of times both on the PD list and the Assessment list
 and there is no easy answer but perhaps as a collective group we can
work together to ultimately bring about change. 

I also echo the concerns expressed by Wendy in regards to Part Time
employees and benefits. In my state, part time employees are restricted
to 28 hours or less and are given no benefits yet at every state level
meeting I attend, we are told to focus on quality instruction but
sometimes not doing all we can to ensure we keep quality instructors.  I
was a part time instructor for many years. I know the frustration of
having no benefits - no health insurance, no retirement, not even having
my check direct deposited because it would require too much paperwork
and I was only part time.  Part time instructors are often overlooked in
campus wide events and functions, left out of emails etc. Somehow, we
need to find away to make sure that part time instructors are validated,
valued and respected for the hard work and contributions they make both
on the clock and off.