Wendy ends her email by stating:
"Instructors who are openly supportive of students in spite of their differences teach more than reading, writing and math. They teach confidence, compassion and humanity. They eradicate prejudice and broaden
horizons."
I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts about this. Have any of you experienced the above as learners in adult literacy classrooms? Have any of facilitated this as teachers of adults in adult literacy classrooms?
Daphne  



>>> wjackson at roanegov.org 1/5/2006 12:27 PM >>>

Daphne,

 

A couple of years back, I took some classes at North Metro Technical College
in Acworth, Georgia. The instructor, Diane Tate, encouraged us to be
ourselves and appreciate the differences in each other. We were a very
varied group. One of the young men had multiple piercings and a very radical
hair style; another was a very young 17 year old home schooled boy. One of
the women was a young single mother while I was a middle-aged house wife
trying to find a new role. One of the men had been laid off after 15 years
and was trying to gain documentation to obtain employment in a world that
now looked at documentation before skills. With the help of the instructor,
we learned to value each other for our differences. I found I would rather
my son, who was then 11 years old, to have wild hair and a bright mind than
to be "normal" and never have a challenging thought. The single mother knew
she did not want to work for minimum wage due to a lack of education until
her late thirties. The young gentleman from home school learned that things
are not always as they seem in the outside world. It was an eye-opening
experience that we would have missed if the instructor had not encouraged us
to discuss and share our differences. She would point out positive things in
each of us that were based on our differences.

 

Instructors who are openly supportive of students in spite of their
differences teach more than reading, writing and math. They teach
confidence, compassion and humanity. They eradicate prejudice and broaden
horizons.  

 

Wendy Jackson

Roane County Adult Education

1082 N. Gateway Ave.

Rockwood, TN 37854

 (865) 376-6663

 wjackson at roanegov.org