Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i2VDthm17421; Wed, 31 Mar 2004 08:55:43 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 08:55:43 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <79F25630.27A53C5A.0A349A3F@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: AWilder106@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:10154] Re: layers of meaning X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Atlas Mailer 2.0 Status: O Content-Length: 2179 Lines: 23 Interesting conversation. America is made up of micro-cultures, one size does not fit all. In my micro-culture, for example, higher education and physical labor are not seen as separate categories as they are in other parts of the US and the world. In adult literacy the question may be--does the student have a choice? Often, the student does not. I think the role of the adult educator is to expand choice opportunities through reading and writing. A word on the role of physical labor--work--in my micro- culture. My cousin is multi-lingual, has lived and taught in other countries, runs a summer program now for foreign graduate students. She also works around the house, roofing would not be out of line for her. In our micro-culture a person tends to be judged by how open they are to physical labor--1) will a visitor join in without asking if they can help, 2) will they ask, or 3) will they wait until you have finished....You may be thinking, "Remind me not to visit her!" But this is fairly accurate. It took me a long time, and I am still learning, to put my work aside when guests come, and to act "polite." Also, at first going to Latin American parties, or Jewish holiday dinners, was extremely difficult. I have (sort of) learned both, but it's been a stretch It's the "have to" aspect of physical labor for some, that catches in the throat, not, I hope the fact that physical labor requires muscle exertion and sweat. My mother's chosen work involved physical labor, she was a degreed professional landscape architect and a lot of her work for 60+ years was outside. The wife of one of my mother's Italian stone masons gave her the highest compliment I can think of when she said: "She was a hard worker." I guess some of this is by way of saying that from inside my micro-culture I don't appreciate it when physical labor per se is denigrated, it does make me wonder where another person's values are; a lot of this discussion has been about what we value and don't value, what we see as insulting or not, how we judge other people. Applying "politcal correctness" to a micro-culture can result in a strange hybrid, my opinion. Andrea
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 23 2004 - 09:46:44 EST