Literacy Opportunities for Rebirth, Reconstruction,
and Beyond in Post-Katrina Louisiana
by Anthony Gabriel
Ever wonder what would happen if you could design your ideal adult education
or literacy program. What would be the most important aspects of bringing
such a program to life?
Here in Louisiana as well as the rest of the Gulf Coast, meetings and email
discussion list conversations are being held on how we reconnect as a community
of practitioners and adult learners Post-Katrina. We are faced with a unique
opportunity to truly reinvest our efforts to combat low literacy and academic
skills in such a way as to truly make a significant change in the atmosphere
and psyche of all those involved with adult education in this region. How
then does this metamorphosis take place? Especially in a time of great
change and uncertainty for learners and adult education programs, some
unified plan of action and activism must be put in place.
In contemplating how this great change should happen, I began reviewing
my own baptism into the world of adult literacy learners. As an Americorp
worker for the YMCA here in New Orleans, I became involved with a program
called Operation Mainstream. Operation Mainstream was an adult literacy
program operated out of various sites around the city. My job was to teach
literacy skills to adults who signed up for classes. Without any prior
knowledge of what teaching literacy was about and equipped with 12 hours
of tutor training, I nervously started my first day on the job. I stumbled
and through trial and error finally started to figure out what I was supposed
to be doing for my students. Secretly, in the back of my mind I said, it
must be their own fault or they were just too lazy to pay attention in
school that’s why they are here in my class. I didn’t realize
how uninformed and undereducated I had been until I met Andrew.
Andrew was a 62 year-old horse and buggy tour driver in the historic French
Quarter of New Orleans. Andrew’s knowledge of the history of New
Orleans and the historic sites around the Quarter would rival that of any
city historian. He could easily be mistaken for a college professor in
the way he presented himself, but there was one problem. Andrew could not
read. I was totally dumbfounded that such an intelligent man was unable
to read. I asked Andrew why hadn’t he learned to read, and he responded
simply,
“I didn’t have the time to. I was the oldest and had to work
to help my mother.” Andrew memorized all the locations and written
history of the French Quarter in order to do his job as a horse and buggy
tour driver. Andrew made me realize that I was not just tutoring people,
but that I was in a position to learn more from them than I could ever
teach them. This is where we must restart our literacy efforts in hurricane-ravaged
areas of our country. Our learners’ knowledge and
life experiences are excellent starting points for a Rebirth.
Late last year, I had an opportunity to hear noted child advocate and
author Jonathan Kozol speak as part of International Literacy Day celebrations
here in New Orleans. Before leaving us that evening, Kozol spoke of what
must be done to improve efforts to reach more adult learners.
“Whenever I tried to gain the attention of the powers that be from
the top down (politicians, high ranking community leaders, etc), my efforts
at advocacy didn’t work very well, but when I decided to attack from
the bottom up (Average Joe, poor people, families, neighborhoods) my advocacy
became more effective.”
“We must attack the problem of low literacy from two fronts.
On the one hand, we must advocate and say the right things to those who
can affect policy and monetary decisions around the issue of literacy.
But we must never forget to uplift and bring the message of literacy
as a political and liberating empowerment tool for adult learners.”
This is where the metamorphosis begins, giving adult learners power and
a real voice in how they receive educational services.
Rebirth
While best practices, sustainable funding resources, and evidence-based
practices are all important, we must be careful not to see our clients
as subjects to be acted upon, but as intelligent beings capable of expressing
what works for them and what doesn’t. Cultural awareness and nontraditional
interactions among students and teachers must spearhead a true Rebirth
in the philosophy of retaining and motivating adult learners.
What do I mean by nontraditional interactions? As an adult educator and
workforce specialist for the past several years, I have practiced and witnessed
the power of developing an emotional connection with your learners. It
is what is called Emotional Literacy Development. There are a number of
schools of thought on this subject matter, but simply put, emotional literacy
allows the learner as well as the instructor or facilitator an opportunity
to learn from each other in an environment that becomes more than just
a classroom. It becomes a home to all those present.
Historically, emotional literacy is nothing new. The work of many pioneers
in the fields of emotional intelligence, transactional analysis and psychiatry
have all contributed to what we know about how emotions effect our development.
A working definition I’ve found useful defines emotional literacy
as the ability to recognize, understand and appropriately express and channel
our emotions to help our personal successes. Many K-12 programs already
incorporate a great deal of emotional development modules in their curriculum,
but this type of development often goes uninvestigated in a large majority
of adult education programs. I’ve learned that low literacy in adults
usually stems from some pre-adulthood experience from which they were emotionally
scarred, with consequences lingering into adulthood.
What does this have to do with the rebirth of literacy and adult education
centers in Post-Katrina ravaged areas of the Gulf South? Plenty!
The trauma of dealing with and restarting an already troubled life can
be so overwhelming and depressing as to cause some adult learners to give
up on their goals of self improvement and succumb to indifference. The
motivation to continue or discontinue literacy classes or adult education
classes hangs on a fragile thread for individuals in this type of environment.
Just after New Orleans was cleared for reoccupancy after Hurricane Katrina,
I met Robert, an adult education student trying to prepare for his GED.
Robert had been homeless before the storm, but he took great joy in attending
his adult education classes. Robert shared with me several of his writings
regarding his experiences before and after the storm. Below are excerpts
of his writings.
“It seems as if you are all alone out here, yet there are thousands
like you. The thoughts that occupy your mind the most are where the next
meal is coming from and where you are going to rest your head. I often
wonder if everybody out here is as lonely as I am.”
“It is said that homeless people have negative attitudes, and
that is so true, but more so among each other than anyone else. The reason
for these attitudes are hungry stomachs, idle minds, poor self-esteem,
all brought about in a society that regrets the sight of you.”
Robert’s comments are indicative of how a large number of adult
learners understand and cope with their challenges. This self-knowledge
forms the basis for motivating as well as organizing adult learners to
become active voices in their community and in their learning experiences.
Thus, adult learners like Robert become emotional and dedicated advocates
for change in their communities if nurtured and supported by those with
the grant dollars, facilities and the connections to put them at the forefront
of their own advocacy and activism. Agencies, schools, and any other entities
that support adult education programs must contribute to a rebirth by more
than just lip service or closed-door meetings. They must actively go into
adult learner communities and recruit as well as provide support mechanisms
for student enrichment and development. By development, I am referring
to leadership and mentorship opportunities that spawn adult learners who
become the voices of empowerment for their own learning and environments.
Recently, adult learner programs around the country started letter writing
campaigns to members of Congress to protest impending budget cuts to adult
education. For some adult learners, this was the first time they had complained
to anyone other than among themselves. These types of activities are crucial
in giving learners confidence in their own voice and power.
Reconstruction
Currently, thousands of former adult education students from the Gulf coast
region are scattered to various locations around the country. What then,
can we do as advocates, program directors, and practitioners to help
them recapture their voice?
We must first reconstruct some of our attitudes toward the adult learner.
We can no longer practice the philosophy of “If we build it, they
will come” or “It’s built — why won’t they
come?” Issues of budget cuts, professional development, and an already
over worked and underpaid workforce greatly challenge attempts at new ways
of reaching learners, but we must try different approaches especially
in those areas adversely affected by hurricane damage.
Another mechanism of rebuilding must focus on bringing students into the
boardroom as well as funding and decision making bodies that affect the
existence of adult education programs. How would someone unable to read
or without a high school diploma function in such an atmosphere? They will indeed
not function very well if we never give them an opportunity to be exposed
to such conversations or make accommodations for them to participate in
the discussion of these issues. Next steps — planning and promoting — are
also important factors in building a strong student base that creates its
own self-sustaining momentum. Another requirement for the rebuilding process
is to strengthen adult learner organizations and learner activism.
I share a unique perspective many educators may not have. My wife was
an adult learner herself. She dropped out of school because of family problems
and decided several years later to return to school and get her GED. While
in class, she realized there was a void in support for adult learners and
was fortunate to voice her concerns at a meeting she was asked to attend.
Years later, she along with several other adult learners founded the ALIVE
group (Adults Initiating Voices for Education), and began their mission
of being a support and advocacy vehicle for adult learners. Her insights,
along with those of her fellow members, have proved crucial in the work
we do here in Louisiana on behalf of adult learners.
Adult Learner groups like ALIVE and on a national level,
VALUE (Voices
for Adult Literacy United for Education), are important resources. Sometimes
overlooked and brought into the picture after the fact, they should instead
be incorporated at the beginning of any conversation on helping adult learners.
See VALUE website, located at http://www.valueusa.org/ as of this writing.
Beyond
The state of adult education in Louisiana prior to the series of natural
disasters that has battered the state was one of cautious optimism. Demographic
changes, maturity levels of new students, and the perceived or real impact
of high-stakes testing casualties all contribute to disagreements among
practitioners and state officials about the future of adult education
here in Louisiana.
Baton Rouge Advocate writer, Charles Lussier argues that of the 600,000
working age adults in the state that lack a high school diploma, only about
5 percent enroll in adult education classes. Of the 5 percent, only about
1 percent earn a diploma. Could and should more be done? The answer is
an emphatic YES! If we are to address the issues of adult
learners in a time of chaos and dysfunction, we must be keenly sensitive
to listening to them as well as bringing them to the table as equal partners
in funding decisions, program curriculum, and direction. There is much
work to be done in this area, but with the support of the adult education
community around the country, we will be successful.
Reference
http://2theadvocate.com/stories/071705/new_ged 3001.shtml
About the Author
Anthony Gabriel has been involved with literacy and adult education
for more than ten years. Prior to his literacy teaching background he
was a classroom teacher for middle and high school students in New Orleans.
As a founding planning committee member for the Genesis of the Literacy
Alliance of Greater New Orleans, Mr. Gabriel continues to champion the
voice of adult learners through his affiliation with the ALIVE group
and fellow literacy advocates throughout the region.
  
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