[NLA] RE: learner leadership/NIFL Board

[hforster]

Archie
I greatly appreciate your ideas and feel that you can contribute much to
the direction of adult education.  I have one problem and that is that I
do not have the faith in the system that you have.  That is why I am not
surprised at the recent actions in Massachusetts, my birth state.  But
this is a subject for another time.

The reason I feel compelled to respond is your statement "If an adult
learner was appointed to this board, I feel a message would be sent to
Congress and to society that things are working in adult literacy."  My
fear is that this massive organization will exploit you for their
purposes.  They will attempt to say that the past support has been
adequate, which we all know is not true.  They will show case the
success while cutting funding in the back room.

This is not to say that an adult learner should not be appointed.  It is
my suggested position that adult learning can work and that too many
people are having their lives destroyed now because of a lack of
national commitment.  It is also necessary that all of the others on
this list support an appointee actively.  It will take a person of
courage to go into this mess.  The rest of us have to push and support
an appointee like a rugby scrum. Because of the existence of this list
it is possible to provide the required support.

We should also recognize that if the above is recognized by those who
possess the power to control,  such an appointment may be blocked.  That
is why it is necessary that there be a scrum meeting of those who
support the appointment to assure that the appointment is made.


Archie Willard wrote:

> Although I recognize and appreciate the thoughts and concerns about
> the current climate regarding adult literacy, I feel strongly about
> adult learners’ being involved. Somehow I would hope we live in an
> America where people who have literacy problems and have worked hard
> to better themselves can represent the very same kind of people with
> literacy problems on the NIFL advisory board.  If Congress, our
> leaders, and the literacy field view adult learners who have gone
> through the adult literacy system as people who cannot speak for
> themselves, then I think things are wrong.  I hope our country is a
> better place than that and we cannot accept that only highly visible
> people and people with clout can represent others. If an adult learner
> was appointed to this board, I feel a message would be sent to
> Congress and to society that things are working in adult literacy.
>
> Archie Willard
>
> --
> Archie Willard
> millard at goldfieldaccess.net
> FAX - 515-448-3213
> URL - http://www.readiowa.org/archiew.html
>
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