[NLA] Sharing Experience

[Gail Spangenberg]

Colleagues,

Last Tuesday night I attended the McGraw Education Prize Dinner, an 
annual, nonpartisan "black-tie" event that recognizes three educators 
of high achievement.  Most memorable about the evening were the 
remarks of the person for whom the awards are named, Harold McGraw, 
Jr.  He spoke in a very touching way about how distressed and 
depressed he sometimes gets over the condition of schooling in the 
country.  And he told how phone calls to his daughter in the middle 
of the night--she is a teacher--made him feel more hopeful.  Her 
message to him, he said, is that no matter how huge the problems are 
and how intractable they sometimes seem, good and wonderful things 
are going on, too, as people across the country work with dedication 
day in and day out to make things better.  Recognize the problems, 
she told him, but at the same time, also recognize that there are 
achievements, accentuate the positive, and be hopeful, because, she 
said, there is much to be hopeful about.  What I found most moving 
was the depth of Harold McGraw's continued caring, indeed his passion 
-- remarkable for a man of his advanced years and sometimes fragile 
health. 

On Thursday night, I found myself watching the opening session of the 
World Economic Summit on C-Span.  The panelists included America's 
Elie Weisel, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, 
Jordan's Queen Ramia, Prime Minister Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, 
Archbishop Tutu, and Canadian singer Bono.  They were basically 
concerned about turning the worldwide coalition for the war against 
terrorism to a longer-term worldwide coalition for overcoming 
poverty, which they consider the root cause of terrorism.  Their 
commentary and interaction was extraordinarily inspiring.  From 
people who know first-hand what suffering is and who have a profound 
understanding of the human condition and human behavior -- and of 
nations and individuals -- came such messages as these:  HOPE -- Even 
in the midst of unimaginable horror...or disillusionment...or 
disappointment there is reason for hope and for being hopeful.  Hope 
as an impulse will produce more positive results than despair. 
GRACE -- No matter how oppressive and distressing things get, it's 
important to stand up for what you believe and to have grace in doing 
it.  LEADERSHIP -- Good leadership requires the conveyance of hope 
and grace.  Don't fail to recognize reality, they said, but don't be 
paralyzed or blinded by it either. FOCUS ON THE LONG TERM -- Problems 
that face us are best addressed if we can focus on the long term. 
STAY THE COURSE -- In any worthwhile endeavor -- whether in politics, 
or war, or education, or efforts to overcome world poverty -- it's 
important to stay the course. 

Why share these two experiences with you?  Partly because I was 
struck by the similarity of themes.  Partly because, at the time, I'd 
been feeling the same sense of distress and disappointment that is 
being expressed lately by many people on the adult literacy/ABE 
listservs.  These two experiences helped restore my perspective. 
Perhaps an account of them will be helpful to others.

We already know that the Bush nominations to the NIFL board include 
no adult literacy/education professionals (though hopefully protests 
and nominees being submitted by the field even at this late date will 
change that).  In the past few days I have also heard various 
alarming other messages.  For instance, plans are in the works to 
reorganize the entire Department of Education-- and, while I don't 
know the details, I have been told by a credible source that DAEL is 
going to be pulled into the correctional education area (which, if 
true, seems illogical on the face of it and could amount to a 
substantial downgrading of the Division).  I've also heard that the 
permanent NIFL director will be a children's reading specialist 
committed fully to phonics.  Facts or rumors?  I'm not sure at the 
moment.  But I got to considering a worst-case scenario, and the 
conclusion I came to is that even if ABE were to disappear entirely 
from the federal agenda (it won't!) it will be no less important as 
an educational priority for the nation, and it will stay a high 
priority -- because the need and good of the nation demand it -- long 
into the future.  The issues are the same today as they were 
yesterday and they'll be the same tomorrow -- no matter how things 
get organized or how this administration or that chooses to do things.

Sometimes it feels as though the sky is falling.  But I don't think 
it is.  Heavy clouds, maybe, but they'll pass.  The great challenge, 
it seems to me, is to be deliberate, to keep on standing up for what 
we believe and know to be true about adult literacy, to keep 
ourselves focused on the goals of our own needed planning and 
programs, to use all means available to make our case and need known 
at the state level -- and even as we offer up alternate candidates 
for NIFL or otherwise make our expectations and hopes known at the 
federal level -- to keep a long-term perspective and be prepared to 
stay the course  I find strength in knowing that there are hundreds 
of thousands of us across the country who know and care, and that 
there is support in Congress and among state legislators throughout 
the country.

My apologies if I sound preachy -- it isn't intended.  I simply offer 
these admittedly private thoughts for whatever use they may be to 
anyone else who has been feeling a bit gloomy of late.  Let's keep on 
keepin' on.
--

-- 
Gail Spangenberg
President
Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy
1221 Avenue of the Americas - 50th Fl
New York, NY 10020
212-512-2362, fax 212-512-2610
http://www.caalusa.org
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