[NLA] Volunteers and credentials

[Nashansen@aol.com]

In a message dated 07/05/2002 5:15:16 AM Central Daylight Time, 
LitNetJose at aol.com writes:

<< Dear Partners:
 
 Here is what I am reading and inferring from recent postings related to 
 credentials and volunteers:
 
 1.  People with experience may or not have credentials to do a job better 
 than others.
 
 2.  People with credentials may or may not have the knowledge and ability to 
 do a job competently.
 
 3.  Volunteers who have experience, who produce, who are effective, and who 
 have no credentials are really not experienced or effective at all.  In 
fact, 
 what they are is "nice, well-intentioned ladies"! >>

Jose and other Partners:

I can no longer sit on my hands about this issue.  Volunteers in our program 
don't need a piece of paper stating they are "credentialed".  I don't believe 
the above entries are true - especially #3!  They certainly aren't true in 
OUR community!

Our volunteers teach.  They change lives.  They create a word-filled world 
for adults with families.  They are from all walks of life and are all ages.  
They are trained in the Laubach method (No.  Jose.  Laubach is *not* "just" a 
name!  It is a methodology of multi-sensory teaching with easily read and 
used materials backed by an excellent training package.)

Jose also wrote:
<< Just because you have access to the NLA list serve and make 
submissions...does not mean you are qualified for anything.  It just means 
you have access and make submissions.<<

YES!  There is also a falacy on this listserv that those who respond are the 
only ones reading the entries.  There are community-based personnel watching 
and reading all of this who say nothing because they are busily 'doing the 
business' that needs to be done instead of typing messages!

<<Those who have been paying attention know, and might even 
acknowledge that the second-class status given to community-based 
organizations has already backfired on the field.  Our numbers are down...and 
it is not because there are fewer programs...but partially because the 
service cultures are clashing unnecessarily.  <<

Jose, do you think that the community-based organizations were EVER given the 
respect 'by the authority' that they deserve?  I really question that.  The 
formation of a reporting system which neither documents 'the good education' 
or the individualized attention being provided nor 'the people' should attest 
to that, I feel.  Yes.  The field of literacy has its work cut out for it 
with very few advocates in the authoritative role it seems.

Nancy H
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
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