[NLA] Searching for adult litercy experts

[AWilder106@aol.com]

Tom,

In relation to your clear-eyed post:  I am thinking of Nancy Hansens's 
volunteers.  It seems to me that she knows her community pretty well, she has 
been a school teacher, and she knows the small program volunteer field.  I 
wonder what she would like to have, other than more money, what she feels 
would improve her program.  Video examples of good teaching to help train her 
volunteers?  She would probably know.  How many Nancy Hansens are there 
across the country? (Hello, Nancy!)  Hundreds, I expect. I think it would be 
interesting to see some people with experience and more than good ideas, GOOD 
KNOWLEDGE, work with her (and her volunteers) and maybe a handful of other 
teacher/administrators to DESIGN program upgrades that would help her and her 
students out.  As I recall, Nancy is Laubach (or is it LVA?) and this gives 
her a solid base.

If I were in Nancy's place, as a school teacher and thinking of my previous 
career in the classroom, I would be plenty burned to have so-called "experts" 
descend on me.  So it would have to be a real collaboration.  Maybe the 
additional money could be worked out somehow, I don't know.  But the 
"experts" would have to be prepared to do A LOT of listening.  And I think 
the experts would have to be a team, and each person should have a specialty 
to contribute--like you talk about designing functional literacy programs.

It is spring and I like to see grass grow (it grows pretty fast at his time 
of year) so maybe that is why I am thinking "grass roots."  Ever notice, once 
you FERTILIZE the grass it grows a lot greener and a lot faster?  I believe 
this is called CAPITAL INVESTMENT by the economists....  (City slickers call 
it something else, I expect farmers do, too.)

Andrea
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