Debby D’Amico
C/O Barbara
Gleason
The City College
of New York
English
Department
160 Convent
Avenue,
New York, NY,
10031
Dear Debby D’Amico,
Thank you for spending time with our class and talking about
your accomplishments in the field of Adult Education. It was a pleasure hearing
you talk about the different roles you’ve played throughout your life. Your
expertise and insight into this complex web of institutions was very helpful.
The handout you distributed in class of all of the CBO’s and adult-learning
institutions was also very useful. I was surprised to learn that there were so
many organizations dedicated to providing adult literacy instruction and ESOL
instruction.
I was also able to learn much about the impact of labor
unions and the value they place on education. I didn’t know how important they
were as a fount for education. I realize now the intimate connection labor has
with adult learning, and I believe our country’s labor history is a rich source
of insight into how the common person became empowered. There is something to
be said about the struggle for higher wages in our times nowadays and how this
drive to not be oppressed leads to a kind of enlightenment and a life-long
pursuit of knowledge. This is an axiom that should not be underestimated.
Listening to you inspired me to continue in this field,
because I realized from your talk that there are many adult-learning
institutions that care deeply about the outcome of adult learners; this is
especially germane since adult learners and their multi-faceted needs tend to
get shunted aside or marginalized in favor of programs geared to creating jobs
as per the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This shouldn’t be the core focus of
an adult learning program, because adults have a variety of motivations and
needs that cannot always be transposed to skills that create economic stimulus.
I agree with your assessment on how government is woefully
underprepared to serve the needs of adult learners. And I was flabbergasted
that there used to be an adult literacy hotline that one could call! It seems
hard to imagine something like this existing now in our current polarized
political atmosphere. Politicians and policy makers have seemed to forget, as
you pointed out, that not everyone starts on the same footing and that we all
need some kind of assistance.
We are facing a rough time yet it’s also the most exciting
time as well. Through your talk, I was reminded of the work and dedication of
teachers and educators that showed the path for our L&L program: A program
that seemed destined to fail yet was saved by individuals who advocated the
need for a program like this to help adult learners.
I was also deeply impressed by your experience in PhD in
Anthropology and am considering applying that same level of rigor in my
ethnographic research at American Language Communication Center where I work.
Before your talk, I didn’t think about applying anthropology in specific social
settings but now I realize that it can be done.
Again, thank you for your time and consideration. Your
experience in this field really shed some light for me and I appreciate your
efforts and determination. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kevin Kudic
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