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Building the Fire |
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Section I - Program Structure Duration The program began October 15, 1995 and ran until the end of May, 1996 for a total of 7 months. Classes for students began November 1 and ended April 30 with the certification ceremony on May 4. The rest of May was used to write letters to community support groups, evaluate student files, develop the book of students' stories, and write the final report. All the students agreed that the length of time was appropriate and during a good time of the year. Many students had commitments during the summer months, and September is also a difficult month since children are starting school. Other students suggested the start date be in the middle or at the end of September. The 3 week break at Christmas and the week break at Easter allowed the students to meet other commitments at these times and still remain enrolled in the program. Because of the role the extended family has in raising children, the students preferred these breaks so they could travel to see family members. If this accommodation was not made, students would either miss too much class time or they would drop out to meet family obligations. Location The program was delivered in the Native Friendship Centre in Lloydminster; most Aboriginal people are familiar with this organization. The Friendship Centre is centrally located, and it provided an informal setting unlike the traditional institutional classroom that holds many negative memories for some of the students. The space at the Friendship Centre was rented, and furnishings for the learning area were provided, in kind, by Lakeland College. Learning Environment Our classroom was sectioned with dividers at the back of a general meeting room. The back door to the Centre entered directly into the literacy corner. The bookshelves had a variety of reading materials, and the walls were decorated with Aboriginal art, posters on families, and literacy. The staff at the centre respected the students' privacy by having their coffee breaks in the office area instead of the usual general meeting area.  Fees Lack of funds, for supplies and tuition, is a common barrier to literacy programs for Aboriginal people. Building the Fire was a free program, and materials were supplied. Because this program was not a post-secondary course, First Nation bands would not provide financial support. Saskatchewan Social Services (with the exception of child care expenses) would not provide funds because the program was not full time. The students were either single mothers or men on social assistance, and a free program made it possible for them to attend. Child care Most of the students had pre-schoolers at home. This, too, is a common barrier to any adult literacy program. There are two ways to deal with child care. One way is to set up a child care program (in the same building as the literacy class) with a professional child care worker who will provide a quality program and assist with the family literacy activities. This would require a great deal of preparation, and it would add expenses to the literacy program for the furniture, toys, supplies, set up, and wages. There are resources available, should this be the choice. The other alternative, the one used in this program, is to find community child care programs and baby-sitters so the students can investigate and choose one with whom they feel most comfortable. The program should pay for child care or, as in this case, Saskatchewan Social Services will pay for the students on social assistance. With either service, there must be no cost for the parents since this would make it impossible for them to attend the program. It is very important to find child care workers who are either Aboriginal or have knowledge of and experience with Aboriginal children. Finding appropriate child care is essential to the success of any program since most parents will not continue if the caregiver does not meet their expectations. Social Services requires attendance records of those participants who receive child care funds. Transportation This has been an issue that elicits different opinions. Some community professionals stated that if students wanted to attend the program badly enough, they would find their own transportation. The same professionals believed that providing transportation enabled the students to remain dependent on other sources for their daily activities. However, with most of the students in this group, joining a literacy program was something they 'might try'. Once they had attended for a period of time and experienced the positive benefits, they then felt the program was something they really wanted. It can not be assumed that a person with minimal education, who is financially dependent, and has no vehicle will have the same coping strategies as an employed person with a reliable vehicle and a strong support system. This misconception only sets students up for failure. On the other hand, meeting these needs encourages success, success builds self-confidence, and self- confidence is the greatest resource for solving problems and empowering individuals. Had there been no transportation provisions in the beginning of this program, many students would have dropped out. When starting a new experience, some people, especially those with low coping skills, apprehension, and fear, are ready to quit at the first signs of difficulty. Lloydminster has no public transportation and some students lived further than a 30 minute walk. Limited financial support, poor weather, age, health problems, improper footwear and clothing, and/or young children are just some of the reasons why provisions for transportation increased attendance. Research on literacy programs shows that when transportation is provided, there appears to be better attendance than in programs that do not provide it. From the beginning of this program in October to the end of January, transportation was provided to all students. Either the instructor or taxi cabs picked up and drove students home. After 2 months, it became clear that transportation funds would run out before the end of the program. This concern was discussed with the students; several suggested they could use toboggans to transport their children to the babysitters and to the program on warmer days. Those without children, and within a 30 minute walk, said they would walk on warmer days. The students actively participated in solving this problem. It was encouraging to listen to their suggestions. These students went from total dependence for transportation to total independence. For the last 3 months, transportation was provided when the weather was extremely inclement or a student's car broke down. As the students' self-esteem developed, so did their ability to cope with transportation problems and other barriers that would have easily prevented them from attending. Enrolment This program had an open entry and exit policy. Because of the individual skills component and the flexible family literacy component (both are discussed further on), people could join at any time to the beginning of the last month. An advantage to this policy is that people who do not hear about the program in time, or are not ready to begin at the start date, can still join. This policy made it possible for two students, who, due to family circumstances, left the program in December and were able to re-enter in January and February. Three other students joined the program in December, and another joined in February. The last student entered the program in March. Attendance There was no daily attendance policy for the first 4 months of the program. Students came when they chose, but were encouraged to attend on a regular basis. Regular attendance made it more possible to plan group activities, individual activities, guest speakers, and field trips. Some students' attendance became quite irregular. The other, more regular attendees, found this frustrating and wanted to implement an attendance policy. Even the poor attendees supported and stressed regular attendance. The need to make a commitment to the program was discussed in the group. It was agreed that everyone has personal concerns, children's needs, important appointments, and several other issues that need attention but should be dealt with on days, or at times, when there are no classes. The group agreed that attendance less than 90%, unless previously arranged, would result in the student losing his/her seat in the program. This policy was implemented in March and April. Two things happened.
All the students agreed that there should be an attendance policy from the beginning of the program. This issue could be discussed at the beginning of the program and a decision made with the students. If funding for the program is from social services, human resources, or any other community organization, then an attendance policy will be required to ensure that the funded seats are not empty. Following is a chart of enrolment and attendance from November to April.
A single parent of pre-schoolers left the program because he did not trust baby-sitters; he wanted to wait until his children were in school. Three students had marital problems and left town, one broke his leg and did not return, and three lost their seats because of poor attendance. Two others left in November but returned after Christmas. Students who were in the program for less than one month were not included in this chart. At times, there were up to 11 students enrolled. Group Size Most of the people entered this program feeling insecure, nervous, and terrified to express themselves in a group. The small group dynamics allowed for more personal interactions that developed into support and encouragement with each other. This took some time and, as the program progressed, the students became more confident and willing to share their ideas. A large group does not lend itself to this kind of interaction. The students felt most comfortable with five to six students in class. The group usually consisted of three to eight students. The larger the group, the less students were willing to share their ideas. With this in mind, ten should be the maximum number of seats. Student Profile After several months into the program, it was possible to develop a profile of the participants. Although most fit into this profile, programs in other communities might invite a different group of people with different needs. Entrance into an Aboriginal literacy program should not be based on this profile. It is presented to indicate the specific group of people served in this program. Profile:
Tutors Initially, tutors were to be a big part of this program, but as it evolved the students preferred the same tutor each day. Most literacy tutors work two hours a week; in this type of program several tutors would be required to provide assistance on a daily basis. Continuity with the some tutor is crucial to progress and would be difficult to achieve with a different tutor each day. As the students became more relaxed, new outside people posed a threat to their comfort level. It was important for the students to work with the same tutor each day. There are two ways to ensure this. One is to hire a qualified assistant to be in class at all times. This would provide the help and continuity necessary for success and a comfortable environment. The other option, the one used in this program, is to find a tutor who is willing to offer a couple of hours each program day. A LEARN tutor come in three days every week. When she left for a paid position, another LEARN tutor offered several hours of help each day for the remainder of the program. The tutors became an integral part of the program. Instructor The role of the instructor evolved as the program evolved. Within a small group, it is sometimes difficult to not become too involved with the students' personal lives. As they began to feel more comfortable with each other and with the instructor, they began to share their personal issues and problems. At times the instructor found it very difficult to not offer assistance outside the program. It is essential to the success of each individual that the instructor provides encouragement and support, and is understanding and approachable, while at the some time, maintains a teacher-student relationship. It is also important for the instructor to share some of his/her personal life struggles with the students. This allows them to realize that many people, including professionals, have problems that are not specific to any culture. An example of this is when the instructor told the students about her first marriage, and the problems she had while going to university. She also expressed some of the hardships she had as a single parent. One student said she really enjoyed listening because she did not realize she could have the same kind of problems as the instructor. The instructor related to the students as much as possible so they would not feel judged or intimidated. It was important for the students to feel they were valuable individuals with a great deal to offer in the development of this program. If they felt less than this, they may not have remained in the program. If the instructor is not Aboriginal, then he/she must have experience with and knowledge of Aboriginal people. Although this instructor was not Aboriginal, she had been actively involved in Aboriginal politics, education, and spirituality for the past 10 years. She taught Aboriginal children for 5 years and lived in Aboriginal communities. Her husband is a First Nation Aboriginal and her daughter is Metis. The instructor's respect for and knowledge of many Aboriginal issues allowed her to interact with the students more successfully. It also helped to break down some of the existing fears and expectations of white teachers that some of the students had from their childhood school experiences. Flexibility is also a key characteristic of the instructor since different needs and different interests within any group must be acknowledged and affirmed. The following example stresses the importance of flexibility: One of the activities in the family literacy component was to write a story about the birth of the students' first child. It became apparent, the day after the activity was introduced, that two students found this assignment extremely difficult because their first child had died. This was early in the program and these students had not yet realized they could reject the assignment. Had the instructor stressed the completion of this activity, these students would not have returned to the program because of their pain and feelings of powerlessness. At the same time, the other students were excited about this activity and they continued to work on their stories. One of the two women chose not to do the activity and the other woman, a few months later, asked if she could read a poem she had written about her son that died. It was a poem she shared with great pride. Flexibility changed this very negative activity into a very positive one for this student. For this type of literacy program to be successful, the instructor must also have a sense of humor. Laughter always invites participation. The staff at the Friendship Centre commented on the fun the literacy learners seem to have since their laughter is heard throughout the Centre every time they meet. With all these qualities, each equally important, the instructor can provide a friendly, supportive, caring, and non-threatening environment that accommodates learning. |