Re: merging adult & youth ed...especially in literacy...

Deborah Muise (dmuise@accustaff.com)
Tue, 14 Apr 1998 10:06:29 -0400

At 08:08 PM 4/13/98 -0600, you wrote:
>At 02:20 PM 4/13/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>On Mon, Apr 13, 1998 at 12:16:26PM -0500, Eric Crump wrought:
>>[...]
>>> Maybe if democratic schools were re-conceived as perpetually available
>>> resources for all learners of any age, so people could stop by when they
>>> needed them, it might not seem so necessary to persuade people to learn
>>> things out of synch with their own interests and needs. If, when they need
>>> to read, they had access to the educational resources they need, then no
>>> one would have to be forced to read at some arbitrary particular time.
>>>
>>> Just an idea...
>>

>YES, it is a brilliant insight, and one that really caught my attention as
>well!=A0 And YES, there has been much work done in the area of adult literacy
>--WHEN ADULTS ARE MOTIVATED BY A CAUSE--by Miles Horton & Paulo Friere and
>other "popular" educators, that might perhaps be of interest to those in
>democratic schools as well.
>

I think Eric and Robin are eloquently discussing important issues here.=A0 Much of adult education now is designed to motivate people. Where did they lose self-motivation? And another thing, since when did literacy have anything to do with success in modern life? The most illiterate memos come from the highest paid executives. I work for them at a MUCH lower pay rate, but spelling correctly.=A0 I think real education is an active process that does not begin in childhood and end at adulthood.=A0 The adaptability and creativity of humans is more important to lifelong success than any one "subject".