When this school year began, Lourdes seemed anxious and determined to learn and achieve her goal of getting her GED. However, it was apparent that the scars left from the previous life experiences (i.e. school shame or derogatory comments from family or friends) on each aspect of her “whole self” were too thick to allow faith in her ability to achieve.
Mary, the woman whose story inspired my participation in the Women, Violence, and Adult Education project, exhibited a gradual retreat from the learning activities and the program. Like Mary, some learners are very attentive and exhibit full participation and engagement in activities at first, but later on begin to withdraw, “space out,” or not even come to class. The concept of “presence” has to be explored as well, when addressing attention capacity for learning. It is known to many teachers that a student may very well be sitting in the classroom, but her attention is not necessarily focused on the lesson. Adult learners who have experienced trauma in some form, need time to develop trust and boundaries in any new environment (Horsman, 2000).
I have experienced women who “test the waters” of the classroom before engaging in any discussion or activity. However, teachers must be cognizant of the fact that these “inattentive behaviors” might only be temporary. There is no “formula” for figuring out whether “lack of presence” is “testing the waters” or a result of violence. One suggestion to determine the cause of a learner’s “spacing out” or sporadic attendance is to gather a detailed account of her past educational history. In addition, teachers can understand a student’s actions by maintaining close communication and regular “check-ins” throughout the school year. In our Adult Learner Program, each student has access not only to her teachers in each individual subject, but she also can seek guidance from our full-time educational counselor or her academic advisor (a teacher that focuses on her educational progress in the program).