We did not compare benefits such as vacation time and health and dental plans but agreed that such information would be essential in a complete survey of working conditions for literacy workers in Canada. We also talked about how affirmative action or employment equity policies are dealt with very differently from program to program.

Like many women who work in literacy most of us have a range of roles. A few of us, usually those employed in community colleges, are called instructors and are paid primarily for teaching in classrooms. A number of us are called coordinators and our responsibilities include training volunteers, coordinating one-to-one tutoring, teaching individuals and small groups, planning and financially administering the program as a whole. A few of us are directors of programs and we have administrative functions with no direct service work.

• Educational philosophy

Most of us described our educational philosophy as learner-centred and participatory, a problem-solving approach to learning which starts from life experiences. Many outlined an individualized approach which empowers the learner and said that they base their teaching methods and materials on students' experience, need, ability, and goals. Some women described this as a humanist approach to teaching and learning, one used the term "metacognitive." Here are some of the comments which women made to describe their educational philosophy:

All people come to an education process with a lot of knowledge. As an educator the challenge is to draw on this knowledge in such a way that it is learned or understood in a new way, creating new knowledge. To be truly participatory means to facilitate involvement, learning, questioning, and where to find answers. It means teaching people to question self and beliefs.

My philosophy of education is one that views knowledge and learning as the products and process that can lead to personal and collective power.

Community education whereby the community identifies needs and educators respond with resources and development.

Educational philosophy also came up in many of the interviews. Several mentioned that they wanted to be aware of the power imbalances between themselves and students. As one woman stated,

I think the best climate for learning, at least in the literacy class, is when the teacher arranges things as much as possible so there is no power struggle going on, and where the student does not have to be defensive. There can be no "teachable moment" until these conditions are met. I could characterize this as the teacher being in a very feminine posture. (Kate Nonesuch, Malaspina College)