Recognition by programs, that many learners have difficulty staying present for a variety of reasons, could become part of the everyday discourse in the programs. It could be mentioned when a student enters a program. The difficulty of staying present could become part of the talk about what will be happening in the class or group and part of staff and volunteer training. The concept could be normalized and space created for learners to notice when they are less present and what is contributing to it. Do they have crises happening in their life? Are they having nightmares and trouble sleeping? Are they uncomfortable? What do they think or feel about the topic of the class? Are they anxious and panicked? Has something triggered them and connected them to an earlier trauma (a tone of voice, the sound of chalk, the ringing of a bell, a quality of light...)? If spacing out is named as something many learners struggle with as they seek to learn literacy, and the program or class is a place which is accepting and supportive of the variety of challenges learners will be facing, then, rather than repeating childhood shame and covering up, learners can work at becoming more aware and conscious of what is happening for them. Learners should be encouraged to strengthen their awareness of their degree of presence, to build knowledge about what they need to stay present and what they learn from leaving, and learn to be able to ask for what they need to support their learning processes.

The issue of presence raises many questions. In literacy, can we help people learn to stay present? Can we help people to value and learn by their absences? Is that viable? When should it be talked about? Who would do it? The space and time needed to take on these issues is daunting. The limits of what a volunteer can be trained to do and can be expected to take on, need to be questioned. There would probably also be challenging questions about what could be taken on in a group or class. Learners who want to focus very firmly on literacy development might find a focus on such reflection frustrating and irrelevant. However, if reflection is carried out through reading and writing tasks - such as private journal writing - as well as more public, group discussion and writing activities, the relevance to the literacy work would be more apparent. Reflection could also take place in a separate program which would run before or alongside the literacy or academic activities. A recognition of the complex range for learners between being fully present and dissociated or “spaced out” can lead to many questions about how presence and absence are central parts of literacy learning.

Possible Actions:

• Find ways to incorporate talk about issues of presence as part of the program, this might include mention during intake procedures, reflection at the beginning of a course, or during the progress of a course, discussion during volunteer or staff training.
  
  
• Include curriculum which creates space for learners to learn to recognize their own level of presence and to explore what helps and hinders their presence in their own lives and in the classroom or group processes. Curriculum might enable learners to be more present and to learn from their spacing out.
  
  
• Assess whether programs currently work in ways which make it easier for learners to stay present and to reflect, and make changes necessary to enhance the process. For example, some concrete possibilities include encouraging learners to take a break when they would otherwise space out, to sit near the open door so that they can fully leave rather than leaving only in the mind, check ins at the beginning and end of class, a focus on creating as safe an environment as possible.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for learners to make the learning space their own - to make it comfortable, ego blankets, quilts and a comfy chair would make it possible for learners to check out when they need to.