Similarly, the literature that we read on critical pedagogy raising the issue of empowerment and voice for non-mainstream learners just didn't seem to focus enough attention on the needs of women students. As Betty-Ann Lloyd (1992a) wrote in an article arising out of the first phase of this research, being learner- centred does not necessarily mean being woman-positive. Somewhere between feminist pedagogy and critical pedagogy lies the topic of successfully raising feminist issues in literacy classes.

In our experience, the task of doing this is not an easy one. Magda Lewis (1992) also identifies this difficulty in her own university level women's studies course.

Based on my own experiences, I know that a feminist perspective could offer understandings the students might develop and bring to bear on their own experiences Yet I also realize that attending to feminist politics and cultural critique in the classroom requires difficult emotional work from them and from me. I know that new understandings are often experienced painfully and that lives are transformed. (p. 172)

While we were searching to find a way to incorporate more feminism into our classroom practice, we were aware of some obstacles to doing this. One of our main concerns had to do with the difference in background and power between ourselves and our students.

We are both Canadian, white, middle-class, well-educated women working in an academic setting. We are both of the generation that got its political feet wet in the 1960s and 1970s. The assertion of our feminist beliefs affects our professional lives, but only as discussion and action with other professionals. Supporting the union in its demand for a sexual harassment policy, pushing for better working conditions for part-time employees who are mostly women, engaging in debate with other faculty members on feminist issues are all instances where our feminist perspective is clear and active. However, all of these instances are between professionals.

While we are not minimizing the importance of these activities, because they do represent who we are as feminists in our professional lives, we were misled by them. We made the assumption, based on our professional activities and those in our private lives, that we asserted feminist beliefs in every aspect of our lives. It became apparent to us as we continued to work with our writing group that a strong feminist perspective was not evident in our literacy work with students. Upon careful reflection on this problem, we identified the differences in background that exist between ourselves and our students as one of the inhibiting factors to bringing our view of feminism into the classroom.

We recognize that we approach feminism from a position of privilege compared to many women in our literacy classes and around the world. Because of our relative good fortune and our cultural background, we have a different perspective on women's issues than many of our students.