As we continued to work on this research project we also struggled with the problem of whose agenda we were serving. Our class had been advertised as a literacy level writing group. Students who joined the class did so because they wanted to improve their writing skills. Helping students to do that was the literacy objective that we set for ourselves as instructors. The complication arose when we tried to incorporate a feminist perspective to the writing. We knew our students didn't name themselves as feminists so whose agenda were we now serving?

As seen from this journal entry, we struggled with this question:

JOURNAL ENTRY - PAULA ------------- JANUARY 22, 1992

Another issue that was discussed (yet again) by Mary Ann and me over the holidays was if, when, and how to let our students know that we are part of a research project. We feel very concerned that knowing this may change the way the students feel about the class, the way they write, discuss or participate. Mary Ann and I had intended to run a writing group before we had even heard of the CCLOW's research. The students have come to improve their writing and we have a commitment and obligation to see that our efforts are directed to that end. Will involving them in the research result in our ends being met but not theirs?

In the end the students literacy needs were met and their agenda was well served. We were not as successful in fulfilling the need we felt at the time to bring a feminist perspective to this literacy class.

The issue that at first looked merely like a semantic one proved to be more significant than we thought. Trying to understand why our classroom had not been a feminist one helped to bring into focus the differences between the terms woman-positive and feminist. Maybe a literacy classroom is not the place for feminist activity as we came to define it during this research project. But maybe it is the place for a woman-positive approach: an approach that supports women where they are, challenges them with new ideas about their lives and experiences. At this stage in our development as feminist literacy workers we are comfortable taking a woman-positive approach in the classroom. Our hesitancy to act feminist does not stem from lack of belief in feminist philosophy but rather from our inability to present these ideas in ways that are meaningful to our students. However, we view ourselves as at a stage in a process that will eventually help us develop the skills necessary to bring a pro-active feminist perspective to our classroom practice.

References

Lewis, Magda. (1992). Interrupting patriarchy: Politics, resistance and , transformation in the feminist classroom. In Carmen Luke & Jennifer Gore (Eds.), Feminisms and critical pedagogy, pp.167-191. New York: Routledge.

Lloyd, Betty-Ann. (1992a). Learner-centred/woman-positive: Research with adult literacy programs. Women's Education des femmes. 9 (3), 29-32.

____. (19926). Why do we first have to deal with this question: "What about the men?" Pandora. 7 (1), 10-11.