- It is difficult for educators to remain optimistic and
sufficiently energized to do their work effectively. While the notion that
the learning process is fundamentally learner centred may be one of the
cornerstones of adult education theory and practice, the process is, in fact,
very teacher dependent (Hart and Holton). The expectations of teachers to be
accommodating and motivating can be extremely demanding and debilitating
especially when little, if any, recognition is made of the need for
rejuvenation. Hart and Holton suggest that "rejuvenation is assured if one
mindfully attends to the activities associated with developing self-love,
activities [which] require blocks of quality time often devoted to thinking
about students and their learning" (253- 254). However, adult educators are
rarely afforded the luxury of thinking about learners and their learning. In
very practical terms, accommodating the adult educator's need for spiritual
reflection would be viewed by the majority of administrators and co-workers as
irrelevant to the job.
- Those who work within bureaucratic or organizational
structures have little ability to respond to the emotional needs of adult
educators working on the front lines. Exceptions are possible if the
situation is deemed an occupational health and safety issue, a legitimate
health issue under an employee assistance plan (if one exists) or regular sick
benefits plan, or if the manager or supervisor uses their personal prerogative
to legitimize the emotional needs of their staff members. As well, those
employed in similar positions on the front lines have little opportunity to
come together for support or feedback about the difficulties and challenges of
their work and to counter the isolation they otherwise experience. In my time
at the Sexual Harassment Prevention Program, I have discovered that there is no
language to adequately describe my experiences of backlash. Communicating
feelings of frustration and exhaustion to my co-workers has often been met with
a combination of concern for my personal well-being and a sense of confusion
about how to address the situation.
- The adult educator and the educational function they
fulfill within an organization often operate in isolation from other key
aspects of the issue being addressed. The adult educator is not often
involved in the conceptualization of strategic plans or in other key aspects of
the issue, which can limit her effectiveness in the field. Although I enter a
workshop primarily as an educator, I am often viewed as fulfilling other roles
including counsellor, policy expert, complaint investigator, or personal
confidant. While I attempt to deal with participants' needs as effectively as
possible, my limited ability to respond in a meaningful or informed way
undermines my self-confidence.
Contradictions
Expectations of teachers to
be motivating can be extremely demanding and
debilitating especially when little, if any, recognition
is made of the need for rejuvenation. |
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- Attempts to create safe and respectful learning
environments as a means of avoiding conflict are sometimes not successful.
In one particular workshop where a significant amount of hostility and
resistance to mandatory education had been expressed, the strategy of my
co-worker and I was to have participants openly voice feelings of frustration
and skepticism so that their concerns could be put on the agenda and,
therefore, addressed more effectively. By early afternoon a spokesperson for
approximately ten women informed us that they were leaving the workshop because
they did not feel safe or respected. It was a shock to realize that our
carefully thought-out educational process, done with the best of intentions and
with sound adult education practice in mind, had achieved disastrous
results.
In numerous workshops, the majority of our energy and
attention as facilitators is directed at those who are most defensive and
resistant to the process. In attempts to create safe learning environments for
all participants, we sometimes create an artificial sense of comfort that
actually excludes women. Is it any wonder that women are the most hesitant to
speak during sessions where male participants are quick to dominate the
discussion, equating employment equity to reverse discrimination and referring
to sexual harassment education as "pink, fluffy stuff." Lewis suggests that
women cease to speak "not because they cannot speak but because they are not
heard" (194). This adds clarity to my own sense of trepidation in entering a
workshop knowing that in all likelihood I am not safe to speak, but that the
requirements of my job force me to regardless of whether I am listened to,
believed, or respected.
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