Gail, thank you for your thoughtful response and insight.  I know now, even
though I have taught in the classroom, I would not be prepared for a
response like that either.  I've had some of that come through in writing
where it is a little easier to address through a kind note on the paper.
But to provide support live in front of the class?  Wow.

This is one aspect of teaching the ESOL population that I am sure the
general public is not aware of.  You often are working with people who come
from war-torn countries, are fleeing for their lives, etc.  These students
and their families need community support.  I have tremendous admiration for
those teachers and counselors who help these students, and I have such
love/empathy/sympathy for these trauma victims.  May whatever power you
believe in continue to provide all of us strength and compassion to
overcome!

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, ESOL Online Instructor
Prince William County Public Schools
Adult Education
P.O. Box 389
Manassas, VA 20108
work 703-791-8387
fax 703-791-8889


 -----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Gail E Weinstein
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 1:17 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 646] Re: Learner Publishing--memories



  Hi Katherine.

  The issue of boundaries where ESL teachers are placed in roles beyond
their training is an important one. It is one that  I don't feel eqipped to
answer, as I'm not an "expert" in this area.  I do, feel, however, that all
teachers should give this some thought and some time to educate themselves,
, as one never knows when it will come up.  I have memories of my early
teachign years (mid-seventies!) when I taught a class in public speaking.
Students were assigned to give a talk about their trip to America.  I was an
inexperienced, undertrained,  part-time teacher in an night class.  I sat
there, gradebook in hand, as students dutifully made their presentations.
Then, a Cambodian woman got up and began to talk in a kind of drone--
telling about her journey in which her sister was raped and killed, her
mother starved, her brother disappeared, etc.   I was abolutely mortified,
and totally unprepared to provide witness and support to this unexpected
drama.

  What I"d like to create in the professional development module is a way
for teachers to investigate what other teachers have done in these
situations, a few helpful readings, and some of their own collective (and
invidual) relfection on what  they have done before and what they'd like to
do in teh fiture if this siutation arises (as it inevitably does in a
classroom where people talk about things that matter to them).

  As for the thematic unit, it is not yet written, but it will contain
content info on PTSD and it's symptoms (and consequences for learning), as
well as guided problem-solving for finding communithy resources.  It will
not focus on an invitation to tell traumatic stories.   I agree that this is
not the teacher's role.  Alas, because teachers are often the first and most
important connection to the host community, they are often thrust in the
role of witness and first compassionate ear,, whether or not it's a role
they choose.  The more we are prepared, the better in my view-  including
preparations to refer learners to safe places that ARE equpped to help them.

  Gail.




        "Katherine G" <Kgotthardt at comcast.net>
        Sent by: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
        09/14/2007 09:31 AM Please respond to
              specialtopics at nifl.gov


       To <specialtopics at nifl.gov>
              cc
              Subject [SpecialTopics 639] Re: Learner Publishing--memories







  Hi Gail and others--

  I have a question on your writing models for immigrants with PTSD.

  The mental health thematic unit sounds great!  I assume you would include
  lists of community resources within the materials.  However, do you feel
you
  are approaching dangerous ground in developing a curriculum for teachers
to
  discuss PTSD and trauma related incidents with students?  As an ESL
teacher,
  I would not be comfortable with this, since we are not therapists or
  counselors.  Or do your teachers have some other kind of background I am
not
  understanding?

  Thanks!


  Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, ESOL Online Instructor
  Prince William County Public Schools
  Adult Education
  P.O. Box 389
  Manassas, VA 20108
  work 703-791-8387
  fax 703-791-8889

  -----Original Message-----
  From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
  [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Gail E Weinstein
  Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 10:30 AM
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 635] Re: Learner Publishing--memories



  Hello Jean.

  This topic comes up constantly in the trainings I do with teachers of
  immigrants.  As a result, I'm working on two ways to approach this:  ONe
is
  to design a thematic unit for adult ESL students on mental health with a
  focus on PTSD.  The second is a professional development approach  in
which
  my grad students will help to develop a "STudy Circle" for ESL teachers
  (adapting  NCSALL's model from their heatlh literacy work) on dealing with
  trauma.    I'm gathering articles and resources, and would welcome any
  suggestions regarding your favorites.  Once we design this study circle
  module, we'll be happy to share it with anyone who wants to use it.  It
will
  be designed for teachers to do a bit of reading, with a small group of
  colleagues,  interview some of their peers, and test/document some of
their
  own strategies.

  I'd like to learn more about your experiences with the Liberians, and how
  you have dealt with it.  You would be a wonderful resource for my student
  group who is working on this issue.

  Yours,
  Gail

  San Francisco State University

  .




  rejoicer at aol.com
  Sent by: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
  09/14/2007 06:49 AM Please respond to
  specialtopics at nifl.gov

  Tospecialtopics at nifl.gov
  cc
  Subject[SpecialTopics 634] Re: Learner Publishing--memories







  Gail--
  Have you encountered any PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) issues as
  you've had people recount these stories? We see manifestations of PTSD
  behaviors in the children we work with in the Liberian community around
the
  impacts of war. I've also found that my adults are not willing to share
some
  of the stories from the war and refugee camps. It's just too painful. As
  I've gotten to know them, tidbits will come out, and it's awful to imagine
  what they have been through to get to this point.

  Jean Marrapodi


  -----Original Message-----
  From: Gail E Weinstein <gailw at sfsu.edu>
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
  Sent: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 8:15 am
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 630] Re: Last Day of International Programs
  Discussion


  Hi Friends.

  Sorry to join very late in the discussion.

  I'm interested in Eric's comment about community publishing and using
  learner writing. I'm working on a model I call "Learners' LIves as
  Curriculum", where teachers are trained to collect and use learner
  narratives as the basis for developing mateirals.  I"ve been developing
this
  for immigrnts in the United States, first in the form of traditionally
  published textbooks, but now with much more interest and emphasis on
teacher
  training, to connect materials developmetn with learner narratives to
  professional development as they work in teams to write the material.

  We're working now on collecting narratives from immigrants about memories
of
  floods, earthquakes, etc. to develop disaster preparedness materials, and
  are training immigrant learners to collect some of the stories.  The next
  project in line is to develop health literacy materials beginning with
  "stories of courage and hope" from immigrant cancer survivors as a way
into
  mateiral about screening and resources for cancer.   The purpose of this
  model, is, as Eric comments, to weave learner writing and learner stories
  into the fabric of the curriculum itself.

  A couple of our graduated students from the MATESOL program at San
Francisco
  State got fascinated with the model and want to try it out in Japan.
We'll
  be presenting there in November.  I've also presented the model in Turkey
  and Israel, and have received very enthused responses from teachers there,
  who are exasperated with materials that have been imported from foreign
  contexts.

  Would love to discuss this more with interested colleagues.

  Gail Weinstein



  ejonline at comcast.net
  Sent by: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
  09/13/2007 08:01 PM
  Please respond to
  specialtopics at nifl.gov

  Tospecialtopics at nifl.gov
  cc
  Subject[SpecialTopics 627] Re: Last Day of International Programs
  Discussion









  >From what I have seen in Japan -

  8) They are not thinking about jobs with a future, or jobs at all. There
are
  no long range plans like that in most programs.

  9) Students get a place to feel comfortable and supported. They get a kind
  ear. They get to feel like part of a community. They also get language
  skills, literacy skills and content area knowledge.

  10) Assessment is a tough issue - and raising it can cause a room to
empty.
  Most programs don't reallly want to talk about assessment. I suppose the
  government might talk about how many people have graduated from programs,
  but they don't often get involved at that level.

  What I am interested in checking out is community publishing. Many
programs
  produce books of student writing, and I would like to check back in with
  them to hear more about the reaction and how they are used. My sense is
that
  they are more of a way to document students' work and as an awareness
  raising thing. I don't think they are used as materials in the classroom.

  Erik Jacobson



  -------------- Original message ----------------------
  From: "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>
  > Special Topics Colleagues,
  >
  > Friday, September 14th, is the last day of our discussion about what
  > adult literacy education programs in the U.S. can learn from literacy
  > programs and initiatives in other countries.  Our discussion has
  > touched on many different experiences, ideas and issues, cultures and
  > countries. Brenda Bell has suggested that one good framework to look
  > at this wide range of issues across countries is  Part II of the
  > Oxfam book, Developing Adult Literacy: Approaches to Planning,
  > Implementing and Delivering Literacy Initiatives. I urge you to take
  > a look at this part, indeed the whole book.  It's available free, for
  > now at least, as a download from
  >
  > http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2007030715391164
  >
  > Subscribers and guests: what will you carry away from this
  > discussion?  What new information or ideas? What has whetted your
  > appetite for more? What might you try out in your program?
  >
  > Some of our guests may be checking in on Friday so if you have more
  > questions there is still time.  Some of our guests, too, may have
  > other thoughts or comments they would like to share. And I do hope
  > some of our guests can address the last three questions I posed:
  >
  > 8.  How are other countries managing to embed language and literacy
  > development into services designed to help adults get jobs with a
  > future?
  >
  > 9. What do participants most get out of the programs that you have
  > been involved with?  Conversation skills, reading skills, writing
  > skills, employment skills, empowerment, preparation for postsecondary
  > education, computer skills?
  > If you have been involved in developing integrated curriculum, what
  > are the main goals of curriculum development in international contexts?
  >
  > 10. How is success measured in programs in other countries?  What
  > sorts of metrics are used?
  >
  >
  > On Monday we start a new discussion, on adult numeracy.
  >
  >
  > David J. Rosen
  > Special Topics Discussion Moderator
  > djrosen at comcast.net
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > -------------------------------
  > National Institute for Literacy
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  > Email delivered to ejonline at comcast.net

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