Hi all,

Let me introduce myself as a new list member.  I am a grant writer for
two county wide school districts located in Northern New Jersey; hold an
MA in Counselor Ed from NYU and an MA in Adult Ed from Teachers College;
and am a very lapsed if not beyond hope ABD in Adult Ed at the same
institution. Over the past 20 years I have operated and funded multiple
adult education programs that serve economically disadvantaged women and
minorities.  I have always integrated activities in these programs that
are designed to facilitate the development of a critical awareness of
self, society and the interaction between the two. 

When I consider a critical analysis of my practice in the context of
race and poverty, I envision the mining of perspective and conjure
images of an ongoing personal archaeology of internalized myth and
values. It is this shifting of dirt, so to speak, that shapes and
reshapes the creation of our literacy programs and methods of practice.
A very visceral struggle that, in my point of view, is often not
reflected in the language of adult education theory. Self/social
awareness, perspective transformation, conscientization... are these
words and images that truly convey the struggle each individual makes to
uncover, accept and reject the prejudices and biases we bring to our
practice?  

I would value greatly a down low discussion of the personal impact that
prejudice, bias and stereotyping have upon practice.  I hope this is the
right forum for such a discussion.

Diane Scarangella
Bergen County Technical Schools
Bergen County Special Services District
327 East Ridgewood Ave
Paramus NJ 07652
201 343 6000 Ext. 213