Cultural Arts Literacy is the name of the program I created for the students in my Adult Literacy Program. I wrote a grant proposal for the program and I am happy to say it was recently funded by BALIS. We are so excited about implementing the program.
Why is this important to me?
I came to adult literacy as a volunteer tutor. I loved the work and my enthusiasm helped me land the job as a Library Literacy Instructor. Having had no previous official training in teaching (other than in dance) I learned to work with the individual by assessing their goals and constructing a lesson plan. If something comes up that is "urgent" that the student needs help with we will divert our lesson until this situation is handled. The situation might be applying for a job, filling out a government form, or writing a letter.
I had been looking at our teaching styles and program content and realized that most of the information we were sharing was about spelling, reading, writing, grammar, grammar, and more grammar. All this is well and good but not everyone relates to English as well as we'd like them to. What about opening up the student's eyes to other aspects of our society? What about tapping into their creative abilities? Since I had noticed that most of our students had low levels of self esteem I wondered how we might be able to raise their self esteem by using creativity--looking at how society views art--learning about the art of all cultures.
In creating the program I looked at what makes me feel more confident. When my self esteem is low what makes me feel better? Tapping into various forms of creativity REALLY helps. Dancing, creating art, observing and discussing beauty in nature. I believe that all of these things help us tap into our True Selves. When we are in touch with Ourselves, we can handle The World more easily.
In Peace and Gratitude,
Sarah
We just had a marvelous trip from the East Bay, CA to Seattle and back. Had great visits with friends and family. Saw some really pretty sights. Toured two wonderful libraries. And sat a lot while driving!
Having just taken three yoga classes and two dance classes the week prior to driving, I thought I'd be prepped enough to handle a week without yoga and dance. I did jog and stretch, thank God! But upon returning home had a rib out. Yes, one of my ribs was out of place and most of the last day of driving was painful. Two chiropractic visits and a modern dance class later I finally feel normal. But what a way to learn that sitting and twisting to reach things from the back seat was not good for my body.
Lessons I've learned:
In peace and good health,
Sarah
Having just taken three yoga classes and two dance classes the week prior to driving, I thought I'd be prepped enough to handle a week without yoga and dance. I did jog and stretch, thank God! But upon returning home had a rib out. Yes, one of my ribs was out of place and most of the last day of driving was painful. Two chiropractic visits and a modern dance class later I finally feel normal. But what a way to learn that sitting and twisting to reach things from the back seat was not good for my body.
Lessons I've learned:
- Take yoga on the road with me when I travel. Don't just bring a mat with me in the car. Do the Yoga!
- Find local dance and yoga classes to attend in the cities that I visit.
- Stretch before and after sitting.
In peace and good health,
Sarah
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