All About Mentoring Spring 2011 - SUNY Empire State College

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20 Three Poems Chansak Suwanchaichinda, Long Island Center Debra Monte, Center for Distance Learning Lost but Found The star, there, our star Every night, together Always mesmerized By the white gem The familiar sound Your voice, your laugh Still echoed in my mind Never forgotten I’m here again Looking at our star But tonight, the cold breeze Is my only company Can the star see you I really wonder I hope, at least You can still see it I am behind, I know But wait for me One day soon You will be found again Awakening Bathe me in your sunshine Let me drink you in And take you deep. Rising and falling The breath comes in And out. Redemption washes over me Like a gentle Warm Breeze At one within At once Without. Canyon Heart I hear what you say I’ve heard the words before Both as a young and trusting girl And now … years later. But your words Echo Within the Empty chambers. Bouncing Back and forth Looking for a place To land. With nothing to Hold onto They Slip away. suny empire state college • all about mentoring • issue 39 • spring 2011
21 Changing Ways of Knowing for Transitioning Women Jo Jorgenson, Rio Salado College (Tempe, Ariz.) Schuante, a soft-spoken 47-year-old African American woman with five children, spent over 20 years in and out of prison, yet she emanates a profound state of well-being in her life now. After serving her last sentence, she returned to the community almost four years ago and secured employment in a field for which she was trained while incarcerated. Schuante continues to be successful in her work today. When asked about turning points in her life, she remarked, “To be honest, it only boils down to one thing for me: it is education.” Reflection When I first encountered her among a group of learners in a construction program that taught carpentry and electrical skills, Schuante was nearing release from a minimum security facility and finishing her workforce development training as a college student in prison. At Rio Salado College in Tempe, Ariz., incarcerated students enroll in certificate and associate degree programs while still in prison. Although the array of educational offerings has fluctuated over the last 25 years along with the state budgets and the political climate, the Department of Corrections has maintained contracts with the local community colleges throughout Arizona to provide opportunities for inmates to advance their education and learn skills that will improve their chances of employment. During one of these peaks in the department’s commitment to education for inmates, Rio was able to expand experiential learning for minimum security women by training them at actual construction sites in the community. The students, working alongside their instructor, applied theory to practice by building Habitat for Humanity homes and remodeling businesses and educational work spaces for government and industry. As I observed Schuante in this environment in my role as an administrator of instructional programs, I was struck by the contrast of her quiet, shy demeanor and the strength of her voice as she shared her learning experiences and knowledge with the newer students. She mentored and tutored, easily conveying her love for the electrical trade and her hope and dream to be a part of that industry after her release. It wasn’t until more than a year later that I chanced upon her again as one of 11 interviewees whom I selected by criterion and snowball sampling strategies to be part of a phenomenological study. My purpose was to explore women’s perceptions of their post-secondary educational experiences during incarceration and the influence of that involvement in their lives post-release. The study was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, but I have been acutely interested in the relationship of education for incarcerated men and women to successful community re-entry for over 30 years. For much of that time, I have placed special focus on positively impacting the lives of women who have been serving sentences of probation, imprisonment, or parole for criminal activity. My exposure to their stories of economic and social marginalization as women struggling to survive in a world dominated by male principle has deeply moved me to concentrate my energies on creating enhanced and equal educational opportunities for this population. In my current position as dean of instruction and community development, my level of involvement is one that is more closely aligned with policy change, and less connected with individuals. Nevertheless, my passion for providing quality-driven post-secondary educational opportunities to incarcerated adults and juveniles is a constant. With regard to incarceration and reintegration, we have egregious social issues that need serious attention and contemporary, innovative solutions. Jo Jorgenson Relevance In the United States, more than 2.3 million adult men and women are incarcerated in penal systems nationwide. More than one out of every 100 adults is behind bars; this country has the largest number of people under confinement in the world (Pew Center on the States, 2008). The cost of educating a prisoner is less than the cost of incarcerating that prisoner (Erisman and Contardo, 2005), yet the value of education in the reduction of recidivism continues to be debated. Additionally, the burgeoning cost of incarceration and current economic shortfalls have led to programmatic cuts that inevitably affect educational funding. I was intrigued by the approach Owen (1998) offered for viewing the increased criminality of women. Building on the work of previous research, she posited that women’s criminal behavior is reflective of their attempts to survive under conditions that they did not create. They have been economically marginalized to the extent that they are not able to cope in a conventional society that still places great value on traditional roles such as those of suny empire state college • all about mentoring • issue 39 • spring 2011
Page 1 and 2: MENTORING ALL ABOUT A PUBLICATION O
Page 3 and 4: 1 Table of Contents Editorial - The
Page 5 and 6: 3 Imagination and Art: Children Cop
Page 7 and 8: 5 Drawing 3: Darfur, 2005. “All o
Page 9 and 10: 7 The child artist’s title for he
Page 11 and 12: 9 support, caregivers being in actu
Page 13 and 14: 11 Mentoring: A Poet’s View Susan
Page 15 and 16: 13 Educating the Digital Citizen in
Page 17 and 18: 15 their learning activities. In th
Page 19 and 20: 17 While I find this useful in the
Page 21: 19 Shirky, C. (2011, January/Februa
Page 25 and 26: 23 intrinsic effort to self-protect
Page 27 and 28: 25 The evidence of education’s in
Page 29 and 30: 27 were present could participate e
Page 31 and 32: 29 her feelings about the treatment
Page 33 and 34: 31 Blended Learning Online: New Per
Page 35 and 36: 33 Students also will take self-gui
Page 37 and 38: 35 making certain she had forgotten
Page 39 and 40: 37 “At that restaurant” “We d
Page 41 and 42: 39 reports. Walking again to Jenna
Page 43 and 44: 41 Mentoring: A Social Relationship
Page 45 and 46: Interiors Installations by Carol Wa
Page 47 and 48: “River View,” 2010 (detail). Th
Page 49 and 50: 47 Lessons of War Elaine Handley an
Page 51 and 52: 49 win. Students read two Tim O’B
Page 53 and 54: 51 War veteran and author of Semper
Page 55 and 56: 53 Education and Individualism: Som
Page 57 and 58: 55 My Lost Stories Steve Lewis, Hud
Page 59 and 60: 57 Reflections on a Journey of Lear
Page 61 and 62: 59 A Teacher Reflects: Learning Abo
Page 63 and 64: 61 a devoted reader of the left-lea
Page 65 and 66: 63 total absence of any smell excep
Page 67 and 68: 65 Found Things: Empire State Colle
Page 69 and 70: 67 because the College will have an
Page 71 and 72: 69 “Goin’ Mobile”: Designing
Page 73 and 74:
71 of iPods in particular allowed t
Page 75 and 76:
73 “Music never stops; it is we w
Page 77 and 78:
75 Adult Education and Politics Ric
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77 democratic learning did not simp
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79 could never serve the market tha
Page 83 and 84:
81 Here are a few preliminary thoug
Page 85 and 86:
83 Honoring George Drury (1917-2010
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85 came to my mind, and also on top
Page 89 and 90:
87 Submissions to All About Mentori
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2 Union Ave. Saratoga Springs, NY 1
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