Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook

Section Two

Immigrant Students Advocate for Adult Education

by Jonathan Leaning

The timing was right. In the fall of 1995, the elections were quickly approaching, and the upcoming local race provided a good opportunity for Bob Jeltsch’s citizenship class to look at elections, voting, and voter registration. Since knowledge of these issues was also core to the naturalization test that students were preparing for, it was easy to insert a voting activity into the curriculum. It was also a good chance to take a meaningful look into voting while encouraging students to register.

After having the class read over voter registration forms and related class materials, Bob started off a discussion with questions such as, “Who votes, who doesn’t vote, and why?” The subject inspired reflections on the meaning of elections and democracy, particularly since the students inevitably made comparisons to the political systems in their own countries. One Nigerian student talked of his experience with military rule, and how the lack of freedom of speech had shaped his perceptions of the risks of discussing politics in public. Talking about the different forms of democracy and government operating in each country brought the subject alive for the class. By contrasting the various systems, Bob was able to illustrate what voting could mean in the United States. This provided an effective lead-in to the upcoming local elections and related issues.

Following the discussion, Bob suggested that students go out to talk to other classes about voting and how to register. This would provide them with an opportunity to practice their speaking skills while further exploring the issue. Initially, they were hesitant about doing this, but as they started into the project, their nervousness seemed to diminish. Once they began doing their presentations in the other classes, they found that there was a wide range of perspectives. The common questions such as, “Why vote if there’s no one good to vote for?” and “What is the point?” were raised in the discussions, challenging both their speaking abilities and their grasp of the issue. They were surprised to discover the number of students who as yet hadn’t registered to vote. When they reached the end of their presentations, they handed out registration forms to everyone in the class. Once finished with the project, many of the students expressed satisfaction to Bob at having “done something.”

Meanwhile, Bob heard that major changes in the distribution of adult education funding were being considered at the state level. The changes proposed would dramatically affect the students’ access to adult education classes at the center and elsewhere.

Bob suggested that as part of their writing activities, they write a letter to the appropriate public officials to let them know their thoughts on the matter. As they talked about how to write the letter, Bob used the opportunity to explore the concept of the three branches of government, elaborating on the role of the branch to which the letter was being directed. This helped the students to identify what they wanted to say and to focus their ideas. Without correcting any of the text, Bob typed up the class’ letter and brought it back for the next session. The class studied the letter, made the necessary corrections, then mailed it off. They did not receive any reply from the public official, but when students composed and sent off their own letters to their respective state representatives, they did receive reply letters.

The students were surprised when a state representative agreed to come and meet with them at the school. The legislator’s visit proved to be more than he had bargained for. Once the discussion opened up, questions came one after the other. Towards the end of the event, one student, a Cambodian woman, stood up and delivered a fiery speech on why funding shouldn’t be cut. She concluded the speech with an impassioned “Please don’t cut our school!” at which point all the students spontaneously stood up and applauded.

After a few weeks, news arrived that not only had the cuts been warded off, but the legislature decided to increase state funding by $4 million. “When I announced the news in class, a cheer broke out!” says Bob. Though the students knew that their class was but one piece of the statewide movement, “they felt they had accomplished something important.” The additional funding meant that the very classes they were taking could continue to be available to people like themselves. It was a concrete achievement in which they had played an important part.

Bob Jeltsch was at the time an ESOL teacher at Harborside Community Center in Boston, MA. Excerpted with permission from the draft copy of Incorporating Citizen Participation Into Adult Education Curricula by Jonathan Leaning, published by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

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