I had the privilege of contributing a few words at an event celebrating the career, so far, and the retiral, for the moment, of a long standing colleague, one who has wide and unusually comprehensive respect from colleagues and learners alike.
Her career is steeped in Community Education with much focus on literacies learning. She acknowledged, in her reply to much praise, that her career had been varied and exciting and never dull working with inspiring colleagues and in inspiring institutions.
She cautioned to the large gathering that we need to be careful we don’t lose sight of what learning is in Scotland through a rushed adherence to systems and results. We are in danger of categorising - have we already? she asked – learners by assuming their social place is the absolute indicator of where they should fit in a place in the learning hierarchy and therefore in the “world of work” - or not.
Have we remembered that learning is about social justice, challenging the intransigence of elitist models that can serve to concretise the very problems we claim to want to address and change for the greater community, not simply those well placed in social structures.
In a book she re published recently she thanks her parents “....for all of the sacrifices they made to support my generation and my grandchildren....”.
In chapter 1 she quotes Hansard, 1807 “Education for the labouring poor would be prejudicial to their morals and happiness; it would teach them to despise their lot in life instead of making them good servants in agriculture and other laborious employments.”
These things changed...haven’t they? – because people stood up to demand change, not just fit in with what is presented to them.
It’s been a privilege to work with her.
