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Making a difference: Maria Poole
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Over the years, Baltimore has amassed quite a few mottos. "The City that Reads" and "The Greatest City in America" are probably the most popular as in years past these particular sayings were painted on almost every bench throughout the city. I believe both mottos to be true, and I believe community-based organizations like the Helping Up Mission (http://community.helpingupmission.org) and the South Baltimore Learning Center (http://www.southbaltimorelearns.org/) play a major role in helping city residents read more and live better lives.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Maria Poole - an instructor at the the South Baltimore Learning Center who teaches off-site at the Helping Up Mission - in my second article that spotlights Baltimore-based organizations working collaboratively to promote effective adult learning and workforce development.
LP: Who is your employer, and what is your job title?
MP: My name is Maria Poole, and I work as a part-time Pre-GED/GED instructor at the South Baltimore Learning Center (SBLC). I first worked for SBLC in 1998. I stayed for a year and then left. I returned to work for SBLC again in 2006. I have taught off-site at several SBLC community locations including Bon Secours, Morrell Park and the Helping Up Mission.
LP: How long have you been teaching adult literacy classes in Baltimore?
MP: I have been teaching adults - on and off - for about eleven years.
LP: What do you like about teaching adults?
MP: What I enjoy most about teaching is moving adult learners from the known to the unknown. I love the spark learners get when they finally "get it" and take ownership of what has just been discovered or realized. I like the fact that teaching adults basic skills around reading and writing help them to connect to the information and tools that they need to get a job and/or to continue their job while making better life choices.
LP: What’s your definition of workforce development?
MP: Workforce development speaks to developing the skills, knowledge and information base that adults would need to become gainfully employed or to further their career development plans and/or goals. It talks about having a populace that would be able to handle the new types of jobs and employment opportunities (i.e. biotech, medical health and computer technology) that are being presented now in Baltimore.
LP: What do you think is the connection between literacy and workforce development?
MP: Literacy addresses lifelong learning and enhanced educational experiences. Workforce development addresses the necessary skill sets and knowledge base that adults need to become gainfully employed. Connecting educational experiences and academic knowledge (basic skill sets and strategies) to employability (the world of work) and/or career development is not only common sense, but necessary to ensure that adults in Baltimore are able to take advantage of the many new biotech, computer technology and medical health careers that are now available.
LP: Why do you think illiteracy is such a major problem in Baltimore?
MP: Looking at the historical roots of Maryland and the active role it played in segregation; the cycle of oppression and its implications are evident today. Baltimore suffers from the same ills as other large metropolitan, urban areas in the United States - poverty, high unemployment, hopelessness, despair, etc. Today, young people do not value or are not taught the value of education. For instance, I was taught that education was a key to my success - a concept drilled into me by my parents. It was an expectation for me to learn. I believe learners will rise to your expectations if you set them high enough. I don't believe Baltimore is setting high expectations in terms of education. For example, a grade of 60 in a public school here is considered a passing grade. That is unacceptable!
Although I am not a Baltimore native, I have lived and worked in Baltimore for over eleven years. Throughout this time, I have had numerous conversations with Baltimore natives who have shared some of their past school experiences with me. There seems to have been a period of social promotion in Baltimore. Some of the older adults that I have encountered in Baltimore who are now enrolled in adult literacy programs will speak of this. They say, “I didn’t know what I was supposed to know but because of my age they passed me on anyway.” One of my students told me that while in school he passed to the 10th grade, but he was reading at a 4th grade reading level and he realized that there was no way for him to keep up in class. So, he decided to drop out of school. I have also noticed that some adult learners enrolled in adult literacy programs in Baltimore have high school diplomas, but reading and writing is still a major issue for them.
LP: What do you think is the most difficult struggle for men who attend literacy classes at the Helping Up Mission?
LP: What impact do you feel you are making as a part-time instructor to help end illiteracy in Baltimore?
MP: It is my hope that I can provide every adult learner with a safe educational environment that fosters the notion of taking risks, builds trust, improves self-esteem, and offers a sense of empowerment.
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