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Jane Curtis - A martial artist making a difference
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Jane Curtis – A martial artist making a difference Jane Curtis, a second degree black belt in Aikido, has created a unique program for a very unique clientele. The “FA.T.H.E.R.S. Program Guide” brings family literary and much more to the inmate populations of San Quentin State Prison and Marin County Jail facilities. Jane recognized this was a way to offer learning to a population that often enters the correctional system with poor reading skills. 
The program revolves around a simple idea: by teaching inmates to read to their children using children’s picture books, they may then be motivated to improve their own reading skills. After completing the program, inmates select Gift Books for the children in their lives, and these are purchased new and sent to them.
Besides the obvious improvement in reading skills in those participating, the program has unexpectedly created mentoring relationships among inmates. Those who have gone through the program several times to continue to improve their reading and parenting skills, now help younger inmates who are new to the class. Jane modeled the FATHERS Program after the State-sponsored Families for Literacy program, which she coordinated at the San Rafael Public Library. Through this work for the Marin Literacy Program, she met Dr. Carole Talan, head of family literacy at the California State Library. This led to the pilot program at San Quentin, which was subsequently funded by the Goldman Fund. Similar to adult literacy tutoring, the program involves centered listening, and begins each course cycle with the question “What do you want for your children?” It was clear that ”a good education” requiring reading and writing skills was prime among these goals. It was also clear that the inmates were motivated by their desire to improve their own skills for the sake of their children.
She also saw that the program had the potential to transform inmates’ relationships with their children and that their own parenting attitudes could change for the better. It is no secret that poor reading and writing skills are a factor contributing to incarceration. Calls and letters from sisters and mothers and grandmothers of inmates thanking Jane for the Gift Books attest to both the success of the program and need for more programs like this. The curriculum is organized into 13 – 15 lessons. The program is voluntary, so those in the class are there because they want to be. But they are not without challenges. “We are always being tested,” Jane notes. Although she has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Columbia Teacher’s College in New York City, the give and take of dealing with the correctional system, as well an inmate population, puts her martial arts skills to good use every day.
“I need to stay centered and see the big picture. The testing and manipulation are about seeing if you can walk your talk. Can I blend (listen respectfully) and, at the same time, stay true to what I’m saying with both custody staff and inmates? Can I be a strong listener?” These abilities are now serving Jane as she supports the volunteers and staff who do the actual teaching. In her role as Inmate Literacy Services Coordinator for the Marin Literacy Program, she keeps in touch with how well inmate students are achieving their goals as she trains and counsels volunteers and staff, and works with correctional facilities to effectively implement literacy programming. Similar programs are being offered in New Mexico, Florida, Pennsylvania, as well as other counties and cities in California. For more information about the program and Jane’s work, you can contact her at jcurtis@marinliteracy.org
Credits: Top photograph by Paul Kirchner. Bottom photograph by Lisa Ludwigsen.
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