ABSTRACT
Stepping into the classrooms and hearing the practices and beliefs of exemplary educators Carolyn, Sara, and Vivian demonstrates the complexity of teaching for literacy acceleration within a critical framework. As Carolyn, Sara, and Vivian discuss their “wisdom of practice” garnered from years spent in the adult education classroom, we are reminded of the importance of context in shaping adult literacy education. In the context of recent debates about the professionalization of adult education (Sabatini, Ginsburg, & Russell, 2006; Smith, 2006), it is important to note that neither Carolyn, nor Sara, nor Vivian was professionally educated as a teacher. Carolyn had worked as a parole officer and for the FBI, Vivian as a trainer of employees for a business, and Sara as a child care provider. They bring diverse backgrounds and work-life experiences with them into the classroom, which impacts what they are positioned to know, how they see their students, and how their students see them as educators, adults, and women.
