BLOG: LISTOS Alternative Learning Center
Sam Adams
As I enrolled in the University of Oregon, my college academic adviser gave me the following advice: take lots of critical thinking courses; get an internship in the real world and learn a language other than English.
So, my first term, I signed up for Philosophy 101. It included wonderful circular discussions about perceptions and our sense reality. There is a man in the fog just beyond your vision; is he there?… sort of thing.
My second term, I got an internship with then Lane County Chair Peter DeFazio (now a Congressman). My current position as Portland City Commissioner largely can be traced to this early public service internship.
My second year, I signed up for a college exchange immersion program at the Universidad de Guadalajara. I landed on Mexican soil without having ever taken a Spanish language class. It was six months of hellish, near total disorientation. Not used to housing such a Spanish-language total newbie, after about two weeks, my home “parents” asked the exchange program if I suffered from a fundamental learning disability.
The looks on the faces of some of the students in the class that I served as a teacher's assistant today reminded me of that feeling of disorientation during my early days in Mexico.
I'm helping teach a class at the LISTOS Alternative Learning Center located in the Pearl District. It serves high-risk Hispanic high school students who have either not enrolled, have dropped out of or need more help with the public school system.
We are discussing the book, “Cajas de Carton.”
The teacher has prepared questions for me to ask, “Que diferencia hay del comienzo de la historia a este momento?” and, “Cuales son los miembros neuvos de la familia?” and, “Como ha comdiado Panchito?”
Agh, my Spanish sucks but it seems to put the students at ease to use their English.
LISTOS Alternative Learning Center goes beyond simply helping young people improve their skills in language, math, social studies and science. The center also supports students by offering classes to improve their coping skills, as many of the students have numerous life challenges to overcome.
The LISTOS Alternative Learning Center is a program of the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement (OCHA) fights for equal education and economic opportunities for Latino youth. The high school graduation rate for Oregon’s Latino youth is half the rate of all students in the state. Founded in 1983, OCHA is a private nonprofit organization. It serves 1,000 Hispanic youth every month - primarily in the Portland metropolitan region.
Later in the day, we are paired up for a leadership training exercise. Our class is given an exercise to build trust and to practice giving directions in English. The class is grouped into pairs of twos. We are to take turns with our partners leading each other around the block and across the street. One person in each pair must be blindfolded. The other gives instructions in English.
My assigned partner is Anna. She is a smart, beautiful teenager with a quiet but quick smile. She and her family live in Gresham. She works at a local, fast-food restaurant. She attends high school.
As we wait to get started, I ask her what she gets from the LISTOS program. “It helps me with my confidence about myself; practicing English with others who are also learning it is a lot easier.”
We set off down the block with me blindfolded.
I stumble. Anna says, "Oops, I'm so sorry.”
"Don't worry about it, I stumble a lot even without a blindfold.”
Posted by Sam Adams on August 31, 2005
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Filed Under 100 Hours, Education, Equality, Workforce
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