Literacy From the Inside Out …Shaunna Konechny and Cobern Whitehead

For most, Christmas is a time for family and friends.  But good food, presents and good times with lots of laughter are luxuries that many of us take for granted.  Most of us can’t even being to imagine what it would feel like to not be allowed to see our families or even do something as simple as send them a card.  However, every year, many children are left without as their fathers sit behind bars, only able imagine what their children experience on Christmas morning. 

As instructors at Calgary Correctional Centre and staff members of Bow Valley College, we work hard to promote literacy in the adult students we meet.  This year, we had the opportunity to participate in the Calgary Correctional Centre’s first ever “Christmas Literacy Project”.  Through cooperation between Bow Valley College and Calgary Correctional Centre Programs, this project allowed incarcerated adult students to choose a book, record themselves reading and send the book, recording and a card home as a Christmas gift to their young children.  The response we received was very enthusiastic

            Our students come from hugely varied social and educational backgrounds, so there is an enormous range of talents and abilities in our classroom.  This became even more apparent once our participants finally completed all the necessary security screening and came from their housing units to the classroom to record their readings.  For some of them, even reading a book to their children was a totally new experience.

One student, in particular, carefully chose a low level children’s book and worked for over an hour to learn the words.  He practiced and practiced until he felt comfortable with each and every page before turning on the recording device.  He re-recorded each page many times until he got everything just right.  He then repeatedly practiced spelling his children’s names before writing a Christmas card for them.  Each letter was new to him, and every word was a challenge.  He worked so hard and was so proud of himself when he was done!  He left the classroom with the biggest smile on his face!  He now had a Christmas gift to send home to his two young boys, and, at the same time, he had just read his first book to them. What an accomplishment! 

Other students were also excited to read books for their children.  For instructors, it was fun (and reaffirming) to sit and listen to them record.  It was entertaining to hear these big, tattooed, scruffy looking inmates make different voices for each of the characters as they enthusiastically described the adventures of Barbie, Thomas the Train or Mumble the tap dancing penguin!  It served as a powerful reminder that even though we live very different lives than our population, at the root, we are all still human and share many of the same types of life experiences and needs.

Since Christmas, we have had two students come and thank us for running the project.  One stated that his three year old son has already memorized the story that dad had read to him and points to all the words as he listens to the CD each night.  This father is so excited about going home and hearing his son read the story back to him!  What an amazing reward!

Those of us who were involved in the “Christmas Literacy Project” are as excited, if not more, about the program as those who had the chance to participate.  Patty Kohl, Deputy Director of Programs at the Calgary Correctional Centre, is very enthusiastic about the potential of this program and already has plans for its expansion.  She feels that this program is especially valuable because it allows offenders to connect with both their children and education in a meaningful way in addition to promoting reading skills and new literacy.  Currently, Patty and our coordinator, Fran Anderson, are discussing how this program might look if it is expanded to run year round.  Obviously, we’ll have to change the name, but everyone here is excited to about its potential, especially those who can’t afford the cost of calling or even sending letters home.