Notes on the reverse commute and identity

I'm thinking a bit about identity and how identity mixes with the transition from work to school literacy. I'm thinking about participants who embraced academic literacy for whatever reason and those who perhaps resisted it--in particular, Joe and Tony. Those embracing--Patsy, Charlene, Sarah, Diane--they may have embraced it for any number of reasons, but one reason may have been that academic literacy did not challenge their identities in some fundamental way. It's also worth noting that these were the women in the study.

So, in the case of Patsy and Charlene--well, they are in school to become educators. They feel a stake in academic literacy, in the acquisition of it. They desire to connect to it. Sarah, to come to terms with academic literacy--she sees it as working in concert with her, as enabling her own goals. Diane, perhaps some conflict, perhaps some questioning of why academic literacy, but a generally favorable disposition towards academic literacy--she was a good student in school, has a feeling of nostalgia for school and for learning, has a daughter who is an English teacher. I'm not sure that academic literacy or the demand to acquire it presents any real conflicts to these women's sense of self or of identity.

But with Tony and John, it may. One thing worth pointing out is the way that their identities are bound up with their work, perhaps in ways that are greater than the others. Both men have built careers and reputations and their work is highly intertwined with their identities. They are problem-solvers on the job. They are not newcomers--Brad teaches the newcomers. John also teaches or tells people what to do and makes

So I'm wondering about the ways in which certain professional or workplace identities conflict with or get in the way of participants process of acquiring academic literacy. The interaction of workplace identity and academic identity.

What does academic literacy require of these people, what does it ask of them, of their identities? On one level, it asks them to be a newcomer. And on another level, it asks for something different then reporting or proposing. It asks for a different move, one that may feel less interesting or useful? I'm thinking of Tony's American pop culture assignment and how he sort of made that assignment practical. I'm thinking of John's literary analysis assignment. What do such assignments, from liberal arts or humanistic traditions, ask of these people that they perhaps feel uncomfortable with? Don't want to engage? Challenge their identity in some way? These genres are asking for different kinds of moves--I'm just thinking of John writing a report which will be read by management in which he recommends some important initiative to meet the strategic objections of the company and the kind of identity that makes available to him (expert, insider) and the kind of identity that that literary analysis essay makes available to him. Totally different. You can see how that second one would feel meaningless.

I like the way I am moving away from just the experiences of John and Tony to think about identity in general--clearly, not all of the participants resisted academic literacy and the demands it required, created, demanded. There is a sense of balance here that strikes me as important. But there is a contrast, too. The way that John and Tony resisted or struggled to negotiate the identity that was offered/asked and others Charlene, Patsy embraced it. I like the sense of contrast here. Not ALL adults will react in this way. Some will react in this way. The important part is being to imagine the role of identity in all of this--the consequences or implications for literacy instruction of identity formation (and workplace identity). All GOOD.

Worth pointing out that Charlene, Patsy and Sarah all seek to align themselves and their identities with the institution of the school--Charlene and Patsy as teachers and Sarah in some kind of educational capacity.

It's also worth thinking, maybe, about the decision to return to school, the way that the individual's identity is at the moment when they enter school--Diane is excited and open, so is Sarah Knox. Charlene and Patsy are interested in becoming educators, so their identity is in line with school. Tony, push and pull--needs it and wants it but has a scary history. John...resignation perhaps? Values school, but also has achieved a certain degree of success in life which might conflict in some ways with starting over.