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A CU English professor takes new students under his wing at a Colorado state prison.听

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At first the idea was for Adam Bradley听to show up once and talk about poetry and听pop culture, one of his academic specialties.听

Then he met the inmates of the Arkansas听Valley Correctional Facility face to face.听

Bradley, a CU English professor, saw听he might be useful to them, but also that听lessons in rhyme and meter weren鈥檛 what听they needed or wanted most.听

Four years later, he鈥檚 leading a small听CU Boulder team that鈥檚 helping inmates听of Arkansas Valley, a state prison east of听Pueblo, teach each other 鈥� not poetry,听political science or physics, but personal听transformation.听

Working closely with Derek Briggs听and Elena Diaz-Bilello of CU鈥檚 School of听Education, Bradley is helping a handful听of driven prisoners develop a rigorous听curriculum with clear learning objectives听and measurable outcomes.听

The goal, Bradley said, is to help 鈥渕ove听people from a position of being takers,听people who are acting in ways that are destructive,听into people who are builders.鈥澨�

The project draws less on his scholarly听expertise than on his pedagogical and organizational听skills and his willingness to听listen and share, and that鈥檚 fine with him.听

鈥淲hether you are in Hellems or in a听correctional facility, the rudiments of听the classroom don鈥檛 change,鈥� he said.听鈥淚t鈥檚 about interaction, how to keep ideas听flowing, how to let as many voices as you听can join the conversation.鈥澨�

So far, Bradley has visited Arkansas听Valley three times and spent many hours听on the phone with the inmate driving the听project, Rhidale Dotson, who鈥檚 serving a听life sentence without possibility of parole听for his role in a murder. In the future,听Bradley expects to visit almost monthly.听

It鈥檚 a matter of citizenship, he 听said,听of belief in the possibility of change, of听making the most of his privileged position听in society as a university professor.听

鈥淚鈥檓 committed to ensuring that we听don鈥檛 throw people away,鈥� he said.

Photo by Glenn Asakawa