A profile on Professor Michael Gosselin’s Experience Teaching at Attica Correctional Facility

by Duane Kross
March 1, 2024

Since 2010, Associate Professor of English Michael Gosselin has been teaching at Attica Correctional Facility after learning of an opportunity to teach College Composition to the people there, something that he had long been interested in and “jumped at the chance” to do.

Gosselin said that these students are striving to receive an education under conditions most students couldn’t even imagine. “Our incarcerated students are not violent or dangerous people. Most of them are paying for something they did when they were young and are trying their best to make themselves ready to contribute to society in the future,” he said.

Over time, he has noticed a unique set of difficulties that these students in Attica face while on their journey to obtaining a higher education. The classes offered at Attica are “the same as all GCC students get, with some accommodation for things that aren’t possible in a prison, such as research and library orientation,” Gosselin said. “Otherwise, it’s the same syllabus.”

The students Gosselin teaches are eager to learn and excited at the opportunity to further their education. One student even compared it to being handed a glass of water in a desert. “The students in the prison are enthusiastic about being in college and learning all they can, and even though they are just as concerned about getting good grades as any other student, they also enjoy learning for its own sake which, of course, is something that professors like to see,” Gosselin said.

He added that the students gain “a chance to escape prison for a few hours a week and be treated like human beings for a few hours of fun.” Some even show their work to their parole officer and become motivated to continue their pursuit of a higher education once released, Gosselin said.

While some educators and students may have preconceived notions of what it might be like teaching at a prison, Gosselin’s experience with the students has been a positive one. Gosselin said he has never been in danger teaching at Attica. “Although we are warned about manipulation and have to carry an ID in case of a lockdown or riot situation, that has never been a concern,” he said. “The students are easy-going, funny, and appreciative of being in class. They are intellectually curious, love to discuss language and writing, and a day never goes by that we don’t thoroughly enjoy ourselves. It also feels good to bring opportunities to people who have very few of them.”

While Gosselin’s experience teaching the students at Attica has been positive, he finds that the environment there can take a toll. Teaching at Attica “is emotionally draining. I doubt anyone could regularly go into a prison, especially Attica, and not suffer some level of trauma,” he said. “A prison such as Attica is designed to be as intimidating as possible, and it does get oppressive at times.”

In addition to an emotionally taxing environment, a lack of resources adds another layer of challenges not only to Gosselin, but to the students as well. “The main struggle from an educational perspective is the lack of research opportunities,” Gosselin said. “GCC has recently partnered with the Rochester Education Justice Initiative—the University of Rochester’s prison program—which gives the students access to some of the University’s library materials, but it is still pretty restricted.” There is also a lack of tools Gosselin normally enjoys using in his courses, such as computers, video, and audio.

Not only is there a lack of resources provided in prison, but life itself for the students presents its own challenges. “They also have to deal with all the stresses of prison life outside of the classroom. The environment makes it extremely difficult for them to do their homework, and much of their time is taken up by jobs and other responsibilities,” Gosselin said. “I guess in that way they are no different from my students here in Batavia. Many of them have a poor opinion of their own abilities and need constant encouragement.”