In reading the research by Noll, I was interested in a couple of things. The first was the scenarios of literacy in the home at an early age by both Daniel and Zonnie. Another concern of mine was the teacher responses or no responses to each student in regard to their academics.
Daniel was raised in a literature rich environment where his family valued reading. This was evident by reading to him, taking him to the public library, storytelling and the emphasis put on keeping with tradition. Daniel had to deal with racial issues from white students at his school and I wonder if he had been in a more accepted environment would he have excelled academically? His parental support was very solid but no mention of a real “home-school” connection which I think is important for student success. It’s not that his parents didn’t care but perhaps did not feel comfortable at school, especially after Daniel’s being called names and taunted by others.
Zonnie also had positive parental support and also holds strong family ties. She was exposed to books and reading, was read to as a small child and also frequented the public library. She values family traditions, music, dance and especially poetry. Poetry is her outlet to express herself. The sad truth for Zonnie is that she seems to have a talent for writing poetry but her family is the only ones that know this. I was saddened by the lack of response to her poetry by her teacher. Aren’t we as educators commanded to recognize talents such as writing? This seems to be a passion for her and how disappointing to feel so strongly about something but not be recognized for it.
I think this study proves our need for being culturally responsive teachers. We need to make it our goal to understand diverse cultures and find ways to make the students and parents in our communities feel welcome in school if we ever hope to bridge that home-school connection.
Karen S. Gold
Comments (6)
Being cognitive of the differences in our students is something I agree we all need to improve. Our students are diverse in many ways. Some differences are very noticable like skin color and culture. That should be so very important for a teacher to recognize and understand even if she or he have to do some extra research on the cultures. Our multicultural students have as much talent and capability to learn as white students.
Posted by candace kee | June 10, 2011 9:40 AM
Posted on June 10, 2011 09:40
I was impressed by both Daniel’s and Zonnie’s early literacy experiences at home. They were provided excellent beginnings by their families. I agree that it does not seem either continued to have that support in the school setting. What a shame.
My school’s theme is the “8 Smarts” based on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences
We allow children to explore and discover their learning styles by introducing these “Smarts” and providing opportunities to use them in the classroom. It is a challenge but rewarding privilege too, when a student realizes how they best acquire new skills. Being more culturally sensitive would be described in my school as “People Smart.” I would say Zonnie is “Word Smart” and Daniel is “Music Smart.”
Posted by Ruth Ann Timmons | June 10, 2011 9:41 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 21:41
I totally agree with the fact that these two students were set up for success right from the beginning. They had families that supported literacy development from an early age. It was the educational system that dropped the ball with their academic success. It's interesting because I have heard people say, "Oh, he'll be fine because he has parents that will work with him. One bad teacher won't make a difference." I don't believe that is true. I think that each teacher impacts a student's love of learning for the better or worse. One bad year can either set a student back tremendously, or destroy their enthusiasm for learning. It is our responsibility to do right by our students and pay attention to their background, needs, and loves. In this way, we can really make a difference in their lives.
Posted by Carrie Brown | June 10, 2011 10:46 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 22:46
Sorry I forot to attach my name to this post - A Tale of Two Students - Karen Gold
Posted by Karen Gold | June 11, 2011 10:05 PM
Posted on June 11, 2011 22:05
Carrie, I agree that the parents of Zonnie and Daniel did provide a great literacy beginning. Ruth Ann, thank you for the information on multiple intelligences. One way to tell if a teacher is really culturally responsive toward students is the amount of time they spend actually conversing with each student. That is how we find out their areas of strengths which gives us a springboard for highlighting their successes.
Posted by Karen Gold | June 11, 2011 10:14 PM
Posted on June 11, 2011 22:14
Karen,
This is a nice summary of the issues in the article! I am very intrigued by your statement: "It’s not that his parents didn’t care but perhaps did not feel comfortable at school." I wondered about this too, and do you have any ideas about why this may be so, and are you seeing this barrier as a larger issue?
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 15, 2011 9:41 AM
Posted on June 15, 2011 09:41