“How help them understand?” was usually the first question that came to my mind while teaching students of diverse cultures. This reading helped me realize this should not be the first question I ask myself. It should be more along the lines of, “how can I understand my student?”
Developing strong background knowledge about each student individually is key. This knowledge can provide information needed to better meet the needs of students. It may also allow teachers to develop more sensitivity to students’ cultures and backgrounds. Knowing where your students are coming from and what they deal with outside of the classroom can also build trust in the teacher-student-parent relationship. If students know that their teacher is truly invested in their live in and out of school this can only be positive. I have done this in the past but I need to be more in depth. Every year about mid-way through the year I find out something significant about one of my students that I could have found out earlier if I would have dug a little deeper.
While reading, I found it interesting that Zonnie did not describe herself as a good reader. This was because she did not read books about real people like her mother did. Instead, said that she read things like, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone, things that she believed did not teach her anything. She was down playing her choice of literature. She could have easily pointed out that she enjoyed reading a variety of genres for fun. It makes me wonder, did Zonnie’s family instill this thought in her? Is their view of literacy one that only consists of nonfiction genres? Although neither Zonnie nor Daniel were the most high achieving students, they both planned on using literacy in their future. I think this proves that some form of literacy can serve as an outlet for many people, even if they do not consider it literacy.
Zonnie and Daniel were lucky to have such supportive parents. They both had parents who read to them at home and had open lines of communication. This reading pointed out that all youth have some sort of struggle growing up and trying to find their identity. This struggle is even more challenging if you are of a diverse background and you’re your heritage questioned or made fun of. I believe that their parents’ support of their “school world”, embracement of their culture, and communication along the way, made this process a little less daunting. As we all know, not all children are lucky enough to have parents as supportive as Zonnie and Daniel’s parents. This is where their teacher can provide support and understanding (if they dig deep enough to understand their student’s culture and heritage).
Stacy Durham
Comments (7)
I also found it interesting that Zonnie did not consider herself a good reader because she read magazines and horror stories. I guess she thought she had to be reading informational text for it to count as good reading. Too bad her reading teacher didn't change her views on that.
Posted by Carol Holt | June 9, 2011 9:09 PM
Posted on June 9, 2011 21:09
I liked that both their families were very supportive. Sounds like the families were doing their part in their literacy development, which unfortunately doesn't occur for many of our students. Many times we wish parents took more of a role in our students' education. Too bad their teachers didn't pull through. Just imagine if the families didn't help with literacy development and encouraging cultural pride and traditions. I dare say that we wouldn't see as much reflection of personal experiences or even that they liked to read at all.
Posted by Anonymous | June 9, 2011 9:41 PM
Posted on June 9, 2011 21:41
Stacy, I loved the way you switched around your question at the beginning of your post. It reminded me of what was discussed in a classroom management course I took last semester. Our professor said that instead of looking at children and thinking "How can I change him to make him behave?" we should be thinking "What can I change about what I'm doing to help this child behave?". I think the same thing applies in this situation. We shouldn't be trying to change our student so they fit into the mold of the mainstream student. Instead, we should maybe throw away the mold and change the way we're teaching to allow all students the opportunity to learn.
Posted by Andrea Schlobohm | June 10, 2011 4:44 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 16:44
Stacy,
I liked how you used the question at the beginning stating "how can I understand my students" I think that both Zonnie and Daniel would of had different educational experiences if thier teachers would have taken the time to understand where they were coming from. They had the support at home that was not the issue. The teachers however did not step to the plate and connects to these two students. The connections between the students and teachers would have changed the educational journey for two of them.
Posted by Kara | June 10, 2011 5:42 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 17:42
Stacy,
I also found it interesting that Zonnie described herself as a poor reader simply because of the types of text she chose to read. In my classroom I ask my sudents to read nightly. I let them know that they are allowed to read any kind of text. After all, reading is reading and I would much rather a student read Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, or Sports Illustrated than not read at all. I think we have to appreciate their interests and find ways to integrate different types of text into the curriculum. I bet we could all develop a lesson on main idea, fact and opinion, or drawing conclusions using a magazine article as our text!
Posted by Leslie Rothenberger | June 10, 2011 7:15 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 19:15
I also thought it was unfortunate that Zonnie would not describe herself as a good reader because she read magazines and books that weren’t about real people. It really saddened me that she had that view of herself even though she stayed after school all those times to talk to her reading teacher. You would think that would be something that the reading teacher might talk to her about and that she would try to instill in Zonnie the confidence that she needed to become a more active participant in school.
Posted by Kim Strzelecki | June 10, 2011 9:52 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 21:52
Stacy,
How provocative of you to flip the first question that you pose in your post! I would hope that all teachers see themselves as "learners" of your students. Your post points out the benefits for *everyone* if teachers take this stance. Well done!!!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 15, 2011 8:58 AM
Posted on June 15, 2011 08:58