Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Summer 2011)

Carol,
You made a great connection to Jake and Laurie's gender roles from our readings with your own kids. I also have a son and daughter who formed gender stereotype identities early in their childhood. Ironically, it was my son who became the better reader because he thoroughly enjoyed nonfiction text about history and was able to make those connections in social studies. Your son's teacher did a great job in helping your son shift between discourses by celebrating his knowledge of electricity in the classroom. It's a lesson for me to find what my students excel in outside their classroom discourse and allow them to share that with their peers to validate their identity they feel most connected.

I like the illustration of your son's confidence being boosted with the lightbulb demonstration. When we can find those moments to foster confidence in any student that allows them to trust us. Most students I know would do anything for a teacher they trust - even read.

Carol,

I enjoyed reading your sons' experience in that 3/4 combination class. Did you or your son express to the teacher that he felt inadequate when answering questions in class? Since the teacher asked your son to bring in his light bulbs and things to share in class, I feel like she caught on to his feelings and lack of confidence. I feel that she was a very good and observant teacher who wanted to help her student become more confident and self-assured. I'm sure that is one of your sons' greatest educational experiences. Thanks for sharing!

I agree with your point about the worksheets – I think we are often too tied to the paperwork that goes along with our reading series, and I don’t think they are engaging enough to keep the interest of our kids. I am not sure what the answer is – after all, the school systems spend lots of money on workbooks, etc., so they expect us to use them, but I believe that hands-on activities are much more appropriate, particularly for young readers and writers. Our principal shared a book with us, entitled “Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites,” which has kind of stuck with me. I am continually looking for other ways to achieve the practice that worksheets are supposed to provide. Any suggestions???

Carol,
I agree with you that the use of worksheets in connection with whole group reading from the basal is not the way to ensure that we are reaching our struggling readers. However, I know many teachers who do just this. I think that this may happen for a variety of reasons like a) it is easier to do this than plan guided reading groups or b) the materials have already been purchased and they feel like they must use them. Whatever the reason, it is a practice that we need to try and avoid so that children like Jake don't fall further and further behind.

Lisa,

Yes, my son's teacher had noticed his frustration in class. It was during a parent-teacher conference that we began talking about his interests. His teacher was the one who suggested that he bring in his motors and lightbulbs the next Friday. I think that was very cool!

Marlee,

I am not a classroom teacher and have not had the experience of dealing with all the worksheets. My suggestion would be to try and incorporate the same type of practice in center activities or perhaps making the same type of practice hands-on. More work, I know, but once the materials are made they could be reused (laminate!). Maybe just using some of the worksheets at centers would make them more interesting(?), because students know they would be rotating to a different activity soon. Maybe you could laminate some of the best worksheets and let your students use Visa-a-Vis markers at a center. Changing the way they complete the work may make it more interesting and engaging for students.

Carol-
I agree that communication is important and can serve as a vital link between home and school discourses. As nearly all the research we have read suggests, it is most beneficial to know all we can about our students. I love that your son’s teacher during his 3rd grade year was able to make a connection and had him share his interests with the rest of the class- what an excellent way to build confidence. Jake’s story is a sad one but unfortunately the reality for more students than we would all like to admit. I also agree that worksheets need to be used differently especially in kindergarten- even though I have to be honest and admit I find them very useful when trying to keep the class busy in order to complete all the state assessments required.

Carol,
After reading your post about how you related to the article with your son and daughter and the influence you and your husband had upon their development, I was reminded of a girl I taught this past school year. She is your typical girlie-girl who enjoys arts and crafts, something that she gained from her mother as evidenced with conversations from her mom. About halfway through the school year, she qualified for EC services because my colleague and I noticed she was behind some of the students in all of the content areas. She would often portray the staring off in space or playing with her pencil or hair during reading assignments, and I observed a disinterest in reading which was confirmed by her mom in a parent-teacher conference when she mentioned that her daughter was reluctant to read at home. I struggled to find the source of this problem by trying to tap into her interests and granting her a choice of texts that appealed to her interests. She would always react the same - excited at first but soon this excitement faded. She was trying so hard to please me as the teacher, and I was trying to do everything I could think of to reach her and instill within her a love for literacy. However, it never occurred to me that her female discourse and background from home effected her abilities within the school environment until after reading about Jake and Laurie's situation. Sadly, this student is being retained, something that was agreed upon by her mother, and as I anticipate having her within my classroom next year, I hope to take the insight I've learned from this course to aid her in achieving success in literacy education as I work to build upon the literacies she has acquired in the home setting.