Opportunities missed are sometimes of your own accord and other times are not; whether you managed to go through school without learning to read and write, or if you are a Lost Boy who does not learn any more from his elders. Storytelling for Chol, Ezra and Francis “provided a meaningful content for literacy learning” and is similar to a read aloud in a U.S. classroom. Like a read aloud, storytelling for the Lost Boys of Sudan was a learning experience involving family, animals, history, etc.
Francis, Chol and Ezra knew that these stories were integral to their identity. According to Francis, “People tell a lot of stories, but here, now, we don’t learn.” In his desperate situation of trying to survive without parents, Ezra knew it was necessary to learn to read and write, to be successful like the professionals he had seen. Being able to read and write will help a person become an independent, productive member of society in the developed world.
Storytelling can be transformed into video (their personal experiences and plays), written form and oral recordings to preserve a culture and language. Literacy is essential to record stories for posterity, and can be used to convey issues facing society and world events as in the mistreatment of the Sudanese or U.S. students not learning to read.
Lamont Carey’s poem is a sad, but probably accurate, commentary for some African American athletes. I have heard of college athletes who received scholarships in sports, but never graduate. I guess some athletes have passed the grade because of their athletic ability. After all, it equals points for the team!
Who’s to blame? It seems like a circular firing squad with everyone pointing a finger at someone else. I suppose it is human nature to blame someone else as an initial response. We all seek to deflect blame. As in the poem, the TA says the teacher, the teachers say the B.O.E., B.O.E. says parents, and parents say it’s my fault for not learning how to read. In reality, it takes a student who will put forth the effort, and it takes parents who will consistently work with their child. It also takes a teacher who will go the extra mile to insure student success. It takes a collective effort to help a struggling reader.
If a student repeats one grade in elementary school, they are usually not retained for an additional year. So, some students are passed even though they are not ready for the next grade level. There are studies, though, that say retention does not help. In fact, it can damage a student's self-esteem. I find the teachers that I work with truly care about their students’ success. If a teacher did not care, they are in the wrong profession.
Carol Holt
Comments (6)
Carol,
As I read your post about literacy being essential to record stories for posterity, it reminded me of an endeavor my mom and I undertook a couple of years ago. My mom decided she wanted to write some stories about several of our family members. These were all older members of our family that I either didn't know or had been to young to remember them. After mom wrote the stories, I typed them all and made books for her to distribute to others members of our family. I now can read about these people and their struggles and successes in life, and know more about my own personal history. I can also pass these along to my daughter.
I also appreciated the comment you made about everyone wanting to deflect blame. It is hard for us to sometimes say, "Yes, I missed the oportunity to teach that child. I didn't do the best that I could do." Maybe if we (educators, administrators, parents, students)shoulder the responsibility when necessary, instead of placing blame elsewhere, we will have fewer and fewer students who "can't read, can't write, and can't spell."
Posted by Leslie_Rothenberger | June 17, 2011 11:25 AM
Posted on June 17, 2011 11:25
Leslie,
I think that's awesome that your mom wrote the stories of family members! I have wanted to videotape my parents to preserve their stories. My mom isn't wild about being videotaped, so I may have to record by audiotape or by handwriting.
Posted by Carol Holt | June 17, 2011 12:17 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 12:17
Carol,
I had not thought about transformed storytelling in the form of video-what a great idea! When I watched Lamont Carey it definitely had a more powerful impact on me than just written word. Performance and audience as Perry discussed in the purposes of storytelling can truly ensure a 'story' is not forgotten.
Your question about "Who is to blame?" is though provoking. . We hear the blame game all around and I am part of that too- my frustration at the lack of help, lack of care, of wanting things to be different for the students that we teach. I know that all of us are in the MA program to try and make greater change, positive change. We need to rally that collective effort as you so rightly stated and have less struggling readers and writers!
Posted by Karen Massey-Cerda | June 17, 2011 2:40 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 14:40
Hi Carol,
I am as confused as you about retention. I think that for some kids, it can be beneficial...if they are YOUNG. I was one of the oldest in my class because my mom put me through 3 years of preschool because she didn't feel I was socially read to go on. It was a good decision. But then, holding a student back in the 3rd grade can have serious consequences. Granted, if they move him/her on to the next grade and they are absolutely lost because they can't keep up, are they really going to learn anything?
I don't know what the answer is. It seems to be a lose-lose situation, you know? Meanwhile, my hope is that the teacher is looking out for the best interest of the student when considering retention. It's a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly.
Posted by Carrie Brown | June 17, 2011 9:32 PM
Posted on June 17, 2011 21:32
Carol,
I have only seen rare cases, only two in fact that retention helped a student gain what they needed to gain in an additional year in Kindergarten. Both of these boys had medical issues during the later part of the year. One is now going to 7th grade and does not appear to have issues with not being with his initial peer group. The other is going to 1st grade and a bit young to make that judgement. I have however seen a few other students that were seperated by their peer group while being retained and they have made no more progress in the second year. They still struggle with reading on grade level and added to their stress struggle with failure. I have strong opinions about retention but I recognize that each case is an individual decision and can not be taken lightly or should it be mandated.
Posted by Karen Gold | June 18, 2011 8:40 PM
Posted on June 18, 2011 20:40
What a great integration here -- of the power of literacy to open up access to new ways of having identities, while preserving what is important to culture. Well done!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 20, 2011 10:53 AM
Posted on June 20, 2011 10:53