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

Reading chapter 5 of Reading Lives gave me a new perspective of the needs of many male students in the primary grades learning how to conform to a school discourse that does not involve the movement and choice awarded in the kindergarten classrooms. Learning about Jake’s difficult transition from a student-centered classroom into a more structured first grade curriculum where his home discourse is not recognized, illustrated how important a child’s view of school becomes when he feels disconnected from what he knows and loves best. Jake’s inability to move from his familiar language practices of home to the more unfamiliar textual practices of his first grade classroom caused him to view school as “dumb” because it did not meet his needs of video games, NASCAR racing, or his family business, in which he has already been designated as the future owner. Having never taught kindergarten, I did not realize how differently structured the classrooms are in first and second grade. I have taught second and third grade, where students have made the transition from a mobile, center-structured environment to a more traditional classroom of literacy practices that require more seat work that focus on skills and technique. His inability to “act out” his stories in first grade seemed to hinder his interest in storytelling in his writing workshop activities. If the teacher had been able to use Reader’s Theatre in the language arts block, perhaps he would have fulfilled his need for action in his classroom literacy practices. Jake and most boys in today’s culture, have a need for constant stimulation due to video games and the fast pace of most family households. The shift between their working-class home discourse and middle-class school discourse is often too difficult for our students to make and they become turned off by the demands of the classroom that do not meet their immediate needs.

How can we as teachers bridge this gap between boys who need stimulation in the classroom and the necessities of meeting the objectives of our curriculum while shaping competent students who can take standardized tests that evaluate their literacy success? When we have the ability to integrate the interests and needs of our students, we can create the hybrid student that shifts between discourses instead of separating them and ultimately choosing the one that solidifies his identity – home. The challenge is not to integrate one kind of home discourse but several in a classroom of twenty plus students. As I noted in a previous posting, I have basically three different cultures in my classroom and each have different literacy experiences in their home discourse. Fortunately, the interests of genders can usually be generalized among these different cultures and brought into the classroom to connect with many students at once. This year we talked about teen idols such as Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana that girls from all ethnicities admired, while the various boys displayed interest in soccer and video games. During independent reading and writer’s workshop, students were able to integrate their interests into the classroom where it was discussed and valued as part of their identity. (Although I must say, I was getting pretty tired of hearing about Justin Bieber and seeing his face on all the girls’ folders!)

Whether it is our male students or the females, understanding and recognizing their histories and identities in their classroom, can be crucial to building the critical literacy practices in the classroom that prepare for their success in a middle-class world.

Michelle Carlson