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

Storytelling is a tradition that has been practiced for many, many years. Although storytelling was initially practiced orally, it has transformed so that it is practiced in written form as well. The original purpose of storytelling was thought to be to express a community’s beliefs, values, and attitudes, but storytelling has evolved so that it serves many different purposes. People often tell stories “to remember, instill cultural knowledge, grapple with a problem, rethink the status quo, soothe, empathize, inspire, speculate, justify a position, dispute, tattle, evaluate one’s and others’ identities, shame, tease, laud, entertain, among other ends.” (p. 321) No matter what the reason may be, storytelling is a practice that enhances literacy.

The study described in this article tells us about three Southern Sudanese refugees (Chol, Ezra, and Francis) who used storytelling as a means to adjust to their new life in the U.S and to share experiences about life in the Sudan. The Lost Boys used storytelling in their writing assignments for school to tell about their life. For a college writing assignment, Chol wrote an autobiography that talked about the many journeys he had been on and some of his achievements. From his autobiography, it is very obvious that he is very proud of the achievements he has accomplished, despite the traumatic childhood he had. Allowing the Lost Boys or other refugees the opportunity to write or tell their stories “may offer refugees an outlet for dealing with painful memories or emotions, it may help educators and other non-refugees understand refugees’ experiences, and it may help empower refugees and others to act.” (p. 354)

Hopefully our students haven’t had such dramatic experiences in their lives, but we never know what secrets some of them may be hiding. Although our students may not be refugees and probably did not have to make the long journey from their homeland to the United States themselves, they all have issues that affect them. No matter how major or minor the issue, it always helps to be able to share it with someone else, either orally or written. We need to give our students the opportunity to tell their stories- where they have been, what they have done, and what they hope to become. I have mentioned in an earlier post that I like the idea of requiring students to write journal reflections and the teacher taking time to respond. This provides an excellent “outlet” for our students to share information with us, and to just get things ‘off their chest.’ Before we can expect our students to be comfortable doing this, we must provide them with a safe and trusting environment. They need to know that we want to hear their story, and that we care about the issues they are dealing with. After all, we are all storytellers, and we all want people to listen to our stories. Our students are also storytellers; we just have to provide the opportunity for their voices to be heard.

Lisa Beach

I think that Perry’s research offers a good foundation for teaching students of all different backgrounds. As she stated, her small research study focused on three participants should not be thought of as a generalized study for all refugees. She noted that even within the Sudanese refugee communities, feelings towards storytelling varied from tribe to tribe and person to person. While it is true that we should not generalize the situations of all refugees (or immigrants), I think it wouldn’t do any harm to practice the storytelling techniques she discovered in her research with students in our own classrooms. We must keep in mind, however, that “No refugee should be forced to share his or her story with others, and educators must exercise sensitivity and discretion in using storytelling in their classrooms.

While reading Perry’s article, I was reminded of Zonnie and the fact that she did not like to write fictional stories. Her poetry, like the Def Jam poetry, could have been used as her mode of storytelling. Perry stated that the purpose of storytelling with Sudanese refugees was changing from maintaining history and culture into educating the world of the situations that society sometimes chooses to ignore. I think Lamont Carey has the same purpose in his poetry. Although he has not participated in a civil war in his country, he seems to feel at war with the education system that has failed him. To me, this shows that the “Transformed Storytelling” described by Perry can apply to a variety of people in a variety of situations. If students feel that there is an authentic purpose behind their writing, they will feel a desire to write. That authentic purpose could be simply making others in the class aware of their community situations or it could be as complicated as trying to convince a principal to allow afterschool clubs focused on Native American dancing. Through Perry’s article I learned that, by encouraging our students to speak up about situations that may be difficult in their lives, we may be creating more effective eager writers.

Andrea Schlobohm

I appreciate the fact that the young Sudanese refugees expressed a desire to become literate in their “local languages”. They deeply value their culture and want to preserve their heritage. That’s greatly admirable. Throughout the article, Perry writes of the importance of storytelling to family and community. The three refugees spoke of the role of storytelling in their homeland. In Sudan, storytelling seemed to serve the purpose of connecting generations and preserving history. A great deal of time was allotted to this communication every day. It saddened me to read about how greatly our daily schedules differ. One of the refugees stated, ‘There it’s different, of course, people sit together and tell stories.’ Although we as Americans are very busy working every day, we need to have time to share. In fact, I believe our children would be much better equipped if they were provided ample opportunities to communicate across generations. Before we can expect children to write, we must share stories with them and give them time to share orally as well.
Much of the refugees’ writings stemmed from their own personal experiences. They used stories “to educate the wider world about the situation in Sudan and about their experiences as refugees.” In addition, Francis also wrote fictional stories. While I believe most Americans enjoy storytelling, the biggest hindrance to this pastime is most likely lack of time. That’s one reason why literacy is so important in American culture. Today, the refugees use literacy to “call others to act.” For them, the transformation of storytelling has largely taken place because of their audience. In America, they are not only communicating with others in a small community, but with the ‘outside world’.
Holly Lawson

Storytelling has been, and remains, an important aspect of many cultures and their literacy histories. Traditionally, storytelling was an oral practice that was used to pass on cultural and community beliefs, traditions, and histories. Research indicates that storytelling is a purposeful practice that is not only shaped by, but linked to, a community’s beliefs, attitudes, and values (p. 321). However, in our ever-changing world, storytelling has begun to be transformed to include written stories and is used for many different purposes.

In Perry’s study, she examined the impact that storytelling had on the lives of three “Lost Boys” from Sudan and how their sense of storytelling evolved from that of a traditional practice while in Sudan to a new, transformed practice when they were relocated to the United States. Perry identified different themes in storytelling such as “learning from stories,” traditional stories,” and “stories for the wider world” that were embedded in the data collected from each of the participants. She found that in Sudan, the participants’ experiences in storytelling seemed to be that of “traditional stories.” These stories were important to the participants as a way to preserve their culture and keep the history and customs of their culture alive. In my fourth grade social studies curriculum we study the Cherokee Indians. We read the novel Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears and study Native American legends. Next year I plan to hold a storytelling festival where students will write their own Native American legends and then tell them to parents and classmates. In doing so, I will be giving my students the “authentic purpose” and the “real audience” that Perry mentions.

Once the boys were relocated to the United States, they began to transform their storytelling practices. In the United States, the boys no longer had access to the elder members of their community or culture. They began to see a need for creating written accounts to preserve their culture’s way of life. The biggest shift that Perry found was that the boys began to tell more personal stories. These stories “purpose, audience, and medium differed in important ways from those of the traditional storytelling…” (p. 328). Their stories now served to educate others about the situation in Sudan and the boys’ experiences as refugees.

The results of Perry’s study showed that the boys thought that engaging in literacy activities was important on many levels. They felt that it was crucial for their futures. They felt that knowing how to read and write made things easier for them and could help them pursue their educations and obtain a “professional” career.

This point was reiterated by Lamont Carey in his Def Jam poetry session. I was particularly moved by his poem because I felt that I could more easily relate to that situation than I could the experiences of the refugee boys. It angers me that some educators can overlook a student’s struggles in literacy to further their own agendas such as sports achievements. What options do we leave these children? When their knee snaps, as Carey points out, then what WILL they do? Our literacy instruction must provide students with the opportunity to engage in activities that have “real purposes.” Whether students are refugees from another country, black males from the ghetto, or Native Americans, as educators we must strive to reach these students. Otherwise, they won’t even have a story to tell.

Leslie Rothenberger

Storytelling is an essential part of our lives. Whether we are listening to an old story form our grandparents, watching a play, reading a book, or writing a story it is a way we can all communicate. “Story telling represents a powerful sociocultural practice shaped by and closely linked to a community beliefs values and attitudes” p. 321 for the three young men in the research study storytelling did just that. It connected the boys to the past and their communities. The men wanted so much to keep their cultures and values alive as they integrated into the American culture.

As found in the research the refugee boys told what they called “traditional stories”. We all can relate to traditional stories. I think back to my second grade class this year when we were reading a traditional Hispanic story sharing family and food. This is a traditional story that all students were able to connect to especially my students from Mexico and Puerto Rico. Within our own classroom we can set the stage for our students to have an experience from another culture. We can find literature to share or ask our families within our classes to share their own stories and traditions. We are then giving our students an genuine purpose for their learning.

Even though the boys are now in the United States it is important that “They keep their identity”. P. 331 It is important that no matter where you are, you never forget where you came from. The no longer have the connections to the elders in their culture they now must educate others to keep the cultural traditions and ways heard alive. Through sharing their stories these traditions can live on and the systems they live by will stay with them.

Kara Scott

This study examined storytelling practices among young male adults from the Sudan and how it shaped their literacy practices. Their displacement as a result of the horrific civil war in the region morphed their traditional storytelling to reflect their new communities and literacies in the United States.

Significantly, Perry considers the importance of “What individuals and communities do with stories and how they talk about storytelling” what she distinguished as talking about storytelling and enacted storytelling. (p.333).

It was clear that Chol, Ezra and Francis attached great importance to storytelling and to literacy. In their native Sudan they had experienced literacy practices that focused more on individuals and elders. These orphans had heard and told traditional stories covering histories in the community. Their storytelling practices did not involve any print literacies. Ezra explained the reasoning for this: a lack of schooling and a means to keep the community alive ensuring “customs and culture were passed from one generation to the next” (p. 334). They had engaged in oral literature at school that focused primarily on traditional African tribe stories and dialects, which was also important to their learning community. Here storytelling also provided “a meaningful context for literacy learning” (p.335) and a clear sense of identity for the young men.

The metamorphosis that took place in the orphans’ storytelling was two fold. In a new community in the United States they all continued to talk about and enact stories but also engaged in print form. Some of the stories were “hypothetical, generic” but carried meaning for them and their culture. However, many of the stories that they told were true and were based on their experiences in the refugee camps. Therefore, the purpose of the storytelling changed. There was a different audience, different issues and different “media of communication” (p338). It became “transformed storytelling”.

Whilst the need to maintain a sense of identity through storytelling was important to the boys, they were also now actively using their storytelling “to push for change” and were critiques, advocates and persuaders in their need to share life experiences. This then became a powerful motivator for the young men to engage in print literacies: Chol writes about his experiences and wants to publish his autobiography whilst Ezra writes for a newspaper. These new literacies enabled the group to not only develop their English language abilities but to share their storytelling beyond communities and out into the wider world. As Perry revealed “literacy was the key to improving their lives and the future of Sudan…. being literate meant having access to power”(p.320)

It was interesting to read about Ezra’s concerns about the consequences of no long experiencing traditional storytelling: new people would not know how to ‘behave’ and would be lost. As we have discussed in our previous readings, the importance of a balance of where you are from and what you are transitioning to are of equal importance to our sense of culture and identity. The young men offset this disconnect of feeling that they would not ‘learn’ from traditional story anymore by using transformed storytelling to continue to communicate history and culture and utilize it for political statement. In effect they constructed new identities encompassing aspects of both their native and new communities using new literacies to do so.

As educators, this study and the poetry of Lamont Carey convey the importance of the power of literacy and providing authentic opportunities to share stories in our classrooms, to engage not only refugees but all students who have a story to tell. Storytelling is a necessary and powerful tool that teachers are in a unique position to give to student ‘voice’. It can counteract those students who say they ‘can’t read, can’t write, can’t spell’ and succeed in developing a strong sense of self.

As I read through the Perry research article, I was amazed at the trauma the young Sudanese males must have experienced during this war and the fact that they became refugees in the United States. Even though they were brought to safety, the events that they witnessed and lived in must have been heart rendering. I did not realize how many refugees took up residence in the United States although I know Africa has always been a place of war and dangerous unrest. Francis, Chol and Ezra realized they would have to be literate in order to make a better life for themselves. They did not have anyone to help them, they learned this from observation of others. A lot of their literate background developed in Sudan where the people did not work like Americans do and their life is not so fast paced. These boys were able to sit with elders and listen to traditional stories about their culture and history and personal stories.
Because of these experiences, these boys have been able to educate others in the United States of the trauma, culture, hardships and perils they experienced in Africa. This is how their storytelling transitioned. They had a different audience with different needs. The storytelling in Africa by the elders was a means of educating it's young. These three boys were fortunate in that they realized the value of this traditional storytelling and also the need to bring stories of their culture with them. Not only did this opportunity share experiences verbally and written, it also helped the boys to transition to a different life but still hold on to the closest thing to their heart, their cultural and ancestral history. How great it would be for our children to learn more from their ancestors through storytelling and less from history books.

Candy Kee

I thought that it was interesting to learn about the different forms of storytelling: talk about storytelling, enacted storytelling and transformed storytelling. Chol, Ezra, and Francis held storytelling close to their hearts. Storytelling was how the Sudanese community passed information down from one generation to the next. I kept thinking about how I would never be able to remember family history information if it had been only orally given to me. I remember as a child and young adult trying to recall facts about my family genealogy. I had to constantly refer to the information listed in print.

Throughout our readings we have noticed the weight that connections carry for our students. I could not help but think of what a strong connection Erza must have had when he first learned that there are genres in literature. He stated, “I did not know this until I was doing literature in Kenya, oral literature, when I came to realize some of the stories, although different versions of the stories that I had been hearing, being classified. “ He was able to apply his background knowledge to help him understand a new concept presented in the classroom.

The Youth Program that Erza described is exactly what storytelling has always meant to me, a form of drama. In my eyes, means a more exciting approach to literature. In high school I was in theatre arts and we were performing Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, "The Cask of Amontillado". The next week in English class we were reading the same story. I had never understood a story more in my life because I had been a part of the storytelling process. This connection helped me to understand how important storytelling can be and why “The Lost Boys” wanted to ensure that this part of their culture was not lost. They did acknowledge that written form would provide a way to safeguard this information for those who did not get to experience the art of storytelling first hand.

Lamont Carey (I Can't Read) HBO Def Jam Poetry related well to Perry’s, “From storytelling to writing: Transforming literacy practices among Sudanese refugees”. Stress and responsibility are two words that came to my mind while viewing the clip. Knowing that your future options are limited because you can’t read and success in athletics is crucial. Lamont Carey’s use of storytelling through poetry painted a clear, yet dejected view of being an illiterate youth. He asks several powerful questions, but the one that stuck with me most was, “what are my options?” In my mind I was a searching for an answer but I was speechless. This answer should have been easy and full of choices. His future could have been anything he wanted to make it. I began asking myself, how did his teacher(s) miss this? I hate to entertain the idea that his teachers indeed knew but chose to overlook it.

Stacy Durham

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

In this country, rich with various forms of literature, storytelling has a different purpose than in countries such as Sudan. The refugees in Perry’s research were able to use their traditional method of communicating their culture and history to inform a global audience of the atrocities that have forced them to flee their country in search of safety. Their transformation from oral literacy to written literacy changed because the audience and purpose of the communication had changed. When the Sudanese were among their families and communities, their need to preserve their culture, history, language, and identity were easily met with storytelling from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, for these refugees, their need to share their experiences with the world in order to gain political change became their purpose for oral literacy in the form of speeches and written language expressed in newspapers and books to educate even larger audiences. It is apparent that all communities rely on some form of literacy, whether it is oral or written, to develop social relationships, beliefs, attitudes, and cultural identity. The subjects in Perry’s study, through support and education, were able to use their literacy practices from their native country to reach social activists and human rights organizations through transformed storytelling.

As a teacher, I found this research extremely interesting as we have an increased multicultural population in our community with limited standard English skills. Although they are not fleeing a country in turmoil, they are fighting to preserve their native culture in a school environment that can be drastically different from their home environment. When studying the folktale genre of literature, we can use that opportunity to encourage students to use storytelling as a way of preserving their own culture and identity. During holidays would be another opportunity to orally share their traditions and experiences at home so that we can appreciate other cultures while promoting tolerance and understanding. When we transfer these oral narratives to writing, it creates a meaningful context for students to engage in literacy. A reoccuring theme in many of these readings has been that making connections to our lives outside of school provides students with a sense of identity. I think using storytelling in the classroom would be an effective means in motivating students to write. Most children love to express their voice but many are reluctant to write their thoughts. If we could use oral language to encourage writing for specific audiences and purposes, students may see its value and embrace this form of literacy in the classroom.

Michelle Carlson

Why do we tell stories? According to Ochs and Capps we tell stories to remember and to pass along cultural knowledge. Story telling was the only way these refugees could "remeber" who they were. It was the only way these boys could keep their culture alive and educate the world about what had happened in Sudan. I began thinking back to my life and what I was doing during the 1980's during this war. I was here in America experiecing a wonderful life full to opportunities and education. While these boys were experiencing a horrible war and trying to escape. One may ask why is storytelling so important when these poor boys were just trying to survive? "Storytelling represents a purposeful sociocultural practice shaped by a community's beliefs, values, and attitudes." A way to pass history to one generation to another. It was a way to form an identity and values. The stories are what made these boys who they were and without them they had no identity. By telling stories about telling stories gave them a sense of who they were and where they came from, even though their homeland and people no longer exsisted. These boys understood the power of education and they used their stories to share the history of the homeland and their experiences as refugees. To these refugees to TELL is to LEARN, storytelling was the only education so it was so vital to the culture. These boys were using their experiences to push for change. To educate the world of what was happening in Sudan. They learned that literacy was a way to preserve the way of life they had to leave behind. Transformed storytelling came about becasue of the different needs of the boys in sharing information. Where as before it had been mainly to pass history down, now it was to educate and inform the world.
Writing with a purpose has a whole new meaning to me now. When we give our students a writing prompt it has little meaning to them. Students need to be invested and have a passion for their writing and the only way for that to happen is for them to write about something that has meaning to them. We must allow storytelling to continue through our students so they can learn the importance of oral literacy.

Karin Scott

As I read Perry’s study about the transformation of the storytelling and literacy practices among the three Lost Boys Chol, Ezra, and Francis, I was struck by their focus on developing their own literacy skills in the English language, although they spoke several different languages. English was described “as a language of empowerment for their community.” (Perry, p. 320) It seems that they, like Michelle Obama in the film clip we watched, recognize the power of the use of Standard English in the world today. These young men, who came from such disastrous backgrounds, were determined to get an education, which they saw as the key to their futures, as Ezra noted when he said “...I saw it necessary for me to be able to read and write because – maybe partly because I was there by myself, alone, and I have seem many professionals, and I admired what they do and their positions and the kind of life they were living...I would do anything I could to become one day a professional like some of the people that I saw there.” (p. 333)

Despite their focus and determination to learn to read and write English, however, they maintained their loyalty to their own cultural heritage and identity. Ezra, in particular, seemed to realize the importance of helping the Dinka people become literate in their own language so that their culture would not be lost although they had been forced to flee their country and settle in many different parts of the world. It was interesting to read about the transformation of the storytelling tradition, and to realize that it evolved as the Lost Boys began to feel a part of their new countries. They began to see storytelling as a way to tell the world about their experiences, to relate the horrors of the events in their country, as well as to pass along the traditional stories of their history, customs, and heritage.

The study of the Lost Boys and their determination to become literate contrasted with the Noll study, the Staples study, and the Henry study. In those other studies, the students felt defeated by their lack of command of the skills needed to read and write, whereas the Lost Boys realized the power of the language and were determined to attain the skills they needed to be successful. It appeared, too, that the Lost Boys had a better support system within American society. Students, such as Lamont Carey, who are passed along from grade to grade because of athletic prowess, don’t seem to have that level of support, and, as he said, they are one injury away from failure. It makes me wonder why we don’t provide the same kind of support for Carey and others who are needy– what makes these “boys” different? Is it because of their determination and focus? Or are they determined and focused because of the supports which are in place? How can we better support the efforts of those students who are “passed along” from grade to grade?

Marlee Wright

In every culture, subculture, discourse, and family we have stories pasted down, told, retold. These stories are what help to form the identity of groups and their individual members. Stories tell us our histories, gives us reasons for the way things are in our current situations, and help us create new options for the future. I still remember the stories my grandfather told me about his childhood and how grateful he was for some but not all of the changes in modern day society. Then there are the stories I remember hearing at summer camp around the fire and ones we secretly shared with a select few at sleepovers growing up. All of this storytelling contributed to who I am today- how I tell stories, interpret others stories, even impacts the kinds of stories I enjoy reading and writing. In my classroom I share stories with my students about when I was there age. Some of them have really be interested and asked several questions or brought up topics from my stories weeks later during class discussions. I often wonder if they will remember years down the road- my stories, my advice. We’ve all heard “you could/should write a book!” Well as teachers I know we all have fascinating stories to tell, unfortunately not enough time in the day to record them on paper though. Passing stories down through written form is important and even vital to the survival of the information being shared. It’s a shame that many of us never seem to have enough time to write these stories down. However, I do have many friends that keep personal and family Blogs for that exact purpose- recording experiences in writing and preserving their stories.

I listened to Lamont Carey share his story through a moving poem “I Can’t Read.” I felt sad, mad, and frustrated that this is the reality for so many students even in today’s society. How must that feel and what are their options? Who is to blame or better yet will anyone ever take responsibility? Still not being able to read in the 6th grade, playing the class clown or getting into trouble to mask the truth, being used for athletic abilities, getting hurt and all those dreams, aspirations, and plans vanish in an instance- too bad it isn’t a fictional story. What can we do differently, in the short span of a year, as teachers to ensure that this doesn’t become the story our students are telling? The blame game that has become so popular nationally and on the state level has to stop first. Only then can we all actually begin working together to prevent this story from being reality for more children.

Perry’s research was intriguing but not completely surprising. The harsh truth of life in the Sudan was brutal and devastating. Members of “The Lost Boys” used storytelling to preserve their memories and cultural uniqueness. Many of them also wrote and shared their stories in the printed form in order to advocate against the injustices of their homeland. What a powerful message and example they provide for others. This is “authentic literacy” in action. Having students monotonously write just because we need something for a grade is useless and degrading. Instead when students are motivated by a cause or reason they are passionate about their writing improves. If an assignment and writing has purpose and meaning outside the classroom, it has potential to change that not only that student but society at large. Writing can be a powerful and meaningful way to express ones beliefs and record your story for others to pass on. Shouldn’t we all be doing more of it?!

Ruth Ann Timmons

In Perry’s article, one of the points that is made is that along with preserving culture and tradition, storytelling is also a valuable tool in informing, educating and persuading others to act on a certain cause. As Perry states, storytelling was an important “practice that gave them legitimate reasons to engage with reading and writing and to develop their English language abilities” (p.37). Writing and telling their stories gave them a reason for becoming involved and interested in literacy. Perry points out that “educators should find or create authentic opportunities for refugee students to share their stories” (pg.37) In the article, Chol hoped to publish his autobiography in a magazine because that’s a real life application for a real audience. Teachers today should try to find ways for students to share their work with live audiences as opposed to just turning it in for the purpose of a grade or not getting in trouble for not completing an assignment. That gives the assignment purpose instead of the feeling of busywork.
This point also connects to Lamont Carey’s Def Jam poetry. He’s using the medium of poetry to get across a message to a real audience about certain problems with the educational system. His poem really did make me think about all those kids that get passed along because everyone places the blame on someone else, especially if the kid can play a sport, and those kids don’t stand a chance if they get an injury because they’re not prepared to do anything else in life. It’s our job as teachers to ensure that that doesn’t happen.

I think that Perry also makes a good point near the end of the article. We should remember that although we are encouraging students of all backgrounds to share their experiences through all mediums, it’s important that they know they don’t have to if they are not comfortable. Many of us have not had traumatic experiences like the Sudanese refugees and do not know what the best way to handle that kind of trauma is. So it is critical that these students be able to decide if, how and when they share their experiences.

Kim Strzelecki

As I read this article, I thought about how stories impact my life. I believe myself to be a storyteller. I was interested by how this article distinguished between the different reasons people tell stories. They tell stories about personal experiences to explain themselves. People tell stories for social reasons, to learn something, or to teach others about society. I tell stories to make connections. When I was sitting around with a few friends at dinner tonight, we were sharing stories so we could make connections with each other. I just did it again! As the article pointed out, storytelling differs across cultures, a point that I reminded myself as I found myself making connections with the students identified in this research study. While I tell stories to for social reasons, Ezra, Chol, and Francis tell stories to educate the world on what is happening. I feel that this is both a skill, and a challenge, as it is hard to recall such difficult memories and put them on paper or easily express them to an audience. Meanwhile, if your audience is not one that you have complete trust and comfort-ability with, it is even harder.
I found myself impressed with Perry as she had worked hard to earn people’s trust in the community. Due to the time she spent with the people, and learning about their culture, she presumably got very honest perspectives and feedback from the people she was interviewing. I thought about myself (typically an open book!) and still, I will only share certain pieces of my life with those that I feel most comfortable with. Knowing this, it is important for me to form a trusting relationship with my students so they feel like they can open up to me about the stories in their lives.
Getting the stories in their lives on paper, like Francis, Ezra, and Chol did is beneficial for many reasons. First, people write their stories to capture the memory so that it is locked in one’s mind as well as on paper. Second, stories can generate interest among a wider population, and on paper, it can reach a wider variety of sources. Also, one can speak to people outside of their culture, to others that might not have the same understanding but do have the desire to learn. These students explained how their parents told stories, but their teachers read the stories. As a teacher, I can contribute to spreading an understanding of different cultures if it is written down for me. I would love the opportunity to experience every culture first hand and bring it back to my students but let’s be realistic…on a teacher’s salary? ☺ Therefore, it is important for people like Ezra, Chol, and Francis to write their stories down so we can help share them.

-- Carrie Brown

Both Lamont Carey and the Perry article focused heavily on storytelling and its importance within our society and among different cultures. While both texts dealt with different groups of people, they both were intended to show how storytelling can be used to make us aware of situations that exist within our community and the world.

For Carey, telling “his story” enabled the audience to see the injustices done among many American children, regardless of race. For me, the most profound statement was when Carey explained that his inability to read, write, and spell (illiteracy) had teachers blaming other teachers, who then blamed the board of education, who then blamed parents, who finally blamed the kid. Illiteracy isn’t a child’s fault…it lies in the fact that our educational system along with the community and parents have not adequately partnered with the student to meet his or her needs. When we aren’t doing our jobs, we can’t even begin to recognize and provide interventions to help a child achieve and feel confidence and success within the academia, along with other areas of his/her life. By the end of Carey’s story, we have a child who was not only injured physically but emotionally and mentally when he felt that he no longer had anything to offer his family. Educators need to instill in students avenues to feel like they are making a difference for their families and home communities, and literacy is a major avenue for doing so.

The use of literacy to make a difference becomes evident when Perry explains how the orphaned Sudanese boys of her study began to transform storytelling, which is a form or genre of literacy, from its traditional purposes to more proactive means of making others aware of the situations that existed in their home communities. This was accomplished as they relayed their personal experiences in oral and written forms, therefore establishing the importance of giving a child the gift of expression through literacy where they can make sense of their personal experiences in order to establish their identities and convey meaning of themselves to the world. Perry’s article show that literacy practices take many different forms and change over time. Storytelling began as a means to pass down cultural histories and traditions as reading and writing only existed in formalized education, but eventually, its audience, purpose, and how they were told changed because the three male participants resettled in a foreign culture that didn’t share the same stories but was eager to hear their experiences in order to learn about the injustices occurring in Sudan so they could proactively participate in a fight for human rights (pg 338). Storytelling became a push for change that was also written down so that it won’t be forgotten. As the Sudanese orphans became displaced, written communication became necessary to keep in touch with surviving family members, making literacy important within their lives.

To adequately sum up both Carey and Perry, all storytellers recognized the need and importance for literacy and its various forms. Both believed, as Perry stated it best, that being literate equaled having access to power. Without literacy, other opportunities exist to achieve much wanted power and prestige, but they can easily be disrupted as made evident in the physical injury of Carey’s storyteller. Literacy seems to be the only rock-solid way of achieving success among society, especially in what many of our articles have referred to as a “white society.”

Melissa Riley

The story of the Lost Boys of Sudan is a compelling one and has been perserved because the refugees are willing to pass on their experiences through storytelling orally and in written forms. I think that all people groups have their ways of passing on traditions using storytelling. In the United States we have access to all kinds of media and access to stories in written and oral form and we pass down family traditions and stories in those forms. But these boys lost a connection with their elders (the storytellers) and mentors that will possibly never be recovered.

In Perry's discoveries, he discusses literacy practices among Sudanese Refugees. The refugees that he included were educated and passionate about disclosing the events from the civil war that tore them from their communities. Perry found that in the participants lives their literacy practices before leaving the Sudan included oral traditional type storytelling by elders, some written storytelling mostly in a religious forum as well as acting out storytelling. Since their arrival in the USA the literacy practices have included more transformed storytelling as they no longer have the elders but rely more on their memory and memory of their fellow refugees as to the acuracy of traditions. But the emergence of using storytelling for change and to tell their stories and to educate the public about the Lost Boys and the civil war has been and outcome for the refugees.

To me it is significant in allowing students I teach to write stories, poetry, and any other form of written expression to put down on paper their thoughts, feelings and desires. It is also important to me that we dictate stories children have because they don't write well but every single one of the have a story to tell. Added to the importance of a student begin given the opportunity to write they should be given opportunities to talk, discuss and participate in self-made skits to express themselves. While I beleive this is true for all students it would be especially important for refugees or ELL students.