I enjoyed reading this article. It was very straightforward...and I only had to pull out the dictionary once..."phenomenological interviewing". Took me a few minutes to wrap my brain around that one. However, I was struck by the fact that Native American's do not do as well as White students on performance tests, when there is clearly an abundance of literacy at home. And it also appeared, in the case of Daniel and Zonnie, that their families were committed to their education. I quickly discovered the reason for this, which I want to address later.
I was disappointed in Zonnie's parents. They are happy with C's and B's? WHY?! If they say they are committed to her education, shouldn't they be pushing her more? The same with Daniel's parent's...D's? Hello?! It seems to me that this wonderful father who teaches his children so much would jump in and do something about it. But again...I quickly realize the fault is not on the parents or the students.
It seemed that for Daniel's school experience, there were NO connections to his cultural background. Oh wait, there was that report from a Native American perspective. That seems lazy to me. I know that I dig deep to find things that can connect to my students' lives. And not just one assignment, it is something that I strive for DAILY. And the same goes for Zonnie's experience. Yes, she had teachers that she could bond with over poetry, but where was the connection to her personal life? How was this school making anything relevant for these students?
And now I come to my point. One teacher of Daniel's said that Daniel left school at school. He wasn't bringing school to his home. But isn't it true that the school wasn't bringing school to his home? A bridge is needed for these students. The school has to put forth an effort to pull the parents in and the parents should put forth an effort to pull the school in. What about a monthly attendance to a powwow...involving staff and students? I can't even begin to list the possible literacy activities that could come out of that. Even if the Native American students are only 5% of their school....it shouldn't matter. NO Child Left Behind, right? There should be a bridge, a nice, strong, clean, sturdy bridge between school and home.
-Sarah Feinman
PS. I recently purchased multiple copies of "I Love My Hair"- Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (Author), E.B. Lewis for my group of girls. I am waiting (somewhat) patiently for it to arrive. I will keep every updated about the discussions this brings about. Can anyone recommend any other books? 1st-2nd grade level? I could even do a read aloud with them...
Comments (7)
Preach on Sister! We all bust our butts to make school relevant for our students and it seemed like these teachers didn't even care! Also, the bullying and harassment Daniel was receiving outraged me! I thought principals and teachers were suppose to encourage tolearance and understanding. It made me wonder if this school was on a different planet. I agree that the gap needs to be bridged and I made some suggestions about how that could happen in my comment. Oh, I do have a good book for you. It is called "Henry's Freedom Box" and is about a slave who mailed himself to freedom. It is a true story. My counselor is currently borrowing it so I don't have the author but it is amazing. Also, "number the stars" by Lois Loury is a very powerful book. It really moved me in the third grade and focuses around Nazi Germany. Hope these help.
Posted by Whitney Gilbert | February 27, 2009 11:19 PM
Posted on February 27, 2009 23:19
Sarah,
You and I had similar thoughts about students leaving school at school. I appreciate your mentioning the need for the school to take a more active role in bridging the gap. I have often wondered how credible "school" seems to parents when we constantly accuse them of failing to support their child's learning when we gauge that simply by the level of the parental activity at school-sponsored events. Perhaps we should look more to supporting parents in what they are already doing to promote their children's success and multiple literacies. Yes, the bridge needs to be built and we should not expect parents to build it alone.
Posted by Lisa Rasey | February 28, 2009 11:17 AM
Posted on February 28, 2009 11:17
Sarah,
I absolutely agree with the need to bridge the gap between home and school. There was such a huge expanse between these two children and their experiences in each environment. They had almost dual lives at such a young age.
Your post made me think in another way as well. This may be heresy as an educator, but I kind think it is okay to bring home average grades. I do not think failing grades is appropriate, because there are strategies and interventions waiting to be implemented in those situations, but I think C's are fine. I grew up in a home where my grades were never stressed. I always was an above average student, but my parents never stressed success at school as the measuring stick for success in life. I think there is some truth there. Now, I work at a school, private, that emphasizes the academics and college preparation. Yet, when the academics are heavily stressed does that blot out the other strengths a child may have but don't have the time to develop, like Daniel's music? While I want my students to succeed, is it correct to push the A?
Posted by stefoni shaw | March 1, 2009 8:59 PM
Posted on March 1, 2009 20:59
Beautiful analogy with the bridge! Yes, Daniel left school at home because school wasn't bringing his home in. Great point. And your point before that also ties in to the same issue. Daniel was lazy, according to his teachers. Well, like you stated, some of the assignments they came up with to "help" him were also lazy. It seemed that the school was "lazy" in trying to come up with ways to connect with the Native American population. I agree that it shouldn't matter if there is a 50% minority population or a .001% population--schools should be ACTIVE in trying to reach out to those students.
Posted by Christy Rivers | March 2, 2009 9:58 AM
Posted on March 2, 2009 09:58
I also think that a student is most successful when their is a "bridge" between school and home. I mean, common sense tells you that if a kid knows that you stay in contact with their parents, they will behave better. At my school, their has been talk of having parent education night twice a month. Basically, the school will offer "courses" (free of charge) for parents that include computer skills, literacy, homework help (for their kids), and parenting (to name a few). While the parents are being educated, their kids are being tutored/helped with homework. I think that if schools would make this kind of effort to connect with parents, their kids would perform better.
Posted by Heather Coe | March 2, 2009 7:09 PM
Posted on March 2, 2009 19:09
Sarah,
You rock! I was thinking the same thing about Daniel's and Zonnie's parents as it related to grade satisfaction. Then it occurred to me that they proobably didn't feel a connection with school either. Although this article was not about parent-school relations, I can only imagine that not much was done to include their parents in the school climate, seeing as how the teachers didn't do as much for Daniel and Zonnie. You are so right that a bridge needs to be built. Why is it that we (teachers) have been saying this forever? When are the people in charge going to listen? As I long in and blog each week, it seems that we know how to solve the problems in education.
Posted by Cherrita Hayden-McMillan | March 2, 2009 9:46 PM
Posted on March 2, 2009 21:46
Sarah,
I was curious about Daniel's and Zonnie's parents too. I always try to remember, though, that Native Americans (and other minorities) don't have as much social and cultural capital when it comes to schools. Perhaps their own prior (negative?) experiences with school kept them from engaging at a certain level. We just don't always have the immediate insight into parents' interpretation of success in school.
Posted by Alecia Jackson | March 17, 2009 1:32 PM
Posted on March 17, 2009 13:32