RES 5530: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Spring 2009)

I enjoy the articles we have been reading. While I enjoy the research aspect, it is the application into my own classroom that keeps me reading. So, Henry's article of course, focuses my attention on VOICE. Beverly McElroy-Johnson eloquently explained in this article, "Voice is identity, a sense of self, a sense of relationship to others, and a sense of purpose. Voice is power, power to express connections, power to direct and shape an individual life towards a productive and positive fulfillment for self, family, community, nation, and the world." Once again, I am struck by a quote. When have I felt powerless, fearful, or anxious? I felt those differing emotions when I was not in a place where I could voice my thoughts, feelings, or opinions. The release would have been the ability for me to communicate all that was stuffed within either through verbal words or words written on a page. My next thought is the context of a classroom. Am I creating an environment where sharing one's voice is allowed, encouraged, and accepted? Are foundations being laid right now in our early grades enabling children to express all that is within them, or do we neglect the "messy" because of a lack of time. There is a schedule to keep, test scores to raise, there simply isn't time to develop voice in our work today. May I never buy into that attitude where the option of remaining silent becomes the norm. May I constantly find pockets of time where I do not know all the answers my students ask, but by golly, they are inquiring and sharing from the deepest parts of themselves. Comfort is apparent and they feel empowered to ask anything, there is no question too little or too big. What space do our students occupy in our rooms? Is it just a physical presence centered around their desk, chair, and personal belongings. Or is it a presence that may not necessarily operate in the physical realm, yet holds a place in the construction of the atmosphere of the classroom. When a child feels secure and accepted, there is no stopping them. As I read the quote from McElroy-Johnson I made a note in my margin , "when voice is apparent in a classroom, it is inserting color into an otherwise black and white picture." Voice is the allowance of individuality. It is the statement to a student which acknowledges their background, their language, their worth. May I continue to commit my community of learners to conversations in which we learn more about ourselves, each other, and the world around us because of the twists and turns our conversations take. While our article referenced, The Diary, I will again reference a book we read this week. We are finishing our author study of Patricia Polacco, and took several days to digest The Butterfly. Last week , our story took on the topic of racism. This week, we explored a different kind of oppression, life under Nazi rule. We had to break this book into several days because of our discussion. There were so many questions, so many thoughts. WOW, their minds brought tears to my eyes. We were attempting to "read the world". How sad it would have been if after each page I read, I look up into the blank faces of my students who had been conditioned to be seen yet not heard. Thankfully, rich dialogue and questions beyond my own years were offered and we closed the back cover still formulating an understanding of life during this dark time. The atmosphere of our room was full of the echo from our voices, hopefully left to linger and reverberate when we enter back in Monday morning.

Disclaimer: While I revel in the discussions our literature takes us to, I am just hungry to learn more. I question myself everyday and these articles help direct my self questioning and focus. I hope I never come across as preachy. I am just in awe of the blooming that occurs when a child is given the opportunity. Just like us; I think each of us is blooming as we explore topics we perhaps have not marinated on. I learn so much from your blog posts.
Stefoni Shaw