What struck me the most about this article was the abundance of reading materials in Danielle's and Zonnie's house, their interested parents, and their interest in writing, yet they still struggled in school. How many children in my class actually like to read and write, but the work they produce or their test scores do not reflect this?
What I took from this article is that Danielle and Zonnie do not have a sense of belonging at their school. This is key to understanding their attitude towards school. Although they liked to read and liked to write, only Zonnie was appreciated for her poetry writing. I had to take a step back when Danielle's (student) teacher kept passing over his Halloween story. He was so proud of his story and it wasn't appreciated. I wonder how many of my students have felt devalued because I did not read their story. I am not sure why his teacher did not read his story, maybe mispellings, maybe it was sloppy, or maybe she didn't value him as a "real" writer. What I am sure of is that this incident will stay with him for a long time. This is why I love writer's workshop. Every child gets to share what they are working on every week. Danielle wold have been able to share his "masterpiece" and would've perhaps felt like he was an important member of his class.
This two Native American children did not have a voice in their school environment, which is the theme in all of the articles that we have read. As an educator I can see how minority children feel that school is not a place intended for them. I understand the disconnection and the lack of motivation. Why do something that you are not connected to? Children are not like (most) adults, they don't live for the future, they live for the right now. And right now, for many minority children, is going to a school where they don't have a place. We (educators) have to find ways to include all students before we can even begin to look at improving grades/test scores. When all children are brought into the learning experience they will and can achieve.
Cherrita Hayden-McMillan
Comments (7)
I agree, students need to have a sense of belonging and feel that they have a voice. I think that most teachers work hard to create such an environment for their students. Like Daniel's teacher did, we give students some choice in topics and responses. I know we look for resources that reflect our students interests and backgrounds. And thankfully it is becoming easier to find a variety of materials. I think at some point, there is only so much we can do. Students need to take some responsibility for their learning too.
Posted by Jayne Thompson | March 1, 2009 2:08 PM
Posted on March 1, 2009 14:08
I agree with your idea of voice. I perhaps might have said ownership. Daniel and Zonnie did not feel ownership at school but felt more like outcasts. If somehow they could have felt ownership in the classroom communtiy they would have been happier and perhaps more productive. As I reread what I just wrote I did't mean to imply that they were not successful individuals but rather weren't successful in the classroom compared to their peers. In a poetry or horror writing class Zonnie and Daniel would have been able to take ownership and succeed.
Posted by SuSu Watson | March 1, 2009 3:47 PM
Posted on March 1, 2009 15:47
Your statement that adults live for the future and kids live for right now is something we all need to keep in mind. I think so often we think kids should care more about their future, and maybe they should. However, if we lived in their shoes would we? Even a child that is not a minority lives for the right now. We need to make what we are teaching important in the present that way are students will want to learn what we are teaching.
Amy Spade
Posted by Amy Spade | March 1, 2009 8:22 PM
Posted on March 1, 2009 20:22
Cheritta,
I had the same reaction as you did to Daniel's teacher skipping over him. Your ideas of the possible reasons why were a bit different than mine. I thought mainly about the possibility of the teacher not giving him enough credit of being capable of writing something that was "worthy" of being read to the class. But I think the ideas that you mentioned about the grammar and spelling correlate with that idea. The thing that bothered me the most was that he wrote four pages, and that information was presented in a way that made me think he didn't write that much very often, and I can't understand why any student's increase in quantity/quality would go unnoticed.
Posted by Elizabeth Griffin | March 2, 2009 4:48 PM
Posted on March 2, 2009 16:48
Cheritta,
I also questioned how many of my students were not performing as well as they could. I have one student who continues to perform very well, but takes no interest TDR, read alouds, guided reading, writing, and SSR. I am puzzled by him. Reading must come naturally to him, but he has no interest in it. I guess I have the reverse problem with him. I am going to pick up a few graphic novels for him to try. Maybe that will peak his interest.
Posted by Sarah Feinman | March 2, 2009 6:40 PM
Posted on March 2, 2009 18:40
This article also made me think about all of the kids that I could have possibly "passed over" without realizing it. If a child really appreciates you and your classroom, (most of the time) he or she will work hard to impress you. Often, teachers get too caught up in day-to-day activities and miss out on that one child who is trying their best to get the teacher's attention. I am going to try my best to pay attention to each child and their individual talents from this point forward.
Posted by Heather Coe | March 2, 2009 6:52 PM
Posted on March 2, 2009 18:52
Cherrita,
The ideas of voice and recognition are incredibly important. I think it's crucial to be heard and **recognized** (for talents) in any social and institutional structure that we inhabit! And literacy can be a path to that.
Great post!
Posted by Alecia Jackson | March 18, 2009 8:44 PM
Posted on March 18, 2009 20:44