This was quite a challenging text. I felt like I was trudging through mud both times I read it!
There are three stars I made in the text while reading. First, on page 20, Hicks talks about ways of knowing and becoming that affect schooling. I was struck by the statement that it is not only contact with books and stories that are important for a preschooler. All the other things the child learns, and the WAY she learns, will affect her ability to engage with the culture of school. This is deep. If we recognize that there is a culture of poverty that does not mesh with the culture of school, what steps can we take? (The culture of the rich doesn't mesh either, but they have the means to search for options to public school.)
On page 22 Hicks reiterates that all learning involves some sort of relationship and attachment to another. I suppose she is going further to break down the myth of the autonomous learner. Finally, on page 31 I marked the quotation from Comber. Critical literacy asks the question, who is getting the shaft here and who has the power? Reading texts is "always politically infused," Hicks writes. I feel this so strongly when I read to my daughter. All the fairy tales she loves involve a princess dreaming about a prince. Her end goal is to get married. I hate reading these books because I don't want my daughter to believe this is the way life is. I even talk to her about the fact that these stories are made-up and are not like real life. If I use the tales to educate her, is that better than refusing to read them to her?
When I read from her child's Bible story book, we notice that all the people are white. The people in the middle east are not pasty white, by the way. We talk about how people are all colors and how nice it is to see pictures of all of us. I hope that in these small ways I can let her love the stories while always practicing "emancipatory literacy education."
Ashley Catlett
Comments (2)
Ashley,
Your question, "This is deep. If we recognize that there is a culture of poverty that does not mesh with the culture of school, what steps can we take?" cuts to the heart of my post! You got to the point so much clearer and quicker than I did!
Posted by Sarah Feinman | March 26, 2009 7:43 PM
Posted on March 26, 2009 19:43
I never really thought about the fairy tales and how they influence little ones ( I guess because I have a boy). However once I thought about it, their way of portraying females is bothersome. I think the way you address it with your daughter is perfect. There is no way to keep little girls away from loving princesses, however using the fairy tales to educate them is the beginning steps to teaching our girls to question what they read and not to believe everything that is in print.
Posted by Amy Spade | March 31, 2009 9:53 PM
Posted on March 31, 2009 21:53