Like several other readings this semester, the chapters by Dr. Hicks suggests that literacy is a word that encompasses several meanings. She suggests that it not only represents the psychological aspect of learning to read, but also takes into account a person’s socioeconomic background and surroundings. First of all, I completely agree that socioeconomics plays a crucial role in a child’s level of literacy. A kid that comes from a middle class background will most likely be surrounded by books and educated people. He will not only begin “prereading” before he enters school, but he will have a large knowledge base on which to build--a knowledge about society and the world around him. It will be much easier for this child to make the transition into school. On the other hand, a child who comes from a working class family will most likely not be exposed to the world of “middle class literacy;” therefore, when he enters the classroom for the first time, the transition will be a more difficult one.
By the time these children reach me in Middle School, they have become adept at this transition from home life to school life, and “code switching.” What I see, however, is that often these kids are resistant to that change. Like Dr. Jackson mentioned in the pod cast, these working class children may have more power at home, and therefore, do not want to transition to the school environment where they feel threatened. This reminds me of one our earlier readings that discussed how some African American students feel the need to “act black.” Often, kids from low socioeconomic status do not want to abandon their peer group (the group that they fit in with). Therefore, they may act like they don’t care or resist positive behavior in school. Similar to what Heath stated, I have also experienced some “conflict” with these children when it comes to activities where they have to use prior experiences. My middle class children have traveled and experienced numerous things, whereas my poorer kids have not had the same opportunities. This is most evident in writing assignments and discussion.
Personally, I can relate to Dr. Jackson’s discourse example in the pod cast. I didn’t realize exactly how many codes that I had internalized until I went to college. Immediately, my basic way of talking began to change. Now that all of my sisters have either graduated, or are in college, we often have academic conversations. Lots of times, family members (who are not college educated) will get lost in our conversation. Sometimes, I feel that in order to preserve their feelings, we should talk more at their level of understanding. It is not that they are ignorant, but my sisters and I are using a different discourse. As difficult as this is for me, I can only imagine how arduous it is for my students.
Heather Coe