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

Wow, this was a difficult reading. I struggled with it. Thanks for the podcast though, I believe it helped. The excerpt of Jake and Leeann was not surprising to me, I have evidenced such things for myself. However I was blown away by the discourse of Sean and Terry. I can't imagine preschoolers talking/behaving in that way. I am a southern lady as Dr. Jackson said and have not been exposed to preschoolers being that vulgar. What was even more shocking was the teachers lack of response.
I highlighted the quote on page 33, "We have small lives, easily lost in foreign droughts or famines." I can totally relate to this quote, I often feel that my own life or things that I have done are meaningless in the big picture. However as the text alluded to is there anything so small that it doesn't make a difference, to someone or somewhere?
The text also made me think about the way I think about literacy. I must admit that Hicks points out things that I had not thought about that so much of literacy is social and cultural. I think I knew the two were related just not the extent that the author suggests. I also like the idea of shifting. I don't always think of things shifting but everything shifts. Everytime I read another article my ideas and views are shifted.
Again I thought this was a difficult text but it certainly makes me think.
SuSu Watson