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

Brittany,
You were lucky to have such a rich literacy experience growing up. I don't think the text matters so much, as long as you are reading, thinking and interacting. I feel for our kids who don't come to school with any reading experience. They suffer in so many ways. They lack basic book and print awareness, vocabulary and general world knowledge. They are at such a disadvantage to their "literate" peers and it takes years to catch up.

I think we all take for granted what we have now or what we had in the past. It’s easy to forget where we came from in the crazy fast paced activities of every day. I think the most important thing that I got from the reading and from your post is that we have to take advantage of the moments that are provided to reflect on the past that shaped who we are as people, teachers and readers. With that reflection on ourselves, we then have to think about our students and try to understand the stories that they bring with them to our classroom. They will all be different and with that comes differences in being able to read as well as everyone else, or comprehend a story as well as everyone else. I always think about the prompt of one of our quarter tests sometime ago – it’s been years. The prompt asked the students to write about a family vacation. At first, I thought it was an easy prompt. The kids should like to write about a vacation, but then I thought some more and realized that not every child would have a family vacation to write about. Another teacher mentioned that then they could just make it up – but what if they didn’t have any background to help them make it up? Imagination is great but it takes some experience whether in life, through books, through movies, etc. to build that experience. I think that asking the questions you shared at the end of your prompt is the best way to be sure we are thinking about our students and how their experiences impact their literacy learning and development.

Brittany,
I am not from the south. Listening to the podcast, I had a really hard time connecting to what was meant by Southern Woomanhood. I have been thinking about it a lot since. Both my roommates are from here. I tried to think about how they try to identify themselves. And the "good girl" mentally couldn't be more true. I wonder if this is why I could never fit in when I first moved here. I was culturally confused. Many people also felt intimated by me. Now the idea of southern womanhood is more clear to me, as I listen and observe people.

I recently heard a comment from a male upon seeing my truck, "Girls aren't supposed to drive trucks." All I could do was laugh. I don't see myself driving anything else!

Since I, too, am a preacher's kid I certainly relate to how your literacy developed through interacting with the Bible. When you think about it, the Bible isn't the easiest text for an emergent reader--especially the old King James version. It reminds me that while a text may not be the appropriate level for a child, it is the commitment of the parent or caregiver as a literacy guide that can make all the difference. I have often heard people contribute the Puritans' success in educating their children to the use of the Bible as their primary text. Mostlikely, the success of Puritans can be attributed to their deep commitment to building a literate society and the responsibility families took for the education of their children. Although I am not advocating a return to Puritanism, I wonder how different America would be if we as a society were committed to creating a society of literacy for all.

Something that I have also noticed while teaching in the Bible belt is the children's general knowledge of Biblical stories and information. I get the luxury of teaching world religions, so I get this first-hand. By the time kids get to 7th grade, most of them have mastered many parts of Christian literature. They know about Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, Jonah and the Whale, Mary and Joseph, the life and death of Jesus, and, sometimes, even more specific stories such as the Prodigal's son or those of King David. However, if you ask them to name five African countries or to explain what the Civil War was about, 90 percent of them can't do it. I am not saying that parents stop teaching their children about religion, but I think that they should spend equal time showing them the importance of litearcy and knowledge.

What a wonderful job your father did of differating instruction. He knew without being told what makes a good teacher. He knew this because the subject matter was important to him and your family and he wanted to be sure that all in your family could comprehend. He also knew that more than just literacy skills were at stake here.

Brittany,
I think that your entry is very interesting. I can't say that I can relate to it, as I grew up Lutheran and had never attended a bible study until I moved up here to Burke County, but I think it was good how your father integrated your bible lessons and literacy and comprehension. My father was the first one to work with me as well, and he did it in his comfort zone of the grocery store. I think that it is great that we both started our literary careers with our fathers in their comfort zones.

I'm glad this chapter gave you the opportunity to reflect on your literacy history. I've talked with many people who have never realized how such day-to-day activity (or larger discourses) have shaped something like literacy, that seems disconnected. I agree that this type of personal reflection can enhance our professional practices.