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

This chapter was one that could have been extracted from my classroom in many ways. I have a young man this year named Jake. He could be the fraternal twin of our Jake in Reading Lives. They are not identical twins because details of their stories are different. My Jake lives in opulence with a father that is a doctor and a mother who is a college guidance counselor at our school. However, this year has been spent building a bridge between the crevasse between his home life and his school life. Jake is severly dyslexic and began this year reading at the preprimer level in second grade. At home, his strengths as an athlete, a creative thinker, and a problem solver have been strengthened and celebrated. Hicks writes,"The stories voiced about us, by those whom we most love and value, shape our identities in ways more powerful than even the most authoritative institutional systems of social regulation." Jake began the year wondering if the stories he held in his mind about his worth would be welcomed in our classroom. Would his new teacher see the possibilities that existed or only the limitations exposed when text and other written work was revealed? These were difficult roads to travel this year. As with our Jake in the chapter, the stakes were becoming higher each year. As we approach the end of second grade, I am amazed at the progress we have seen this year. I began the year meeting regularly with his mom in attempts to close the gap between home and school. We worked together with another teacher to design a reading program for Jake that would provide a solid foundation for his reading successes. HIs mother's stories about how Jake learns best at home was the crux for our instructional practices. His mother's input is invaluable to me in how I can best educate her son. When Jake realized the care we had for him and the communal desire to experience success he soared. He began this year dictating his entries for his writing journal. Now, he does not want any help when he composes a new entry. And his thoughts are amazing. I have never seen an eight year old with such an incredible auditory memory. He literally remembers everything you say. He then uses my messages to connect with the messages and stories from home. We are finishing second grade and Jake is moving right along with his reading. I need to assess soon with another IRI, but the leap will be dramatic. There is a long road still to travel, yet the cooperation with his mom is the key. I could not have manuevered through this year without her insight and wisdom.
This is the part missing from Jake's life in Reading Lives. He operated in two different worlds. Absent was the integration of his home life into his school life. The insights of the parents were untapped. The results were disengagement, disinterest, and disappointment. This could have very easily happened in my own classroom. It was difficult at times to appreciate all my Jake's mother offered. I had to let go of believing I knew it all and grow in my listening to the wisdom of a mother. I have had to bend and adapt the ways I present my lessons to best meet the needs of Jake and others in my classroom that learn differently. Parents are a great asset, they are the table of contents for the stories in their children's lives. When we allow them the room to speak to us about the stories from home and how they can impact the classroom atmosphere, we take the road less traveled. We become both learner and educator. It is the road that makes all the difference.