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

Amy-
I think your experiences growing up provide you with background knowledge to help your students. I read easily and was surrounded by books, so I often have to take a step back to realize not everyone learns as I did. I believe you give thoughtful attention and care to those students who desire to read but are slow to begin the journey. Your histories allow you that insight. That is the wonderment of this world. We have experienced working class upbringings, upper class upbringings, broken relationships, learning difficulties, etc.... Then we take these personal histories and can apply them to impact the generations that come after us. We serve as agents of knowledge to change and make a difference to those around us. That is what Hicks is attempting to do I think. It sounds as though you are doing the same.

I know that Hicks was trying to give us background for working class girlhoods. But the themes were much more powerful. I could relate to this chapter, and I am not from the south and I am not from a working class family.

I enjoyed reading your post and getting to know you more.

I think as a researcher and a tutor Hicks had to monitor herself throughout the process. I bet that as we work more through the book, we'll see her making an effort to show the reader how she remained objective and possibly how she accounted for her close relationship with Laurie. In research like this I almost want to think that the relationship makes the research. If Hicks hadn't worked with Laurie as a tutor, they would have been more distant and less opportunities for connections between one another would have taken place. However, I think that their relationship in this research was essential because Hicks is sharing her history in comparison to Laurie's history - I'm just thinking here! Hopefully as we keep reading my ideas will clear up much more and become more coherent!!

Your struggling students are very fortunate to have you as a teacher. Knowing first-hand about the issues impeding reading is a great way to connect with those students who may seem uninterested in reading. While you may not be able to save them all (a mantra I have to remind myself of daily) you are planting something into each child by the attitude you bring to your classroom. That effect you have on students may not be evident at first, but like you mentioned about Laurie's tutoring, you never know what may happen down the road.

Amy,
I thought the exact thing about the effect of her connection and relationship with Laurie has on her research. Like you, I think it is an important detail to take into account. In my post last week, I made a comment about their relationship affecting her research and I finished the post with the idea that everything we do has an affect on the people around us. But similar to you again, I can't help to wonder what Laurie would be like in middle school and high school with or without the relationship she has with Hicks.

Do you remember my fist (and last) year teaching with you? We had so many students, regardless of race, that were just so disconnected to education and learning. They had so many bigger issues than caring about whether b says /b/ or not. Somehow we got a few of our students to acutally care. We showed them that their education could led to success and that many time success breeds more success. I don't know how we could reach all students in that way, I suppose if I knew I could quit teaching and enjoy the millions that I would make from selling my product :).

I really like your last point, Amy. It is important to always think about the relationship between the researcher and the "researched." You've made a good prediction here at the beginning of the text regarding how this relationship will play out. I hope you'll come back to this idea in a later post and reflect further on it, once we read more and Laurie and Hicks. :)