RE_5539

Dawn,

If I remember correctly Maya spoke Standard English. It was her physical appearance that separated her from her peers. Her mother said that Maya came home and wanted plastic surgery to reduce her lips. I do not know how it would feel as a child to go to a school where the dominate race was not your own. I have never had this experience. It seems like it would be difficult and apparently it did become so for Maya. The closest experience I have had to this was when I was in Japan for a year, but this does not compare as I was an adult and I had a group of Americans to turn to when I needed to.

I agree, I too thought the cosmetology lesson was a wonderful way to tap into kids interests. Carter Forshay had the same idea when he used music as a medium to help students realize that they can write and that writing can be fun. Both of these ideas take the students interest into account and expand it to make a fun yet challenging lesson.

I too found Lisa Delpit’s ideas about talking and language in the classroom interesting. I agree that there might be some schools that only use worksheets and do not allow students to talk amongst each other and form ideas together but I personally don’t know of many like that. All but one of the classrooms I have ever co-taught in have been very engaging and open to the students speaking and working together. The classroom that was not like this was with the teacher I was talking about in a different comment that told one of her students he should probably quit and go get his GED because he wasn’t going to pass her class. The class was all teacher talk, the students were not allowed to even answer questions unless she called on them, and if they answered out of turn they were in trouble. And do you know what punishment they received if they got in trouble? They received extra grammar worksheets to complete. So not only did they have to do their work but as a punishment they got to do extra work of the same thing they usually do. Now I am not a psychologist but doesn’t it make sense that what she did would just condition the student to hate to do the work in the first place? Crazy, I know.

Dawn,
I too teach Kindergarten. Kindergarten classrooms must have student talk. I liked your idea of Turn and Talk. I wonder exactly what you do with that. I wonder about authors and activists who make broad opinionated comments on teachers not doing this or doing this wrong. I upsets me quite a bit. I don't put worksheets in front of my students every day. I know teachers who rely on them more heavily. Kindergarten is a social grade I think you would agree. It takes talking, listening, questioning, and open disucussions to teach effectively. I feel very lucky to have a grade level where teachers can take such a creative approach to instruction and leave the worksheets to a minimum.
Renee Pagoota

Dawn,
It is disheartening to think that Maya experienced emotional or social alienation due to her appearance. She actually shared much in common with her fellow students at the predominately white school; they all lived in homes where education was valued and where the "home" language was standard English. The issue for Maya must have been appearance. How sad. In order to be accepted at her new school, did she have to adopt a different intimate language? Is language the only issue here? I raise these questions because I fear that we, as a society, still place an unhealthy emphasis upon appearance and it seemed to me that Maya's disappointing experience at the "white" school supports that thought. That is another discussion but it underpins the discussion of language because it may influence classroom interaction. Do my students "hear" my SE and think that I am "different" or do they look at me as a white person and see the pigmentation difference? I hope that we all (my students and I)have found common ground this year. Sharing language, sharing ideas, sharing concerns, all have contributed to
a more open and accepting classroom environment but my questions remained unanswered. I am the minority at my school and, despite my best intentions, I am acutely aware that I am perceived as somewhat "different" (probably more by other adults than by my students). Being the minority has allowed me to begin to appreciate what Maya must have felt.
Betsy Baldwin

Heather Holland

Dawn:

Thinking about your comments about SE, Ebonics, Southern Slang, etc…I agree with some points. Ain’t, ain’t a word… was always what I was told (laughing…heehee). I do believe that SE can be picked up if there is repetition and if the children value it. However, somehow, we must convey importance of SE to our students. I don’t think the point is to say that Ebonics and Southern Slang is an actual language. The emphasis is more on valuing the child with the accent or different language style. Once a child feels significant and accepted, then he/she is willing to learn with an open mind toward others. Without facilitating an accepting environment, children are indirectly taught to value only what languages they are exposed to. I do think people can code switch, however, it is challenging. For example, my mother always told my sister and me that if we had poor manners at the dinner table at home, then we would inadvertently show these manners in public settings. She was right. I often slip and talk with food in my mouth in public places, and sometimes do other uncouth things. My point is: if we want children to use Standard English in their writing, we should use it in the classroom as much as possible so that it becomes habit in their writing. Children definitely write how they talk. I would not want any of my students writing double negatives on their fourth grade writing test.

Heather Holland