Language is very personal and a part of who we are. For this reason we do have to be careful with how we correct a child. I do think children need to learn SE, but feel we need to be careful not to make the child feel incompetent or inferior in any way. They need to know that the teachers do respect them and care about who they are and where they came from.
I found it very interesting that Maya was able to pick up on a new language so quickly. Children who learn to "code switch" certainly do have an advantage since they still fit in with their peers, but can also speak SE which I do feel is important. So why is it that Maya can switch so easily, but it is difficult to teach SE to the children we teach? Are we listening to our children to know who they are and what they like? Do we know enough about their culture? I find myself reading more about different cultures so that I can become a better teacher who truely does identify with the background of a child in order to teach them. We do need to identify with the people who speak the language since we all learn more when we are enjoying what we are doing. I loved how the author taped into the student's interest to motivate them to learn. The students were into hair and makeup so they did activities with lotion and hair the involved science, math, reading, and writing. As an educator, I do try to develop activities that are enjoyable for my students and agree that students are more readily to learn the standard dialect if they are comfortable in the setting they are learning in.
In the chapter on Trilingualism, I found it very interesting how the students were motivated to want to learn the three forms of English. I like the way she began by building upon a firm respect for each student's home language and then concentrated on how different forms of English are appropriate in different contexts. By asking groups of students to present the class with a good, complete description of how their members usually speak at home and with friends, she learned a great deal about them and they in turn learned something about themselves. If students are not fearful of being manipulated or disrespected, they can become engaged in the study of their own language competence. I think many of our students don't speak out for fear of being hurt or laughed at. My husband was telling me about a girl in his class that stopped speaking out in class after the class laughed at her southern dialect. Also I have an Asian student in my classroom who doesn't speak up in the group. His mom told me that he recognizes that his speech is different from others and he is afraid to speak out. These examples just show how important it is to be certain that children are not criticized for their language.
Shannon's refusal to write, "I ain't writin' nuttin'.", reminded me of a student in my room today who refused to read to his fourth grade reading buddy. My Kindergarten students have teamed up with a fourth grade class who come to our room and read to my students. The Kindergarteners in turn pick a book to read to the fourth graders. One fourth grader came up to me and told me that Jacob, who is reading on a level four and a good kid, refused to read his book to his buddy. I immediately asked the fourth grader if the book Jacob was trying to read was leveled 1-2 or 3-4. I then looked up and saw that Jacob was looking at a library book of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. When I saw the book Jacob had in his hand, I knew why he refused to read the book to his buddy. I showed Jacob's buddy where to find level 1-2 and 3-4 books and instructed him to have Jacob read from those tubs of books. This of course fixed the problem his buddy was having with getting Jacob to read. I personally would have never told Shannon "That's okay. Maybe you'll feel like writing tomorrow." I demand success from all of my students. I agree with the author in that the teacher had given Shannon "permission to fail." The teacher should have investigated as I did with Jacob's refusal to read why she was refusing to write. It seems to me Shannon does feel out of place with the group she had been assigned to work with and needs a different setting to help her build her own confidence in writing. Shannon was placed in a group setting that detached her from her home culture, therefore it affected her ability to write. I wonder just like the author how many teachers permit children to fail because they don't feel like fighting with the child, don't know how to solve the problem, or just doesn't care? I would hope that if there are teachers like this they retire soon or find a new profession.
I was very impressed with the way Carter Forshay cared about his students and found a way to get them writing through their interest in music. A caring teacher doesn't let students off the hook, but instead works hard to find motivational ways to get their students hooked.
Linda Younts
Comments (5)
Linda,
I agree. I find it interesting that students can switch so easily between the languages. It would be great if a workshop was available to help teachers learn to teach these children SE and have them retain the information.
I think investigating what was wrong with Jacob was the right thing to do. He obviously needed a book on his level and the problem was fixed. I feel all students should be challenged on their level and not given the opportunity to choose when they will learn when a teacher gives an assignment. I believe in choice, but giving too much choice will lead to negative behaviors being permitted and encouraged.
Beth Rigsbee
Posted by Beth Rigsbee | May 30, 2007 3:46 PM
Posted on May 30, 2007 15:46
Linda,
You brought out so many excellent points in your post. It's so sad to think that students don't speak out because of their language. It is so important that we respect these children. I know that even as an adult if I think someone will laugh or make fun of what I say either because of language dialect or being incorrect about something then I don't want to speak either. When I was learning Spanish in college, I was trying to speak to my sister. She was laughing because it sounded funny with my Southern dialect. My dialect and Spanish didn't go well together. After that, I really didn't want to speak Spanish anymore. I guess I can relate somewhat to how our children feel with language.
I liked how you investigated the book buddy situation. When we investigate, a lot of times problems can be solved and worked out.
Posted by Dawn Thomas | May 30, 2007 9:31 PM
Posted on May 30, 2007 21:31
Linda, you are absolute right that we have to be careful on how we correct children. Our tone and facial expressions say a whole lot more than what our mouth sometimes say. It is not a child’s fault that they developed certain habits or speak a certain way even if it is wrong. I think people seem to forget that they are products of their families and environments. Not that this is bad, but why do we sometimes act like they can change something overnight and we as adults take years to undo bad habits we have picked up.
It is good that in your classroom you try to do activities that all students enjoy and read up on cultures. Unfortunately, not everyone share that same desire to learn about others or what they enjoy. Teachers sometimes have the idea that this is my classroom and it is my way or the highway. It’s sad, but true. I think more and more teachers are open to other people’s views and try to find ways to connect to the students. When children do feel that are part of the class they will work harder to learn and do what is asked of them in turn they will be more willing to learn Standard English. I think we can find interesting ways to teach Standard English as Baker did in her chapter of the book. I enjoyed reading that section and seeing how she got the students involved in their own learning and language development. It is sad when children do not want to communicate in class because they are picked on because of the dialect or language deficits. I think we as teachers need to make sure that we do not contribute to this as well.
I agree with your response to student name Shannon in the book. We have to make sure that when students are asked to share or read that they are comfortable with whom they are paired with and try to find the root of the problem. Sometimes it just stems from a child feeling embarrassed or out of place in a group and not that they are lazy or unmotivated. I have to say I have a teacher in my school and he does not think to investigate the problem. He begins to yell and argue without understanding why a child is not working or sharing with the group and it is very disheartening. Sometimes I tried to exclaim that the child cannot communicate as well as the others or they do not understand, but then it is too late and the damage is done.
Posted by Danielle Griffin | May 30, 2007 10:59 PM
Posted on May 30, 2007 22:59
You made some very interesting observations on these chapters. I agree with you that we as educators need to learn more about our students and especially to find out why they don't communicate in class. I think it is wonderful that you are concerned enough to read about the different cultures and try to learn more about them.You inspire me to learn more as well. Someone told me recently that the reason Hispanic children do not look at you when you talk to them may have something to do with your eye color. They are mistrusting of people with light colored eyes. I am curious now to find out if this is true. Have you ever hear or read anything about that?
Posted by Sara Joyce | May 31, 2007 9:29 AM
Posted on May 31, 2007 09:29
Linda,
It is so true the comment you made about students being afraid to speak out because of their language. I can really relate with my Filiphino student I have in my class. There are times when I am reluctant in speaking in front of my colleagues and peers. At the beginning of the year, this student would not talk, speak or write. When we had our daily and quarterly writings, the paper would come back with only his name on it. Yesterday, we had our quarterly writing test and he wrote his story on the front and back of the paper. I was so elated that I felt the same way Julie Roberts felt in the movie, "Pretty Woman" when she went to the opera with Richard Gere. Julia enjoyed the opera so much that she wanted to pee in her pants. Well, I was so thrilled that my student finally felt free to write that I almost did the same:-).
Today, we wrote again about our summer vacation and he wanted to share. I am happy he felt comfortable enough to share his story with the class.
This is why I will never give up on my students and accept them as they are. You never know when you will make that difference in their life. Little accomplishments like this, makes teaching worthwhile.
Posted by Shirley Mathis | May 31, 2007 9:42 PM
Posted on May 31, 2007 21:42