RE_5539

As I read Chapter 3 I asked myself if it is true that school tries to rid a child of their home language. I do correct my students from time to time as they speak and certainly as they write but I do not recall every saying "this is wrong". I am more like to say "listen to it this way", "now which do you think sounds best?" Most of my students choose the correct grammar everytime. Could it be that there is some inherent nature regarding that?
In this chapter the author speaks about how a child may perceive language as early as the womb. These children hear their mother tongue but do they pick up on others as well? Could this be one of the reasons learning another language is easier for children?
This chapter also made me consider a student of mine this past year. I must confess it has been a fabulous year in our small school. Every first grade class had less than 15 students. Needless to say our individual instruction was enhanced and their success was evident. Because of our low numbers I only had one black student. Part way through the year his mother asked if this seemed to be a problem for him. She was quick to assure me that he had said nothing. In thinking about it I saw no distinction between my student or his peers. HIs mother always spoke SE in our conversations as did he while at school. His father whom I met only twice seemed to speak a combination of SE and Ebonics. As I consider her question as I read I can only thinkg that she has instilled in him the ability to code switch and a purpose for it. She has very high expectations for him, but obviously was already considering what this chapter suggests. As for how he related in the classroom, many of his white counterparts did not speak or write as well and yet as children will, they were accepting of each other in every way. They can teach us so much by how unbiased they are.
In chapter 4 I believe Ms. Baker did a remarkable job with her students by letting them explore and teach each other. As she put it "motivation first, rules last" and her approach as more of a facilitator of learning worked well. She cited examples of her students choosing to work harder at their English through this strategy. Through her examples of role playing and how accepting the students were of the switch gives us hope that when these choices are motivated in the classroom they will carry over into a more successful life.
In a recent study of a book "Understanding Poverty" which we undertook as a staff at our school, we read about stereotyping and the cycle that many impoverished students live. This book is making me consider how language lessons might help students to break that cycle.
Chapter 7 really hit home with me. I immediately thought of a recent student who was diagnosed as ADHD. He is one of the few kids I have met that truly benefits from his medication. The problem I noted was the lack of consistency in which he received it due to his shifting home environment. Each morning during the last semester my students journal about our weekly topic. Because writing is a difficult area for him he would use stall tactics like going to bathroom, sharpening pencils, etc. until his time was gone. Needless to say his journal was pretty bare. I knew that he had some ability to write because his writing was much better during our afternoon writing block. As I began to examine why I came up with 2 reasons. 1) His meds had taken effect and 2) He received more support through a mini-lesson and the use of graphic organizers during this block. I couldn't make the meds take effect faster but I began to employ organization strategies with him each morning during his journaling and finally began to see a change in his willingness and improved journaling.
I agree with the author's conclusion that we must help students appreciate their differences while supporting their academic needs and "preserving their sense of self". That is a very powerful statement and a job we should not take lightly.