When I began reading this chapter I initially thought, “Oh my, this is my life.” As Hicks, I to, spent my summers at VBS in a country church in Fayetteville, NC learning about Jesus, the bible which I use to pronounce “bable” in VBS, and singing “Jesus Loves Me”. My mother was a Christian and into the Bible, which mean we were to whether we wanted to be or not. It is true that your childhood experiences shape who you are as an adult. My siblings and I hold strong to all we were taught as a child. Reading about Hick’s childhood was interesting because it paralleled my life in so many ways. It is amazing how people from different localities, races, and experiences have so many cultural connections. It shows us that we are not as different as we may think.
Hicks states on the bottom of page 35, “Looking back, I can see those poetic moments as the beginnings of literary experience, ones that forecast the life of a young reader.” I never thought about the fact that VBS and other experiences shaped my literacy experiences. I guess everything we have been through early in life play some part in our literacy experience. I now see why we were asked to write about this in our introductions to this class. I think it now gives us an idea of how our literary experiences as a child became part of our situated histories. Hicks says that literacy learning is part of these histories, not something that children do as a cognitive task divorced from their lives. That was an eye-opener for me just because I never thought about the two being connected.
I too grew up surrounded by my mother’s stories. Because my dad was a long distance truck driver, we only saw him every few weeks. My mom was a stay at home mom and very protective. We spent a lot of time at home with her. I can remember my mom telling us stories as we sat in the den. She would often tell us the same stories of growing up on a farm and working in the tobacco field with her family. We also heard stories of how well she danced and how she had the opportunity to go on the road with the Isley Brothers, but her mom would not let her (we will never stop hearing that story) and how her lifelong dream was to run off to New York and become a dancer or model. I feel the stories she told shaped my life in some way. Once a week her four children would gather around her bed and we would sing a church song and read a story from the bible. After that, she would discuss the story with us and ask questions. It felt like our bible study would go on forever and I remember my older sister and brother squirming around trying to stay awake while my baby sister and I took it all in. I think part of that was us wanting to please our mom and be the “good girl”. These experiences for me were part of my literacy experience. I believe that our identity may be shaped through our relations with others. As the author stated our identity maybe connected or shared with our mother or other relatives whose dreams may not be fully realized. I think this can be vice versa to. My mother is very intelligent, but she did not finish school because her father would not allow her to go. This was because everyone had to work on the tobacco farm and because of this she pushed us to do well in school, be the “good student”, and go to college. We had to continue our education whether we preferred to or not. Not that we all agreed with this which caused one of my sibling to rebel against it, but it helped us all to become better people and we are thankful because of the experience helped us become successful adults. Therefore, my mom’s unfulfilled dreams became our dream. I think that is why I try to do so well because it makes her feel proud to see us accomplish what she was not able to at that time in her life. In saying this, our identity does shape the lives of others and theirs shape our lives as well.
Our mothers do play a large role in our identity. Like Hicks, my mom was big on feminine classiness. She believed you always had to dress the part and always look your best. As I read I found it amusing that the author and I continued to share similar experiences. My father was not impressed by what you wore or what you have or do not have. For him the simple life was the best life. He did not believe in shopping for new clothes and was ever so fine with wearing clothes even though they are no longer in style. I have to say I do admire this in him. The idea of being yourself and not worrying what others think of you was no big deal for him. My youngest sister and I took after my mom, what someone thought of us played a big part on how we lived our life and how we look, and still today this affects us although not as much. Our family definitely shapes the person we become.
As with the little girl at the end of chapter 3, Hicks, and all of us, our girlhood is affected by our experiences, and it played a significant part in our literacy experience in school.
Comments (6)
Hi Danielle,
As we continue to discuss literacy learning I become more and more amazed by those aspects of our lives that have contributed to our literacy development. Who would have thought that Vacation Bible School could mold and shape our literary histories so much. I am beginning to see that every aspect of our life contributes to our literary development. Just like you I am also amazed by the similarities between each of our literary experiences. As I continue to read the different blogs, I am amazed how each person in this class seemed to experience many of the same things. I guess it just goes to show that even though we may have different life experiences they still mold and shape our lives in much the same way.
I too remember having Bible Studies with my mom as a child. I remember this as being one of my favorite parts of the day. Every night before bed, my mom would come into our room and read from a portion of the Bible. After reading we would all then pray together. This Bible study made me feel very safe and protected. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple such as family devotions can shape your literary history?
Kelly Mabe
Posted by Kelly Mabe | June 9, 2007 1:33 PM
Posted on June 9, 2007 13:33
Danielle-
You mother is a very smart woman. She pushed you and your siblings so that you could have more opportunities than she did. I loved the part where you mention being pushed to continue your education; she knew exactly what she was doing. She made sure the world was full of more prospects than she was able to have. Aren’t moms great?
I also related to the part where your mom wanted you and your siblings dressed well and looking good while your father didn’t really care. This was my family. I think even to the extreme, my mother worried about how we looked to someone else. I really think it stemmed from her childhood and being afraid that she or we would look poor. I think I rebelled against her. I usually wear what I want, but I try to make sure it is at least appropriate, but I don’t dress up very often
Posted by Lisa Outland | June 9, 2007 6:27 PM
Posted on June 9, 2007 18:27
Hi Danielle,
The notion of literacy learning being greatly affected by our situated histories makes good sense to you and me alike. Everything we were taught as children whether through Sunday school, pre-school, elementary school, and certainly the parental or adult influences in our lives shape our success and/or failures with literacy. I am not a mother yet, but I can imagine that my young child will be read to in the womb! I am almost worried about their progress with literacy as a young child and I don't even have one yet. Parents are the first teachers, no doubt. I teach Kindergarten and I am amazed that some of my kids have never experienced a good story sitting on a mom or dad's lap.
Posted by Renee Pagoota | June 10, 2007 8:40 PM
Posted on June 10, 2007 20:40
Danielle,
I agree our mothers do have an important impact on us. I grew up hearing that it is a "man's world" from my mother. I can not tell you many times she told this to me and my two sisters. I was five years younger then my oldest sister and I guess that was enough of a difference in age and era for me to reject that idea. I guess I am writing this because my oldest sister has had many problems with picking out the wrong men, and she also internalized this idea of “it’s a man’s world”. I think it is true that in most ways it is a man’s world, as far as business and government, but this is changing. I rejected the idea growing up and would ask my sister and my mother to stop saying it. I was kind of the rebel. I was not the rebel that got in trouble, I just rejected traditional thinking.
My oldest sister as I said internalized the idea of “it’s a man’s world” and basically let men run her life for a long time. She is now at age 47 trying to put the pieces of her world together. I do not blame my mother or anyone else for this, but my oldest sister grew up in a time where most of her friends were getting married right after high school, so she did too. Now she is divorced from her second husband. It is odd how five years can make a big difference. When I graduated from high school none of my friends were getting married. Everyone was working and going to school.
What we say to our children does make a big impact on their lives later. It is so important to leave these clichés out of our conversations and try to really sit down and talk about issues.
Laura Wollpert
Posted by Laura Wollpert | June 11, 2007 11:50 AM
Posted on June 11, 2007 11:50
Danielle,
I like how you emphasize that early literacy practices become a part of the "situated histories" that shape school lives. I think it is important for teachers to reflect on their own histories to see how they have enabled their own current practices to gain an awareness into how they might be able to learn more and understand more about their students. I think you have begun to do this and make these connections!
Alecia
Posted by Prof. Alecia Jackson | June 11, 2007 9:15 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 21:15
I am already worrying about my children and their literacy lives and I don't even have kids yet. The influences in their lives are not just from their parents, it comes from all around them and I am worried that my son or daughter will be influenced by the wrong person. What will happen when I don't agree with another teachers methods? I haven't yet decided how I am going to deal with that. But I think I have plenty of time to think about it because I don't even have kids yet. I honestly worry about bringing children into this world becuase I look around and see so many things that need fixing, one of them being the school system which is so flawed it isn't even funny, but of course it is the best we can do with limited resources. But when will we stop taking that as the reason for everything. When will we step it up and say we are going to change this and fix this no matter what the cost because ultimately the children are out future and if we teach our children to the best of our abilitly then we are garunteed of a better tomorrow.
Posted by Kristen Billings | June 11, 2007 9:50 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 21:50