I must admit that while I really enjoyed reading this chapter, it was not what I expected. I was so enthralled to read the story of Laurie and her struggles with literacy learning. However, I was deeply disheartened to hear of her seemingly increasing inability to perform at the level of her classroom peers. One of the biggest reasons Laurie had such difficulty in becoming proficient in reading was due to the textbook series adopted by her school system. Even more disturbing to me was the fact that Laurie’s teacher seemed unwilling to adapt to the needs of her students when she realized that this book series was not allowing some of her students to progress at the rate necessary. I had a professor in college who liked to share lots of horror stories, like Laurie’s, related to textbooks, so I must admit I have been a little wary of using them since I began teaching in January. In fact, this past semester, I rarely, if ever, used the textbooks that have been adopted by our school system. Actually, the math textbook is the only one I used at all. Does anyone else have an opinion on textbooks or even how to use them in an engaging way? I certainly don’t want to bore my students to death, but I do want to ensure that they are being taught in an effective, step by step process, which textbooks, at least math textbooks, tend to do a good job of outlining.
Another important point that Hicks touched on was the fact that a diagnosis, not necessarily the medication used to treat it, can often affect a student’s performance and acceptance of themselves and by their peers. Hicks stated, “The diagnosis changed her [Laurie’s] social relations in school in ways that extended beyond the side effects of the medication itself.” I think this is an extremely valid point, but often an issue that is overlooked. I think it is very important to be sensitive to a child’s feelings and opinions about themselves all the time, but particularly during the process of diagnosis because this can significantly alter how a child thinks about themselves. A child can determine that they are not smart, are not liked by their peers and teachers, and a myriad of other things just through the title of a diagnosis. For example, this year one of my students, who was normally outgoing, bubbly, funny, friendly, and well-liked by his peers, was diagnosed with diabetes. This took a significant toll on his self-image. Suddenly, he was very aware of his weight and what his peers might think if they saw him prick his finger. He was embarrassed that he needed to go to the bathroom more often than his classmates and that he had to leave our classroom early to go to lunch so that he could receive his insulin shot before going to the cafeteria. While a lot of these changes were certainly determined by the insulin and glucometer and other tools he needed to use on a daily basis, some of his self-concept was shaped and changed by the fact that he was different than everyone else in our classroom. No one else had to do the things that he did or eat the things that he did, etc. Children are keenly aware of whether they or someone else is different. This is an issue that teachers must be extremely delicate and supportive with. These children need to know that we still love them the way they are, that their diagnosis does not change who they are in our classroom, and that it is okay to not be exactly like everybody else.
I also found Hicks ideas regarding how girls and boys gain power in the classroom to be very interesting, and hit right on target. Of course these ideas may not apply to every single child, but overall I have found in my classroom that boys gain their meaning and power in the classroom from being cool or funny, even if this means being “bad”, and girls tend to do this by doing what is necessary to please the teacher, thus making them “good”. Hicks said, “Though boys…can gain power through voicing their resistance to the roles associated with being good, girls often seek power through being ‘nice, kind, and helpful’.” Hicks also found a connection between the gender of the teacher and the behavior of a student: “Girls…align themselves with the values they associate with real schoolwork and with their teachers, often women in primary school.” There is no doubt about the fact that we lack male role-models in the education field, particularly at the elementary level. However, I had never considered the fact that this may contribute to girls showing more studious behaviors, such as better studying and organization skills. Could this be because they associate these behaviors with their teachers (women), whom they see to be successful adults? Perhaps boys have more difficulties with these concepts because they lack the male role-model of their teacher to show them that these skills are important for grown men as well as women. Does anybody else have thoughts on this? ~Allison Reese
Comments (5)
Hi Allison,
Thanks for your comments about the differences between the ways in which boys and girls seek “power” in the classroom. As I read this chapter, I didn’t really ponder much on this subject. However, your comments allowed me to think about it more. I agree with you that boys do gain classroom power by being “cool” or the “class clown.” Boys gain power among their peers by acting out and proving that they are cool. I also agree that girls gain power by being “good”. Girls do this because they realize that good behavior places them in high standing with their teacher. Isn’t it odd that boys behavior (most of the time) places them in higher standing with their peers; whereas girls good behavior, places them in higher standing with their teacher. The “good girl” is a lot of the time looked down upon by her peers because she is seen as the teacher’s pet. Among a classroom of boys, the student exhibiting “bad” or “funny” behavior is the one that most students unfortunately look up to. I think many female teachers were the “good girls” of their classrooms; therefore that is what they expect out of everyone (including boys) in their class. We as teachers need to remember that not all students are “good”; and that being “bad” isn’t always as bad as it seems.
I also agree that boys definitely struggle in the classroom because there are not enough male role models in our schools for them to model after. But honestly what can we do about this problem? At my elementary school we have only 4 males in the entire building: 1 teacher, 2 custodians, and our principal. All of these men are excellent role models; however, they are not constantly around our students. The education field must find a way to attract more male teachers to the elementary profession.
Kelly Mabe
Posted by Kelly Mabe | June 12, 2007 10:30 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 22:30
I too was very disturbed at the fact that the first grade teacher used the textbook constantly and never tried to individualize Laurie's instruction. I'm always wishy washy when it comes to using the textbook. My school just adopted a new reading text book last year. I started off the year by following it very closely, just to see how it went. The kids responded well at first, but then seemed to get bored with doing the same routine weekly. I even had a parent come in and voice a concern about the use of the textbook. After that, my concerns were validated and i decided to only use it once and awhile. I know teachers that use them religiously, but it's just not for me. One book is not going to do the trick for ALL students, as this story about Laurie points out.
I also agree with what you're saying about a diagnosis changing a child. I had this happen as well this year. A little boy of mine got diagnosed with ADD and started taking medication. He ended up acting worse with the medication b/c he saw it as a ticket to misbehave. His mom sent a note in one day that they were out of the medication and wouldn't get more. However, the little boy behaved exactly the same. He even commented to me that he couldn't focus. Yes, this is ADD, but i believe he ended up using it as an out.
Great post! Good thoughts on the power issues in the classroom. Do you think different centers are catered toward different genders?
Posted by Andrea Lehman | June 13, 2007 4:40 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 16:40
Allison,
I also found Hick's ideas about power in the classroom interesting. I have found the same thing with boys and girls. I've often wondered why boys act cool, funny or "bad" in the classroom. I guess it is to gain meaning and power. As a teacher, though, this can be frustrating to deal with. We certainly do lack male role models at the elementary level. I've always said if we had male kindergarten teachers the children would do well. I believe some of the students may not have that male role model at home so that would help. It is interesting what you said about girls associating with their teachers whom they see to be successful adults. Maybe boys would perform better if they had these male role models in the classroom. You brought up an excellent point.
Posted by Dawn Thomas | June 13, 2007 8:40 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 20:40
Hi Allison,
I'm not sure if the problem at Laurie's school was that Laurie's teacher was "unwilling" to adapt to Laurie's needs. It's possible that her school system mandated the use of the reading anthology, or that she just didn't have any other adequate reading resources to use with Laurie. Sometimes teachers are caught between a rock and a hard place. They want to do what is best for their students, but often have to do their best with resources provided by the school system that are inadequate for meeting the individual needs of all of their students. Reading resources for individualizing instruction are expensive, and unless the teacher can afford to purchase these resources out of his/ her own pocket, he/ she must rely on what the school system provides and make the best of it.
This is how it was at my school until central office established guided reading as part of our language arts block of time and trained teachers on how to conduct guided reading instruction. Then our school purchased hundreds of guided reading books of different levels and genres so that students could be grouped according to reading ability and instructed at a level that meets their needs.
Vickie Howell
Posted by Vickie Howell | June 13, 2007 10:42 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 22:42
Allison,
I completely agree with your final interpretation. If we remember what Hicks says about how children are socialized at home, then I think we can apply that to how they are socialized at school. Identities are learned, are constructed, are made -- they are not innate.
Alecia
Posted by Alecia | June 14, 2007 10:08 PM
Posted on June 14, 2007 22:08