Heather Holland
Okay, I have to be really honest. After reading about four pages of chapter 6, I got up and thought… maybe I am not applying myself with the text in this chapter. Maybe I need to move to a different reading spot in the house—that didn’t work, so I broke the title apart word by word and “inquired” about what the author, Beth Hicks, was trying to convey in this final chapter. I have considered Beth Hick’s use of the word, “Hybrid” and I am sensing that she is referring to the “fusion” of languages in the classroom, social settings, and home-situations to make language or communication work for everyone. A child, before coming into the classroom, is generally only exposed to his/her home environment, parent(s), and their social network. With that being said, many children have a very limited resource for knowledge and experiences. They are completely dependent on the teacher for bridging the gap between home and school and the outside-world. A teacher is the conduit and facilitator for children to view the world around them. It is up to the teacher to construct inquisitive minds that wonder about language and the world and its interconnectedness. Without a teacher’s facilitation of this, a child is left with merely their limited experiences from their home life. A teacher must have an open-mind, explore and inquire about the social environments’ of her students, and make educated decisions about how to bridge the gap between worlds of knowledge and language. In order to do this, a teacher must explore, communicate effectively with parents and the community, and look for opportunities to prove trustworthiness to community members. Once trust is established between the parent and the educator or the community volunteers and the educator, the process of exploration and understanding begins.
As a second grade classroom teacher, I have found that it is important for me to understand my students. This job is not easy. My background is very different from most of my students’ and their families’ backgrounds. However, I communicate in many ways. I share with language by using various avenues to communicate: newsletters, telephone calls, classroom website, parent-teacher conferences, notes of praise (about their child’s great work), and family event nights in my classroom. Each avenue has a different level of effectiveness and is used for a specific of purpose. Without language, bridging the gap between our worlds would be virtually impossible. I must try my best, as a teacher, to be accepting, caring, understanding, and friendly with my students and their families. In order for them to view my teaching as important, I must demonstrate my value for each of them. If children and parents do not realize and understand that I value them, then they will not value the language I possess and share with them. Just as Beth Hicks had to do, I must gain perspective and cross class boundaries often to see into the lives of the children I teach.
Written by
Heather Holland
Comments (5)
heather,
i have already written my responses however, after reading the first several lines of your blog, i must say that you have the most honest approach to your writing and the most precious personality! i can just imagine your classroom!
donna byrd-wyatt
Posted by donna byrd-wyatt | June 22, 2007 8:44 AM
Posted on June 22, 2007 08:44
Heather, I was relieved to read that someone else struggled with this chapter. I too had to break it apart piece by piece to decode what Hicks was trying to convey. I think you did a great job of paraphrasing this whole text. I agree with you that it is absolutely essential to communicate with students and families in a wide variety of ways. Unfortunately, I do not think I did a very good job of this during this past semester. As a brand new teacher, I have learned very quickly that finding the time for these necessary forms of communication is very difficult for me. This is just one of the goals I have set for myself for next year to improve on. I am hoping that since I will be spending less time n "survival mode" and just trying to figure out how everything works in teaching and at my school, that I will be able to devote more of my time and attention to more open lines of communication with the families of my students. ~Allison Reese
Posted by Allison Reese | June 22, 2007 9:36 AM
Posted on June 22, 2007 09:36
Heather,
You sound like a wonderful teacher. I love the family nights you spoke of in your post. I would love to know the details of your family night. The more posts I read the more it has become totally clear to me that those teachers who are truly affective at reaching their student are those that look at teaching as a life long experience. Those who are not ready to commit the time and energy necessary to reach all students should look into other places for employment.
Our responsibility as teachers is to teach each child and if we can not find a way that works, we need to consult with others until we find something that does. In many cases, we as teachers are too egger to place blame elsewhere. The child can not help the way he or she has been raised. The parents many times raise children the way they were raised.
I remember one family that had four children. None of the children were ready for school. The oldest son was very sweet when things went his way, but when they didn’t he would lash out. The father often came in for meetings with teachers. He was very abrasive and disciplined his son with brute force. There was an occasion when this student was acting disrespectfully and the situation had to be dealt with. I had to leave to go to my other school (I was teaching foreign language so I traveled between schools). This student was in sixth grade. The principle decided to not allow this child go to sixth grade graduation or the end of the year trip. It broke my heart to hear of the punishment. This trip most likely would have been the only trip this boy will have taken in his life. He acted like he did not want to go anyway. Of course this was a defense mechanism. There could have been so many alternatives that could have allowed for a more positive outcome for this boy. My heart was broken for him.
Laura Wollpert
Posted by Laura Wollpert | June 22, 2007 10:11 AM
Posted on June 22, 2007 10:11
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