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In this final chapter, Hicks shares her reflections of the implications of creating educational research discourses that are literary in form. Hicks discribes "love's knowledge", knowledge between persons and of persons which is part of our everyday relations with others. She argues that a big part of what we know comes from our social relations with others. Our relations with others changes our identities, beliefs, practices, and understandings. Our knowledge of others also connects with a feeling. Feelings are also embeded in the texts we read that are part of our reasoning and cognitive awareness. When we talk with others there are feelings that shape the things we say in our conversations.

Hicks talks about how Rose researches writing and literary learning in this chapter. Rose does see that the social classes that people are in, does play a huge part in literary learning. The things we come to terms with in our culture, affect who we are and what we know. The culture we come from creates feelings of things we know and value. Rose also suggest that learning is embeded in the social relations and identies we form with others. She suggest that when we form a connection, like a romance, with our students, then they have an enthusiam for writing because they want the teacher to like them. I teach in a poor and working-class school where I too have experienced that the love I show to the children, creates an environment of learning and has eleviated some possible discipline problems.

Bakhtin's writings point out how language practices shape the relationships that exist between children in the different social worlds. Children's identities as readers and writers are constructed through the cultural and social genres that they are around and exposed to. A child's writing, speaking, and oral language are shaped from the things they hear and see from other people's language practices that are around them. My literacy knowledge came from a Southern culture. It wasn't until I got to college that I started hearing and seeing language that was different from mine. It was then that I felt I started learning and growing more after being around others whose lannguage and culture backgrounds differered from mine. Renee, I did read a post of yours that explained how you had lived in a variety of areas. I feel that your language and literacy were probably shaped early because you had a variety of exposure to diverse cultures,

I agree with Bakhtin, that as teachers we need to have a teaching relationship with our students that is sensitive to a child's history and culture if we want academic success from our students. I never thought about how poor and working-class children reject us, not just our discourses. When I think about my relations with people in general, I can recall tuning people out either because I thought they acted to high-and-mighty or just the opposite where I found them not worthy enough to live up to my standards. It is funny how we go through these feelings as children. As I grew up, I learned to have respect for everyone and truely began to see beauty in the cultural diversities in individuals. So it makes sense that we may find children who reject us for the same reasons or possibly for things such as skin color if they have heard racist remaks from those around them. I think as teachers we have to change as much as the students in order to see why these children are failing. To truely be a good teacher means to open up and see how those students of different backgrounds differ from us and be willing to open our heart to them. I totally see more than ever now after reading this book, how children's literacy has so much to do with literacy at home including their language and culture.

Hicks writes, "Cultural literacy educators have also focused a great deal on language, arguing that classroom instruction needs to build on students' home and community discourses". I like how Hicks used the word "ain't" to connect with the students. I do notice students seem really interested and turned on when I use slang or speech that is not part of my expected cultural voice. I see now that just my desire to learn about the lives of the poor and working-class children in my classroom, is part of an answer to what works with them.

More than ever, I now deeply understand how important it is that I get to the root of who my students are and where they come from. I see how writing practices come from a child's social world. So from here I know that I am going to have to learn who my students are and where they come from in order to maximize the success of my students. I know I plan to send a survey at the beginning of the school year to learn about my students. I also plan to do home visits. If I can not work in a home visit, then I plan to have early conferences with my students. My question is, what are other ideas that have helped you learn about the situated histories of your students? My biggest challenge is going to be how to incorporate histories of the students when they all come to you from a variety of cultures and linguist backgrounds. Any suggesstions?

Linda Younts