RE_5539

Sara, chapter 3 was much easier to read then the first two chapters. I think part of it could have been the connections we were able to make to it. I to was able to relate to most of what Hicks described in this chapter. I felt almost like I was reading about my own life. I found that to be very interesting.
I do believe children’s identities are formed by their relationship with their mother. I believe this could be try for boys as well. I wonder why that is? Maybe it has something to do with a woman having a baby and for some reason that child and his/her mother are connected in some way. I am not sure if this is true or if there is any truth behind it. I do not have children, but I have three sisters and a brother. Even though I see some my father’s qualities in my brother, I can also see how he and my mom relate to each other. My mom was the homemaker to in our house while my dad was on the road driving trucks. Everything we learned we learned from her. She made sure we read and had plenty to read. Even with my brother and my reading problems, she was the one who had to work with us to getting our reading skills up to were they needed to be. She has truly played an important part in my literacy experience.
I thought the way Hicks’ was able to get the child she was tutoring interested in reading was good. I wonder how we can make language arts and reading more interesting for students. If we could take children to Borders or set up some a reading program that would create more interest in reading, I think it would motivate our boys and girls to read more and learn things they never imagined possible.

sara,

i could relate to so much of what you wrote. my mother too stayed home with my siblings and me. she was the person that we spent most of our time with. dad was at work and he was the boss...there and at home! if we got in trouble with mom while dad was at work, we knew that when dad got home we were really going to be in worse trouble.

my mom was also the caregiver that got us books. my mom ordered so many great books and magazines and encylopedias...so many great things came to the house. she also took us to the library and waited as we went through books. then there were the 4h club summer fun classes and all those art kits she would buy. she also took us to church every sunday.

we too had one tv...no remote control...my children think i lived in the stone age. when dad came home we all had to be quiet and leave the living room because dad wanted to watch the news.

it is amazing how much our caregivers mold us into who we will become.

donna byrd-wyatt

Sara,
I like you could connect with Hick's chapter since I too was raised in a Christian home. I too had never thought about those Bible days as literary experiences, but it makes a lot of sense. My two year old is in Bible School this week and I feel good about knowing I am shaping his literary knowledge. I had never really considered how the discipline we received from our parents shapes who we are. But to answer your question, even in single parent households, those parents are using discipline that helps that child become who they are. I was not in a single parent household, but have had friends that where who became successful adults.

You are so right in that it seems easy to engage students who we share commalities with. My challenge this year for myself is to read and research customs and beliefs about the students in my classroom that come from other cultures.

Linda Younts

Your last paragraph struck a chord with me. It's so important for teachers to try to connect with every child. Sometimes i have a hard time with this. It's hard when you don't automatically connect with a student. I had a little boy like that this year. He was quiet and never shared anything about his homelife. About half-way through the year, i started a morning routine called "campfire". The kids and i sat in a circle and passed a stick around. Everyone was aloud to share one thing (the kids loved this and it got them to not talk as much during lessons). This one boy never shared. Finally, one day he spoke up and said his dad had to go to jail for the weekend. Whoa! Talk about caught off guard....plus i finally realized why he was so shy and quiet (he had a bad homelife). After that moment, i asked him how he was doing daily and really connected with him. If only i'd paid more attention at the beginning of the year, i know that he could have benefited. After that, he really started showing growth in all academic areas. It just goes to show that if kids have another person (their "other") that they can count on, it makes a world of difference in their literacy learning. Good post.

Sara,
I agree with you that tapping into those very early, very formative literacy experiences can open up a world for you in regard to knowing your students better. If you approach literacy as Hicks does and define it widely, I think you'll find that your students have a lot in common and then some very unique experiences related to race, class, and gender. What an amazing starting point for a school year!

I too agree that chapter three was easier to read than the first two. I understood much more this time around than I did reading the first two chapters. I actually understood a little more of the frist two chapters after readind this one.
I think that we do need to watch for each child and try to connect with each one individually not just the ones that are trying to be the "good girls." You never know when you will connect with a student who you thought was the trouble maker or the one that never participated. I can't wait till I can have my class again so that I can put these new thoughts into action.