I can attest to what Herbert Kohl is saying about the examples that were exhibited in Chapter 9. I do believe that when one feel that there is dissonance among students, teachers, administrators, and parents one tend to shy away from conversations and interactions with them. As adults, we mentally challenge ourselves to muster up enough courage to ask questions and answer questions in meetings amongst our colleagues, peers, and administrators in fear of being perceived as incompetent because of uncertainty. There are times when we as adults would rather avoid exhibiting what we know than for anyone to view one as having lack of knowledge. I really and truly believe that it comes from feeling safe and accepting your environment will only allow one to explore the possibilities of taking a chance on learning. Yes, we may work and learn in an environment where we put up a shield of avoidance and only allow certain events, emotions, and feelings to take place in our lives so we will not stand out in the crowd or being ridicule.
I also encountered a similar situation with a student just like Kohl experienced with his K/1 students refusing to answer a question because of their belief. This student is a person of few words. Basically, on the Unaided part of Running Records, he summed up the story in four sentences. Well, you know in reading a ten-page story, there must be more to the story than a summary of four sentences. So, I proceeded in asking him the Aided questions of the story. The question was the development of the character, the student proceeded to say, the mouse was too slow and because of that the mouse ended up on a new farm where he missed his family and he wanted to go home. When he finally returned home, he was happy to see his family and his family was happy to see him, which he was right. Then I proceeded to ask him about the events in the story and this little fellow said, I just said that. He was right again. Although there were two different questions, however, the questions had the same answer. I accepted his answer as I just said that because he did. Why must he repeat himself with the same answer?
In Chapter 10, Geneva Smitherman made a very powerful statement and it is repeated several times throughout the chapter. The statement is, “It is time to call the children in and teach them the lessons of the Blood”. I think she meant that regardless of the nationality during this particular era in history, it is time to take a stand on respecting their language and dialect and rejecting the idealism of inferiority amongst the people who does not speak Standard English (SE). All they are asking for is acceptance.
Chapter 9, 10, and 12 seem to have the same twist. When it is all said and done, they all ended up being about their fear of speaking due to uncertainties of being right or wrong, and how one is looked upon as they are learning SE, and accepting ones language and dialect as they learn SE. The jest of all this entanglement about the skin that we speak is to not make anyone feel inferior or disrespect them because of the language they speak.
Shirley Mathis
Comments (8)
Shirley,
The comments that you make about feeling secure in an environment before you can venture out is so important. I think students who feel confident and secure in their skin have a better chance of taking risks; perhaps too will students feel accepted, rather than fearful, in new classroom situations.
Alecia Jackson
Posted by Prof. Alecia Jackson | June 2, 2007 10:40 AM
Posted on June 2, 2007 10:40
Shirley,
I agree with your sentiments. I can personally say as an adult I have still have trouble expressing myself in a group and try to avoid being called on because of fear of being wrong or being perceived as being incompetent. This may stem from my own feelings, but I think my past experience in the classroom has a lot to do with it. We have to be sure that students do not feel this way and let it take over their lives. It can affect them as college students and adults. It’s hard to believe that there is so much power in words. When people say things about us or put us down it is hard to raise above it if you do not have a strong sense of who you are.
In Chapter 10 I was wondering what Smitherman meant by the Blood. Your thoughts on what it means make sense. These chapters really make you think about how you as a teacher communicate, but also how we make children feel when they use language that we may not agree with. We should not make anyone feel inferior and disrespect them because of the words they speak. It is not their fault and demeaning them will not help them or cause them to speak any clearer.
Posted by Danielle Griffin | June 2, 2007 6:17 PM
Posted on June 2, 2007 18:17
Isn't that basic for most of us? I also feel insecure expressing myself in a formal setting because I worry about being wrong. If I feel like this, as an ADULT, how must my students feel? This is why I think that we, as teachers, have a responsibility to create a classroom environment of acceptance. I'm not saying an environment where everyone is the "same" or "we're all winners!" (That annoys me and, eventually, hurts our children. When did this lie surface and why have we embraced it so wholeheartedly as a society?) I think we should create classroom environments where we EMBRACE our differences and learn from one another, with the teacher included. I think that we should teach our children that, while we're different, we are equal. No one is of more value than anyone else in the classroom. Children won't know this unless we teach them how to function in these parameters. Eventually, if we all support our differences, it won't be viewed as a bad thing to be different. It will be viewed as something good and an honor. Our children will feel pride in themselves and who they are.
Posted by Jeanna McIntyre | June 2, 2007 6:58 PM
Posted on June 2, 2007 18:58
Hello Shirley,
Being comfortable in your setting is exceedingly important. For example, I will share my experience. Now that I have been at my school four years and know everyone very well, I am sometimes the first to speak or ask questions at our faculty meetings. I feel accepted and I don’t have to worry about what others think. I can honestly say that if I said something silly or embarrassing, I’d probably just laugh at myself. BUT… four years ago, I was in a totally different position. I was new teacher at my school and unsure of myself. I never spoke in front of other faculty members or made comments that others could hear. I am sharing my experiences to re-affirm what you said “… that one must feel safe and accepted in the environment before speaking out or answering questions.” We can easily see from our own experiences in social settings, that sharing with others takes courage and a step of faith. We, as teachers, must strive to create a safe and accepting environment in our classrooms. If we do not foster this kind of environment, many invaluable moments could be lost with our students.
I also wanted to respond to your response to my blog. I am so disappointed to hear that you had the wretched experience at your school and were judged based on your skin color. You know, I’d like to think that society has changed in the past 50 years, but when I hear stories like the one you shared, it makes me sick. I am so thankful and appreciative that I grew up in an environment that taught me acceptance and respect for others, no matter their skin color. It reminds me of the old Sunday school song, “Jesus Loved the Little Children” that my mom always sang with me. She talked with me often about treating others how I’d want to be treated. If only all people could teach their children these same values. It makes me smile, though, to think of your students’ loving response to you that changed their parents’ hearts. You hold your head high! From the sounds of it, you’ve got what it takes to change the world…one child at a time!
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Posted on June 4, 2007 22:24
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