We shouldn't be surprised to see in a chapter that where a child grows up has an impact on their literacy. It breaks my heart to read about students like Laurie or to even see random kids out in public and automatically know that they're not getting the attention they need at home. Its not always low income, single mother families, but it's also families where parents are too wrapped up in their own lives and careers to even recognize that their children aren't getting the attention they need. I was very lucky in my own childhood. I had both my parents around and all four of my grandparents. My mother was a stay at home mom because she always wanted to pick my sisters and I up from school and help us with homework and what not. Although my dad worked the typical stressful 8-5 job, he would always come home curious about our school days, ready and willing to play outside with us and most definitely always ready to tuck me in with a fun story, a Bible story, and a prayer. I was also very lucky to have two older sisters who liked to be my other moms. I was very well taken care of and I probably got too much attention. I have a very hard time relating to situations where there is a young single mom struggling to make ends meet. That concept is luckily very foreign to me. Knowing that there are families out there who don't take the time to work with their children on important matters such as literacy makes me want to strive to work even harder in my own classroom to give these students the attention they need in order to form a strong foundation in literacy. Laurie had more responsibilities than she should have at her age. I want to be able to provide an environment in my classroom where it's ok to be a kid and learn at a reasonable developmental rate. I just wish there was a way for me to get parents more involved in what I do in the classroom.
Erica Spicer
Comments (5)
Hicks defends Laurie’s Mom a bit and tells us that Mom reads to Laurie every night before bed. I would also think that Laurie’s Mom probably had homework to do and talked—at least in some fashion—with her kids about her own process of going back to school. Don’t you think that’s at least some evidence that school-related literacy is valued in Laurie’s home?
You also mention that some parents are “too wrapped up in their own lives and careers” to see what’s really going on with their kids. I totally agree. I had a student this year with extreme anger management issues & learning struggles. Mom didn’t have time to come to school to help us figure out a plan of intervention, but she buys him all kinds of expensive things. His clothes & tech toys put all of mine to shame. At the same time, I recognize that this Mom was trying to treat the issue; her treatment idea and ours just didn’t match.
However, if we’re looking primarily at the impact of social class on literacy understandings, children whose parents are that career focused are likely either in day-care or have a nanny, have access to plenty of books (or Leapfrogs or whatever is age-appropriate & technology related) in the home, and would see the importance of education in their parents’ everyday lives. I don’t mean to say that parents always verbalize that learning is important or show up at all school functions, but if Mom has a Bluetooth stuck to her ear and a laptop with her at all times, she is modeling the importance of being able to multi-task, fulfill frantic work deadlines/schedules, and showing that reading & speaking “well” are essential for success.
Posted by Ruth Johnson | June 25, 2009 12:38 PM
Posted on June 25, 2009 12:38
Erica, how blessed you are! Same here; I'm just so blessed by my wonderful parents--not perfect parents as I used to think growing up--but certainly loving, caring parents who tried their best to do what was right for us. Let us count our blessings and pass them on.
And you know, I really do think Hicks writes this book in direct response to the decline of family values and the reality of the actual breakdown of the family unit in our country. This book is a sobering reminder of the damage it does to children when they're not reared in a secure, loving, low-stress environment as children should be. Children, as you stated, need to know it's okay to be a kid. Have mercy, they're only kids for such a short time.
Posted by erin farrington | June 26, 2009 12:44 AM
Posted on June 26, 2009 00:44
Erica, how blessed you are! Same here; I'm just so blessed by my wonderful parents--not perfect parents as I used to think growing up--but certainly loving, caring parents who tried their best to do what was right for us. Let us count our blessings and pass them on.
And you know, I really do think Hicks writes this book in direct response to the decline of family values and the reality of the actual breakdown of the family unit in our country. This book is a sobering reminder of the damage it does to children when they're not reared in a secure, loving, low-stress environment as children should be. Children, as you stated, need to know it's okay to be a kid. Have mercy, they're only kids for such a short time.
Posted by erin farrington | June 26, 2009 12:45 AM
Posted on June 26, 2009 00:45
Erica,
I too had both caring parents and great grandparents that helped me with growing and learning, and school. I think that with the way we grew up that we realize even more the type of situation that some of are kids are not being exposed to. They are not getting this love and attention. They are having to go home and fend for themselves or beg their parents to help them with their homework. So like you it makes me realize how much harder we have to work to get these students excited about learning. I just wonder what type of impact this will have over the children as they grow up? Will it eventually make them drop out? Will they become more independent and strive for what they didn't have to create a better life for themselves?
Posted by Megan Machuga | June 26, 2009 9:59 AM
Posted on June 26, 2009 09:59
I was also very fortunate growing up; I was the baby of the family and got plenty of attention. Thinking about my childhood, it makes it even sadder when I realize my students don't get to experience all the great times like I did. I agree with you, I want the kids in my classroom to be able to act like kids. Many of my students’ parents never came in for conferences, but almost all of them came on the last day when our class had a cookout. It was the first time I had met some of the parents and it was the last day. Their priorities are not right.
Dana Eudy
Posted by Dana Eudy | June 26, 2009 10:58 PM
Posted on June 26, 2009 22:58