RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2009)

Chapter 3
Reading Lives

In chapter 3 Jane Miller writes of children’s identities emerging in their earliest relationships, often with mothers as important dialogic others. Recalling Lorraine Code's comments about, Miller (1990) argues that gender is shaped in relation to the specificities of those early words and attachments:
It is surely within those first conversations those shared sightings and naming, that the specificity, the material detail and concrete knowing of the world are learned as values within an actual, evolving, culture. The movement from mother to school will vary vitally according to class, place, and time. Keep in mind gender is always learned.

Reading is a part of children’s histories. Miller agues that readers and practices of reading are situated within histories of locality, gender, race, and class. Literacy learning is a part of these histories.
How do all children become readers? In the always-already social world those who read and write as girls or boys in class and racially specific locations and with the caretakers who take their hands should share in their fantasy worlds and create and share histories in which reading is a part of the relation.
She doesn’t remember much about learning to read. She states she knew it was something people did in school, or maybe in certain work places. Adults didn’t typically sit around the house reading, except for a magazine or two. Reading was also expected to be taught in school. She admits that the values associated with being successful schoolgirl: obedience, accuracy, conformity, work. She admits to working hard in school. She admits to not reading if something of equal or greater interest arises.
Summing up chapter 3 the arts of writing lay in the literacy research, attachments, and identifications are part of teaching relations. Teaching involves situated readings of students.

Chapter 4
Referring to the stress of making ends meet while taking care of three young children took a toll on the women who were Laurie’s caretakers and ultimately on Laurie’s history in school. Laurie struggled to get the emotional attention she wanted and needed. When things didn’t work out for her she had violent ways. He behavior problem at home was due ultimately to a medical diagnosis that was becoming wide spread at he the time of this research study. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Now with research progresses we have many labels of which this is most common. The diagnosis was entangled in a history lived within material stress and the emotional strain that went with them. Economic hardship, anger, and academic struggles were a great deal of Laurie’s experience. Laurie’s dreams where of having a Dad and a prince charming. She yearned for acceptance with boys. For example a kindergarten friend helped Laurie develop socially with maturity. Although the feminine identity that Laurie readily appropriated also sometimes limited her engagements in academic activities. The academic practices that were intended to occur in the Centers were on many occasions appropriated within a domestic agenda. A positive outcome of Laurie’s was as much as she wanted to be a successful student; she encountered serious trouble that resolved around the material and emotional stress of working class family life. Prior to Laurie’s diagnosis neither Mrs. Thompson not the author had noticed anything unusual about her behavior. However later on some notes were placed about behavior. Some notes suggested depression and withdrawn behavior complaining of stomach pain due to the medication. Sometimes Laurie’s needs were sometimes lost. Laurie was from a slight verbal abusive home life expressing anger and resentment. Through all of this turmoil, Laurie still wanted to be a good student. She knew that being good meant power in the world. Go Laurie, I say Want some Get Some. Children can still be motivated and medicated at the same time with careful collaboration between teacher, parent and doctor. I do have mixed feelings about ADD medication.
Girl’s such as Laurie need safe classroom spaces for living but also for challenging the felinities that are shaped through attachments and practices in their homes and neighborhoods. How can we professionals predict and integrate writing prompts that are of sound economic issues with no prejudices with race color or class? Somewhere somebody’s culture or gender is going to get stepped on. These issues need to be addressed but how and without being biased?
Robin Hand