These two chapters were difficult to read but hopefully I got through them with some good information. These two chapters show that children from all different classes, gender, etc. struggle. In the second chapter I started to understand what the author means by literacy being affected by the child's social surroundings. I do think that the way you are brought up and the way that your parents and family speak and interact affects your literacy. I was shocked when I read the example of how Lee Ann was told to go jump on Jake from his mother and mom-mom. I would have thought that they would have called her over to talk to her about being nice, and explain why we don't call people names. This showed how issues are solved differently in different classes. I think that Hicks taking students home lives into her study was very important so that she got a whole look at the students lives so she could see whether literacy was affected from all areas of the children's lives. I work at a title one school and I see the behavior like Lee Ann showed. The students are not taught to come tell the teacher they are taught that it is ok to fight back if someone bothers you. I also see how we expect children to change in school whether it fits their social class or not. I think that it is important as a teacher to try and make children of all classes, gender, and race feel special in my classroom. There are adjustments that students have to make when they come to school.
I think that these two chapters closely relate to the other articles that we have read. It all comes back to how students language and environment at home affect how they might talk at school. As teachers we need to try and engage students and make them feel like their language use is a choice. We as teachers realize that we can not change a lot of the things that students come to school already having learned. We just have to try and show our students that there are important ways that we need to act in school and rules that can't be broken even if they are at home like Lee Ann hurting her brother.
Comments (4)
This is my article I always forget to put my name!
Posted by Megan Machuga | June 23, 2009 1:05 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 13:05
Megan,
I agree so much with you and stated so in my post. I was shocked that the parents/grandparents told Lee Ann to go take care of her brother, and even showed her how to hurt him to pay him back. Of course these type scenarios will affect how children come to school prepared to interact and learn. EVERYTHING that happens in their life affects this, and it makes sense that children from a working class family may not be as prepared for school as those from middle or upper class families. We know that this is true, but what we don't know is how to make the playing field level for these kids. I really don't think we can. You can't fix in a year what has happened or not happened over the last 5 or more years in a kid's life. However, knowing some background about their home life can help us understand why they do the things they do.
Lorie Hedrick
Posted by Lorie Hedrick | June 23, 2009 2:51 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 14:51
You are right on when you speak about children learning how to handle situations differntly, based on how it is taken care of at home. It is so hard to try and undo what we believe to be as wrong teachings and break cycles. I have to remind myself I have to model, model, model. I can tell my students right from wrong till the cows come home, but showing is much more important. When you think about their home situations and how their literacy has developed, it helps us to understand where the kids are coming from and why they struggle so. We have to press on and do the best we can with what we have while they are in our care. Honestly, it never occured to me how closely the children watch every little move we make until one day in the cafeteria, a student, who had been adopted from Africa, was breaking his crackers up on his salad. As I walked by I said something like hmmm...I break crackers up into my salad too. His response was...yeah I learned it from Mr. Meade (the principal). He did one day when he ate lunch with me. At that moment, I realized how kids watch our every move, no matter how big or little, so we always have to model what is right.
Posted by Heather Houston | June 23, 2009 3:22 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 15:22
It's not if a child's parents and home environment will effect how they speak, learn, and react in social situations. The issue is really to what extent. The home environment will surely be the strongest influence on the child. How many times have you gone to a parent teacher conference and after meeting the parent(s) said to yourself, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?"
Posted by Annie Croon | June 23, 2009 9:14 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 21:14