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

I think there has been a big push for more writing in the lower grades over the past few years (at least in my county). It is not just a separate subject anymore. We are writing across the curriculum in science, math, and social studies. We are writing for about 35 minutes a day in writing time alone (first grade). The biggest change in the past 3 years has been a push away from the main focus on conventions. We are trying to get the students to get their ideas down on paper first. Ideas first, conventions later. As Baker put it "Motivation first, rules last (59)." I have seen such improvements in ideas, but the conventions are not adequate.
Also, I am guilty of not dressing up for class. I teach first grade and often get quite dirty during the day. I remember wearing a brand new outfit to school a couple years ago & a little girl had a bloody nose and it was all over my new clothes. (Paint, markers, dirty hands, ...) Plus, I am always down in the floor with my students. Comfort is a driving force for me - no dresses and high heels. Personally, I would love to wear "scrubs" like nurses as my uniform!

I also like the idea of the Big R and the Big W. Motivation and Giving these tasks a purpose is the key to a student's ability and desire for success. Good luck!

I'm going to have to agree with Tamera on the dressing up issue. I go home covered in glue, snot, paint, and dirt every day. I hate getting my nice clothes dirty. I often wear jeans... and not just on Fridays! However, if I taught older students I think I would feel as though I needed to dress up more. There is a big enough age difference between me and my six year old students that i don't feel like they notice my casual attire.

I too only allow English in my classroom. The only time my students are allowed to speak Spanish is during Spanish class or when a student does not know a word and someone else has to translate it for them. I am not asking my students to speak English because I do not respect their first language, but because I want to become better. Most of my Hispanic students do not speak English at home because their parents do not know English. I have to be the one to model for the students. I try to find time for the students to teach me Spanish. They think it is great that they are teaching the teacher.
I also agree that I do not have enough to teach writing. As bad as it is to say sometimes I put writing on the back burner. Teaching at a grade were the students must score a 3 or 4 to be promoted to 4th grade, I put more effort in reading and math. It is sad but true.

Melissa Lange

I wanted to address the comment you made about the dress of teachers. Don't you think it is difficult to decide how to portray yourself to the students? There is that dichotomy of looking professional and authoritative, and at the same time not looking like you are more important than the students or their parents? The Ladson-Billings article made a point to say that Carter dressed professionally, which according to the Dowdy article would have been playing to the white way of dressing. I guess I try to create a happy medium in my poor, white community school.

I agree with you 100%, we should never lower our expectations or accept excuses. If we show our students that we do not expect much of them, then that is exactly what they will give us. I also agree with you when you say that everyone can write something. This is exactly what Shannon did in the article. I just can not see how the teacher just kept on letting her get by! This was a sign to me saying that we wanted to write because she did put something onto her paper. She was frustrated and just needed a little help! HMM, do you think they had a word wall in the room? How do you feel about the teacher monitoring of the groups? I feel that she poorly monitored the groups or she would have been aware of the group and their differences. I also feel that if a teacher has given up on his/her students or if they are not willing to give it their all then they need to retire or find a different career.

Grandma Cunningham:

I love how your brought up professional dress. In fact, my colleague and I just talked about this today. She taught kindergarten last year (1st time - usually taught 4th), and then this year she taught w/me in 5th. This year as well as last year, I can count on my hands the amount of times she wore pants and when she did it was with a suit. She always looked professional in what I call "church clothes" and sometimes she would wear "wedding reception" clothes. I believe some of her outfits were over the top for a school, but she always looked nice. I, on the other hand, love to shop; therefore, I wear what is in fashion. Last year, we had a principal who wore a suit 3-4 days out of the week. This year, our principal wears khakis and a collard shirt. I can tell you the dress has drpped drastically to even shorts and a t'shirt. It is terrible. In the classrooms, you can easily see the disrespect. In our school, we need to represent the professionals and show our students as well as the parents how professionsals should appear.

I believe that the Shannon should write something. She needs to at least try, it doesn't have to be the best writing ever. I just want my students to put forth effort. I have sat down countless times and tried to prompt my students. Shannon's teacher needs to do this. She should help her with her writing. That's what we do as teachers. As for the professional dress, my school is slowly getting more casual. I try to be professional yet comfortable. I often come home with Expo marker on me so I'm not going to wear my most expensive clothes, but I am going to look professional.

Dana Eudy

Attire and ELL learners should both be addressed. I think the appropriate attire for a teacher should depend on the grade level taught. If you teach kindergarten, which I do, then definately dress casual depending on lesson plans. Teachers can still dress nice but low key. An aquaintance at school in a kindergarten setting, overdresses. Her cloths are loud and she always wears medium skinny heels. I don't mean to be judgemental but, putting her at an art easal would probably help in dressing down. The other issue is ELL learners. I have taught Rosetta Stone at CCCTI for the past eight years. These adults are eager to learn the English language so they can communicate better in the work field. Most of them are terrified of writing and are embarrassed when listening to themselves on the speaker after recordings.They are on different levels and come from different countries not just Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. teachers should be creative and motivated and students must believe in themselves in order to learn. Picture cards with the printed word are great for younger students.I have had a kinder student who could actually write in Spanish and would mix English words with Spanish words while writing. I thought it was cool the way she could express herself verbally and produce letters on paper. I address the low students more than the higher ones. I still push the higher students to expand but we all know this isn't easy.I believe the students culture should stay with them through verbal expression and writing skills if at all possible. Students should also be in a comfortable and safe setting in order for them to relax and be engaged in an activity.
Robin Hand