Yes, our caretakers then teachers impact our child's life in ways that will stay with them forever. Sad to say some mothers don't have time for their children, I see them sitting in fast food places talking on their cell phones while the child in front of them sits in silence. Being a single mother is not the worst option today, society has made a few wrong turns, including not considering a fetus a baby, I remember being ecstatic when I found out I was expecting, now it's, is it convenient for me, do you want to help me with the responsibility or shall we continue on our merry way. Children used to be a treasure. Enough of that, The discourse of the Bible Belt made it to NJ where I raised my children, there are many rural areas of our country where morals are still set from the Word.
I see many of my students in Laurie's position, trying to be a child with the responsibilities of an adult. This is very detrimental to their school work. It is hard to think about academics that you don't see as important, when more urgent issues wait for you at home. Many parents try to help their children the best they can, but their experiences with school are shaky at best. On p. 56 it mentions we read student's lives in ways that draw on our own histories as learners this can be helpful if we came from the same background, but how many of us did? Again the point is made on p. 65 “children learn what they live”. Hybrid identity appears according to region and time/era. Dad's giving books to their little girls to write in so they can be like their moms is nice, yet still sending the message of "place" this is not always bad. The idea of girls seek power by being nice, kind and helpful, should be transparent to veteran teachers. Page 66 talks about Laurie living a dual existence as a model student who was learning how to fail, we see this in classrooms and as in Laurie's case, we don't have enough staff to give the one on one they need. If we could only concentrate on the lower grades, get them to read, we wouldn't have the problems we see in the upper grades. I seen the idea mentioned on p. 73, reading to a stuffed animal wok in my room. This is non-threatening so they take more risks and make more progress. I have used the writers notebook in the past but these readings have given me more ideas, I don't know what to try first. It offers them freedom from tension, it is their space, and I usually learn much more than I want to know, but it helps me understand my students. I know this was all about girls but I see these behaviors from boys also.
Comments (1)
I was brought up in the Bible Belt, and cut my teeth on a church pew so to speak. Religion is a big part of my life, but I understand and accept the fact that it is not for many. I think that so many people get offended by bringing religion into the picture. It really isn’t about religion, but rather about morality. Our morals have gone down the drain. It isn’t unacceptable any more to be pregnant and not married. I agree that in some cases, a girl is better off not to marry the father, if he isn’t going to be a good husband or dad. But if that is the case, then why is she involved with him in the first place????? I just don’t get it. Why has our morality fallen by the wayside? Why is it okay for women to keep popping out baby after baby and not taking care of any of them? I agree that it is hard for a mom in a situation like Laurie’s mom to get by. But why and how did she let herself get into such a mess? I love kids dearly, and I don’t approve of abortion at all, but it just seems so senseless for these children to be brought into our world and then not cared for like they need to be. I think we need to find a way to reach out to our young people and help them make better decisions before they end up with a houseful of children that they are unable to care for.
Lorie Hedrick
Posted by Lorie Hedrick | June 25, 2009 11:52 AM
Posted on June 25, 2009 11:52