Let me start by saying: “TRANSFORMING Literacy Practices” is EXACTLY right. In this article, Perry recognizes in her writing the transforming power of not only serving as narrator but the transforming power of witnessing a meaningful narration. Consider this from the perspective of pre-K teachers and parents of toddlers: Did you know literacy research proves that we can gauge what a child’s 4th or 5th-grade reading level will be when he is only about three years old? We can gauge this by their practices in narration or lack thereof. Now, we may not consider our hyper-active, broken-English speaking toddlers narrators, but they often are doing just that when they dash in the house, gasp for breath, and spit out the story about two dogs across the street that were chasing one another around the neighbor’s house. Granted, this may not be the kind of compelling story we would choose to pass down from generation to generation, but it is a form of narration that is crucial to the language and literacy development of our children. Bottom line: make time for their storytelling. Do NOT cut them off due to “lack of time.” Take time to witness, encourage, and ask questions about their story all the while remembering that we are investing in their literacy and language skills. Just as we’ve read in this article, literacy is the gas that fuels the car of life, so to speak. Life is all about relationships and literacy is the number one tool in building relationships. Without relationships—rather the ability to use communication towards healthy relationships—life is lifeless.
Let’s look at how we learn to narrate and tell stories. Why have you heard YOUR toddler narrate, and why have I heard MY toddlers narrate? Because WE narrate to THEM; otherwise the art form would not be learned if one did not see it modeled. We tell them stories from a book or from our memories. Certainly as they get older, we’ll share with them family stories or gut-wrenching historical stories—just like Perry writes about—that impact and transform lives and perspectives as they are passed on through the generations.
Erin Farrington