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

I have learned a lot about myself, reflecting as I read these articles reminded me of things I have done that were good and some not so good. I will be more aware of my words when responding to my children and my parents, asking them first how they think “we” could address issues that come up. I will find time for them to speak in their own “discourse”, a new word for me. A new day is dawning for me to watch and listen to the code-switching that occurs during down time or T&T (turn and talk) time. Somehow storytelling needs to find its' place back in the classroom, kids loved telling stories, especially when it moves from child to child. Just listening to them when we do picture walks, the way they go off on tangents, is interesting. I don't like saying “we need to get back on task”, now it will be “let's talk about that at lunch or recess” but make a point of letting them know I want to hear their “voice”. I found out, two days ago I am now a second grade teacher, so now as I learn a new curriculum I can research some lower level books that will feed my students information, allowing them to view each other as a whole new world to explore. Exploring can be fun, an eye/ear opening experience. We can all learn together how to celebrate our differences, even if it makes us a little uncomfortable for a while.
I never want to stop learning about people, their cultures and their experiences, I love to travel and have been to a few third world countries, I have witnessed cultures that value education yet many of the people are not educated . They either have to work (the children) or they do not have the money to pay for school. It is sad to see the never ending cycle that many are stuck in, this is what your mother or father did so this is what is expected of you (Jake as well as the Jamaican girls). If we are to break the cycle we need to teach in a way that will capture their imagination to help them soar to heights they never dreamed of before. Once we hook them, we can show them the value of being literate. We can bring the parents along for the ride, as many school systems have adult classes for free, with childcare provided.
This was an excellent course, all of the readings are relevant to teaching, and life in general. Including ideas that we can implement made the articles well worth reading. This makes me want to shrink the “reading” part of my literacy block in order to allow for more personal connections through the other various outlets (storytelling, music, art, writing, etc.). When the doors are closed, to the closed minded, we can open the minds in a more natural way, allowing each being to learn in ways that are more in line with their own discourse. I will continue with their curriculum, but modified to include the diverse histories that are combined into our new community(our classroom). I want them to want to read and write about their experiences and their dreams. Journaling is a great outlet at any age. Not for grading or critiquing, but for the person to express whatever is on their mind at the moment, whether they want to share it with anyone else or not is their choice, they are writing and that is the first step.
Hicks, Delpit, and the other authors did a great job of leading us into specific lives to understand the difficulties faced by some members within an ethnic group. I am glad they did not generalize to include all of any sub group of students. I will now consider how trilingualism feeds into the equation of our classroom. I will have to reread many of these pieces now that I have finished all of them, all in order to get a more intact understanding of how I should implement this new information into my “new” teaching style.
I admit I would not have read this research if I had not taken this class. I have recommended this class to my peers, I hope it will be offered again, thank you for being so thorough in your research, choosing articles/books that will have a domino effect from teachers to parents to students, and anyone else involved in the system. Now it is my turn to look further into research, and keep my eyes and ears open to what is really going on in my children's lives. We should never stop looking for new ideas to expand our own horizons.
It would be interesting to see research conducted in the countries of origin, Jamaica and Africa.

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

What a powerful quote this is to someone in the field of education. How often do we, simply as human beings, get stuck in a rut of the way we think and see things, and completely disregard other people’s ways of life? It is so important to take a moment to step back and reflect upon the ways we think and question whether or not it is necessarily the right way. Just because I may perceive something that I see one particular way does not mean that someone else will not have a completely different perception of a situation. Without being able to critically examine my own thoughts and perceptions, I am completely unable to reflect upon situations at all and try to see things from different points of view. I know from personal experiences that things are not always what they seem. It is important for me to keep in mind this thought as I am meeting new students in the upcoming school year. I need to continue to understand that often times there are more to a student that what I can see.
This class has truly brought this quote to life. Through the readings of various articles and postings on the course blog, I have become much more aware of my surroundings and my often small mindset on the issues of race, class, and gender. I have truly begun to open my eyes to the situations many of my students have to deal with that I may not necessarily be able to relate to. I may never know what it is like to be a Native American dealing with race and literacy issues in school. I may never know what it is like to be a young boy and have to feel forced to complete certain reading and writing activities. I certainly will never know what it feels like to have to keep my culture alive through storytelling like the Sudanese refugees. However, through this class, I have begun to find ways to embrace all of these potential differences among my students and to help them embrace their uniqueness as well.
Through reading the various articles presented to the students of this class, I was able to reflect back upon my own teaching practices and see where I had some room for improvement. I think one of the major areas I need to improve in is with parent communication on the importance of staying involved in their child’s literacy development. I have also learned how important it is to reach out to my students on a personal level and help them find things they are interested in so that there is no excuse for students to feel uncomfortable with what they are doing in the classroom. Another area of improvement that I would like to work on in the upcoming year is that of actually letting my students talk to one another about things that come up in our literacy blocks during the day. I think that with the students having so many different backgrounds that they could truly learn a lot from one another just by hearing each other tell stories back and forth. Some students have such a different “discourse” between home and school that this could provide a nice outlet for them. Especially for those students who value education and learning yet their families do not. Through providing an open learning environment where students do not judge one another and are accepting to different points of view, I will be able to have a classroom where all students can feel that their voice is heard.
As an educator, I feel it is so important to continue learning about different cultures around the world. One never knows what to expect with a new batch of kids. One of my favorite articles that we read in this course was that of the Sudanese refugees. It was very touching to learn about all these boys had been through, yet they saw education as a way to rise above all of the horrors they had lived through. It was also very important for me the value these boys placed on storytelling. For them, storytelling was a way for them to keep their slowly dying culture alive. It was a way to respectfully remember the past. For our own students, there might not be events quite as tragic as the Sudanese Boys, yet we are guaranteed to have at least one or two students that have had to live through harsh struggles. This article provided such a sense of hope in sharing the importance of education and how it can open so many doors! For older students, I think a cliff notes version could definitely be inspirational.
Another idea I really liked from this course was that of “trilingualism”. I will definitely be more cautious when correcting the ways that my students speak. The thought that by correcting some students could hurt their self-esteem had never crossed my mind before. With this in mind, I will still say that I think it is important for students learn the correct situations to use their own dialects as well as “proper” English language. I think that one of the ways to educate students on this manner is to not critically correct them. It is very important for students to not feel belittled while being corrected. Another thing that I would like to do is to have children actually teach me different parts of their dialects or slang. With them doing so, I feel that it could help form a personal connection and help me gain students respect. With me open to learning their styles of speaking, hopefully they could become more open to learning my way of teaching them correct grammar.
At first, I was very intimidated by the book that we had to read for this course. The first two chapters were very wordy and hard to understand. However, after listening to the podcast I was glad to have read this portion of the book. I felt that I could understand where different students were coming from. I also liked how the book discussed specific children such as Laurie and Jake. Although these two students were just examples of situations, I felt that their situations were very relevant to an everyday classroom situation. I felt that the discussions brought forth in this work were overall very interesting and valuable to think about (especially when there is time during summer vacation).
Looking back through the coursework that was presented here, I am very glad that I enrolled in this class. I think that a lot of the articles that were read and discussed through the blog addressed many underlying issues in our schools today that are not always brought to light. As stated in the syllabus, we need to read and reflect upon these articles more than once, which is something that I would like to do to further my own education as well as to reflect upon the situations at a slower rate. I plan to take advantage of all of the spare time available to me over the summer to figure out ways I can reach out to students to inspire them to do good things and to live up to scholarly expectations because they actually want to achieve great things. I am also glad I took this course simply because it forced me to open my mind to new thoughts and ideas. It made me think outside of the box and approach issues from a different perspective. This is one of the most valuable thing (in my opinion) that teachers can be taught. Especially since all of our students were not made from the same mold and one size definitely does not fit all.

Erica Spicer

“Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate differences as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.” -Judith Butler
If I am to teach children that who they are and what they bring to school is a valid and authentic life, I must challenge my own ideas and manner of thinking. I must not define the worth of my students, others or myself by any societal criteria. The research texts of this class expanded my thinking about the importance of investigating a child’s background in relation to language, class, economic status, and race and how it affects literacy learning in the classroom.
Race, language, and cultures in the United States seem to meld into a society of sameness. After all, are we not known as “the melting pot” of the world? However, the United part of our nation should not be the assimilation of races, languages, and cultures or a division of genders but the celebration and legitimacy of uniqueness among our people. Research conducted in the area of language reveals a complex chain of thought about how others either accept or reject people who speak differently. Our home language, or mother tongue, helps define who we are. In the article, “No Kinda Sense” by Lisa Delpit she explains “…our language has always been part of our very souls. When we are with our own, we revel in the rhythms and cadences of connection…” (p. 37) She was referring to African-Americans, however, all cultures, languages, and even dialects have this same connection with their home language. The general populace has a biased view of those who have not conformed to a standard form of English. Many think that a manner of speaking ties us to knowledge or intelligence. Therefore, it has been necessary for us to alter home language in order to conform to school or professional ways of speaking called “code switching.” The term code switching was new to me although I completely understand the concept. My language with my mother and older family members tends to be very country, while I speak differently with my husband, children, and friends and quite differently than when I speak in a classroom or professional setting. Delpit further states, “I have come to realize that acquiring an additional code comes from identifying with the people who speak it, from connecting the language form with all that is self-affirming and esteem building, inviting and fun.” (p. 39) Delpit goes on to explain, “If students are to acquire a second language form in school, teachers must not only see their students as nondeficient, they must understand their brilliance, and the brilliance of their home language.” (p. 42) This is part of literacy instruction that breaks down barriers to students’ success in school. Educators need to be aware of the needs of students to express themselves in a language form stemming from their race and cultural histories to lead them into being willing participants in school. Validation in spoken language leads them to a relaxed and accommodating ear for when I require them to transfer into the writing mode.
The reluctant writer is more challenging to motivate. After all, writing is work! My first-grade students have to work extremely hard to learn and apply forming the thought, holding the thought, spelling, spacing, letter formation, punctuation, grammar and reread. Their culture, class, and gender also play parts in this struggle to get their words on paper for an audience. Writing material in the form of experiences may be limited by those factors as well. In “I ain’t writin’ nuttin: Permission to Fail and Demands to Succeed in Urban Classrooms” by Gloria Ladson-Billings, she stresses that teachers should not lower expectations because of race, class, or gender. Her belief is that teachers who are creative and resourceful can and will motivate students to succeed. I must confess that when a five or six year-old students does not want to write and cannot write because of lack of knowledge in any of the aforementioned areas, it is difficult to get them jump-started. A certain measure of willingness on their part is what is required to get them moving. However, as Ladson-Billings says, we have to make a connection between what “language and literacy skills the students already possess and connect them up with conventional forms of literacy.” (p. 117) I believe I can best motivate these young, reluctant writers through Language Experience stories. This strategy will connect their home language, culture, gender, and class together and validate it to the others in the classroom at the same time.
Literacy education in the United States is a conundrum. The success of our students depends upon a complex system of individual societal histories, engagements with others concerning culture and gender expectations, oral language acquirement, class status, and prior experiences with literacy. I must make connections with my students and between my students concerning these systems that are already in place when they arrive at my door. Their success may depend on my ability to help them validate who they perceive themselves to be through their race, language, social class and culture. I must strive with an educational system that seeks to assimilate students’ individual histories instead of valuing their uniqueness.
Janet Gross

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michael Foucault

This quote really speaks to me because to be a good teacher, that is what we have to do. We have to be able to see things from our students’ points of view. We have to be able look at things through our students’ eyes. I have always held close to the idea that our experiences color our perspective of things. I think most of our readings really underline that. We all have our own little worlds, experiences, biases that make it difficult for us to imagine there is a world outside of our immediate world. One of my friends once said that she was shocked when she talked to her mother in Michigan and heard about all the snow her mother had in Michigan when we were having weather in the 70s. She said, “I keep forgetting that the whole world isn’t getting Catawba County weather.”
I think we all have moments like that, and not just about the weather or what it looks like outside our window. It is difficult for us to put ourselves in another person’s place. I do not teach at a school whose students have backgrounds similar to mine. My school has a population of students from lower-socio economic/working-class families. Most of the students represent minority racial groups. Most of the students have parents whose highest level of education is high school though not all completed high school. A majority of our students come from single parent homes.
As a white female who grew up in a middle class family and who has parents who have been married to each other for over 40 years, while I might be able to understand how and why they do certain things, I will never be able to truly understand how they feel. I do not know how it feels to wonder where my father is, or if I am going to be able to eat during the weekends, or if the power is going to be turned off when I get home from school in February. I do not know how it feels to have to wear the same clothes three days in a row, or to not have the medication I need, or how it feels to go visit a parent in prison.
The readings did emphasize that most parents love and want what is best for their children. They might not always know the best way to go about making sure their children d what they need to do. What is valued by families – the amount of education, language, literacy, culture – varies not just from race to race or culture to culture, but family to family.
As teachers we have to bridge the gap between home and school. We have to be willing to get to know our students not just as students, but as members of their families. We have to be willing to go to their homes if their parents will not come to school. Not all parents feel comfortable coming or are able to come into schools for whatever reason – whether it is their own bad experiences in school settings, or their work schedule – so we have to be willing to come to them. At my school we say, “If you feed them they will come,” and we have put that into practice for parent meeting by offering pizza.
Even before I became and ELL teacher, I learned about other cultures. I had to learn about these cultures in order to be an effective teacher at my school. So many people think of culture as food, dances, and clothes, when it is so much more. Culture is history, tradition, literacy, education, and so much more. The readings really emphasized the need, the importance of looking outside of myself, my world, my comfort zone and to try to see school and the world from their point of view. We have to know that as educators we can have such a profound effect on the way our students and their families view education and school. If we can welcome them and make them feel safe and comfortable it can have an impact on not only their performance in school but their futures as adults.
Going outside of your comfort zone is not an easy thing for any of us, but for a child it is terrifying. School is outside their comfort zone for many of our students and their families. We have to make sure that children see themselves in the literature and images that we have in our classrooms.
Children know if they really matter to you. They can tell if you are just saying the words or if you really mean them. Adults are a whole lot easier to fool about that sort of thing than children are. If you take the time to learn about students, their families, and cultures they will know that you truly care about them.
We can learn a lot from our students and they can learn a lot from each other. One thing we do is to talk about traditions they have in their families – whether it is going to Grandma’s house every Sunday, or attending Hmong New Year celebrations, or attending Las Posadas, or even birthday parties, dance recitals, and/or ballgames.
The idea of “trilingualism” was not new to me while the term was. We have long known at my school that the language/grammar we us at school is different from the language/grammar most of our students use at home. We have been teaching our students the idea of code switching. I tell them that it is just like the way I talk to them is not the way I talk to my mother or my friends, and the way I talk to my friends is not the way I talk to my principal. We have a teacher who “grew up rough” who explained this concept to our staff a decade ago because of our population of students.
Some of the readings were difficult to understand and I found myself having to reread certain sections because I had no idea what I had just read. Some of the readings taxed me and I there were times I had to put it down and come back later. I hate that I started off behind due to technological issues, but I did get caught up and learned a lot. I would have liked to have met at least once so that we could have real conversations on this subject and about the readings. All in all I am very happy that I took the course and did learn a lot.
I saw many of the children I work with or know from school – former and current students – in the children in the readings. They come to us with rich, colorful histories and stories to tell. We must allow them to share and to teach us and each other. We must do what we can to make sure each child gets the education he or she needs, the education he or she will embrace and the one that will help the child grow. I hope as I enter the 2009-2010 school year, I can take the readings and what I have learned from them, to be a better teacher and to help my colleagues be better teachers. Our students deserve that.

Caroline Walker

“Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.” Judith Butler

Throughout this entire course, I’ve felt a bit like the stand-by devil’s advocate. I have questioned my own thinking (about the way we constrain or compartmentalize life), had explosive reactions to the tone and content of some of the studies we’ve read (open up to possibilities), and have—fairly consistently—either disagreed with my classmates’ responses to the text or had a very different take on the readings. I tend to be a rather opinionated woman, which did not change over the course of this semester. However, my opinions have begun to shift slightly.

I am a twenty-six year old white female who has been fully assimilated into Southern culture, the Christian church, and a core value system based on life within the socioeconomic middle class. However, I am also a woman who has been raised to understand the value of education, of celebrating individuality & group dynamics, and is learning to step beyond the boundaries set by her childhood. So, perhaps, I’m learning to “resist models of assimilation” as Butler mentions in the above quote.

I’ve broken my understanding into three sections, using Butler’s quote. So in order to de-compartmentalize my understandings of race, class, and gender in literacy learning, I am going to compartmentalize my thoughts. Irony, at its finest.

“…interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained…”
Butler uses the word “interrogation” which I believe to be an apt descriptor of what we were asked to do in the course. Much of what we read was about topics that could be socially explosive. At times, I felt myself reacting with hostility toward what I perceived to be judgmental language on behalf of the researcher, specifically with Dowdy. At first, I was so annoyed by her word choice and ongoing hostilities about her educational experience, that I missed out on the beautiful concepts she was sharing with us. Perhaps my annoyance was the perfect place to start my journey into deeper understanding of language.

Initially, I saw language as a tool to get things done and communicate with others. Dowdy—while pushing my buttons—helped me realize that language is either a tool of subjugation or a tool of power. As a classroom teacher, my job is to respect the home language or mother tongue of my students, as this language ties directly into their family structure and social values. I have been guilty of having Spanish speaking students “chain their tongues” (p. 10) in my classroom, being annoyed by their chatter and the fact that I perceive them to be off task and sometimes disrespectful. Dowdy helped me see that my language may be the standard mode of language in my work and home communities, but that doesn’t make it the language all should use all of the time.

I appreciated that Baker not only spoke to teachers about interrogating how life is constrained, but taught her students to do so, as well, in a way that helped them find an internal drive to explore their own language. She encouraged self-exploration as a platform for learning about different modes of discourse (“formal” and “professional” English.) Delpit suggests that acquiring additional codes comes “from identifying with the people who speak it, from connecting the language form with all that is self-affirming and esteem building, inviting and fun” (p. 39). Baker gave us practical applications and suggestions of how to help students do this in our classrooms. I needed encouragement that I wasn’t a horribly out of touch teacher; Baker provided such.

As I began to analyze my own classroom instruction, I saw patterns of social constraint that were being relegated by social institutions more powerful than I. Henry, on page 241 of her research, explains that school is traditionally all about the teacher. Students are programmed to learn the facts we deem most important, minimally process them, and then spit out what they’ve learned. I am guilty of encouraging this type of instruction at times in my classroom. However, I think the issues stretches beyond room 705. Our public educational system is, in fact, market-driven, as Hicks says. We are constantly being bombarded with needs to push beyond and learn the basics. There is little time left to build relationships and get to know the specifics of each child. In order to become more successful teachers, I wonder if we will need to become more and more resistant of the existing middle-class structured educational system.

“…open up to the possibility of different modes of living…”
I am blessed to teach in a school that is ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. So I have had four years worth of experience working with students who struggle to make connections with one another, as their lives are so drastically different from each other. However, I had never thought of the ways my own upbringing influenced by classroom.

As I read the first articles by Dowdy & Delpit, I thought back to my senior year in high school when I was made aware of my “country bumpkin” status by a panel of urbanites sitting on a scholarship panel. Up until that point in my life, I had not realized that there were multiple ways of doing things—beyond the ways I experienced every day. I appreciate what Hicks says about her research on page 154, I believe it sums up my self-discovery during this course about different modes of living: “This is not so much a set of general theories about “what works” for working class children (or girls, boys, Latino children, etc.) rather it is an effort to learn this community, this neighborhood, this family.”

I am beginning to see that there is no clear cut right or wrong for any socially constructed group of people. There are tons of different modes for living, which we can slowly add to our existing understandings, when given time to enjoy and recognize these differences (Dowdy & Delpit).

What struck me most about the possibilities of lifestyles, was the varied ways in which students made sense of their worlds that had either very little or a great deal to do with the way they were treated in school. Sometimes I get a bit high & mighty and have the tendency to see myself as a demi-god for my students. They don’t need a demi-god. They need a supportive person who will affirm their modes of living and offer them views of other options. All of the students and/or groups that were written about during the course found themselves primarily without the help of an educator. The difficulties came when attempting to switch between the individual they were at home, to the one they “needed to be” at school—whether the good girl in the case of Laurie or the smart one, who needed to blend in the case of Delpit’s daughter. Our job is to help aid this transitionary process, in a way that celebrates each person.

I appreciated Henry’s summation of the role of voice, that voice offers power within the home living situation for children. I need to find more ways to allow students to utilize their voice at school in healthy, authentic ways. I want our classroom to become one in which students are actively involved in working toward what they perceive to be social justices. For example, the Lost Boys used storytelling to figure out their cultural identities, and then struck out to use this cultural art form as a mean for social change. Their modes of living changed drastically, but they were able to thrive during the change. I should be doing more to equip to students for their real lives—both the ones they live now and the ones they will likely face as adults.

“…establish more inclusive conditions…resist models of assimilation.”
I think I’ve included some information about inclusive conditions in the paragraphs above. However, I realize that there are some concrete changes I wish to implement in my thinking and in my instructional practice.

I want our classroom to become a place where learning is fun & welcoming (Delpit), where learning about language is a non-threatening celebration of lives (Baker, Ladson-Billings), and where the curriculum being taught is one that is both socially relevant and applicable for adult lives (Henry & Noll). I realize that I am an outspoken woman who sometimes feels like she knows the right answer. However, I am seeing that the “right answer” might not be the same for all students. My goal shouldn’t be to produce cookie cutter kids, but rather children who understand thinking process, the power of multiple modes of discourse, and students who see reading as a purposeful and meaningful activity.

At times during the course, I’ve been frustrated by my responses to the reading—either because I felt I was being judgmental or that I was being judged. However, I believe Hicks’ quote from the chapters 3 & 4 section of the text may be the most influential take-away from this course. She says, “Teaching, like research, involves situated readings of students. We read students’ lives in ways that draw on our own histories as learners” (p 56). My goal is to draw on my own history, without forcing my specific history on my students.

I am a work in progress. I realize that I continue to fall short in some areas, but I am aware of these short-comings and willing to consider alternative viewpoints and practices. Responsive education will happen in my classroom.

I have appreciated the struggle—both emotionally and academically—of the course readings and discussion. I have known since high school, when my parents and I got into fights about interracial dating, that I have some social advocate in my soul. This awareness continues to grow as I build meaningful relationships with students whose backgrounds are drastically different from my own. I want to keep learning so that I can keep fighting for the kids that I love!

Have a wonderful summer ladies. I’ve enjoyed it.

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
~Michel Foucault

When thinking back on what I have gained from this class I picked the quote by Michel Foucault. This quote is so beautifully written. There is one main message that I get when I read this quote. I think that this quote refers to stepping outside of your comfort zone to think and see differently issues that are going on around you so that you may continue reflecting on things you might not understand in your life. I believe this quote very strongly pertains to education and teaching in the classroom.
This class has taught me how to open my eyes and see beyond my children’s lives in the classroom and to look further into their lives at home to see why they are the way they are. As a teacher it is my job to help students to the best of their ability. If I do not use what the Foucault poem is saying and choose to perceive differently so that I may reflect on how my students live then how will I be able to meet their needs and help them become the best students they can be in the classroom. Many of the readings show different ways that class, gender, and race affect the way students learn literacy in the classroom. The articles also show how they might learn differently and how the decisions that teacher’s make in teaching them can determine whether they succeed in school or whether they are given “permission to fail”.
Looking back on the posts that I have contributed and the articles that I have read I have become more open about how race, class, and gender affect our students. If I had not taken this class I might not have been forced to look beyond my classroom and the way I teach to see that there is important research that shows why language and literacy are so important to students in the classroom.
In the article No Kinda Sense by Lisa Delpit you see the frustration of a mother that wants her child to speak grammatically correct not because she does not respect Ebonics but because she is worried about the way her child will be judged in the public’s eye. I think that the writer makes a good point that it is important for teachers to teach children to speak correctly in certain situations but that we should allow students to be themselves in our classroom and through that they will develop the art of “code switching”. I see how important it is for our students to be able to be themselves in the classroom. If we do not allow that then they will not come in willing to learn. They will constantly be trying to impress the teacher and not focus in on the important learning tasks. As a teacher I want my students to be able to use their home language in my classroom but I also want them to know that there are certain times where it is appropriate to use proper language. I want my students to know that their culture is important and that it is what makes them unique. That is why we must accept the use of other languages in our classroom. I like how Judith Baker created Trilingualism and created three categories of language which should be used in the classroom. The three categories home English, formal English, and professional English help to create an environment where students begin to understand when and where to use the different types of English. I can only hope that as a teacher I model these three types of English. From reading this article I have discovered that I need to show students more why it is important to use these so they can make their own choice to use it and that I am not forcing them to use it.
Through our readings I have come to grasp the fact that reading is not the only important aspect of literacy. Using dance, drama, story telling and music can be just as important to students in learning literacy. Many students come from rich backgrounds such as Native American, African American, Hispanic, etc that have these artistic forms that are very important to their culture. By incorporating these forms into literacy a teacher is more likely to grasp those students attention and engage them more in what they are learning. I think it gives these students a purpose for school and connects school to their culture and heritage. The idea of using these art forms became very important to me through readings that we completed in this class. These art forms are part of our student’s life so we need to embrace them and let our students teach us about their culture. There are always different ways we can incorporate these art forms into our lessons. I think that other students would greatly benefit from it also. I think that sharing different cultures and histories makes children appreciate each others differences better.
In Ladson Billings article we met Carter, an English teacher that was struggling to get his students excited about writing. Carter took music and created a lesson that would spark student’s interest. Ladson Billings quotes “Carter decided to gamble that if he could help the kids connect with music, he could help them connect with writing.”(p. 113) This example shows that if we as teachers take into consideration what our students understand from their culture we can create lessons that will engage them and make them want to learn. In Perry’s article about the Lost Boys we see just how important storytelling is to them and the way they learn and express their ideas. If these boys were not allowed to share their stories then they might have lost their cultural and historical identity and therefore would not have been able to bring those things to their learning. We also met the Native American students that struggled in their everyday schooling because they could not make connections from their home life to their school life. If we as teachers over look children that need this connection then they will loose the will to learn and be successful in school. The Native American children made it very clear that they felt school was like a job. They left it there at the end of the day and returned to the part of their life that was most important to them. I feel if the teachers they had would have looked more carefully at those two students and helped to form connections from home to school those children might have been more successful.
Through our reading s with Laurie and Jake I learned so much. I learned how important class, gender, and race can affect the literacy learning’s of children. Hicks gives such rich details of their lives, culture and histories that help to frame why they were not as successful as they could have been. I have learned that I need to look further into my students home lives, maybe give parents surveys on the types of literacy’s their children have been exposed to before kindergarten and whether the parents read to them. I want to go into next year and get as clear a picture as I can of where my students come from so that I can meet their needs and prevent some of the problems that Laurie and Jake faced. I know I cannot fix all the problems but I can at least use the information to help me understand what I need to do to help these students get ahead.
This class has truly taught me to open up my thinking and to look more closely at the relationships students have at home and with their culture and history. Without knowing this type of information I cannot teach them to the best of my ability. I have enjoyed reading about different types of genders, classes, and races. I think that some of this material I would have never seen if I had not been introduced to it here. I think that it will make me a better educator and more able to incorporate culture and language into my classroom because I know just how important it can be to students learning.

Megan Machuga

This summer session we have read a number of eye opening texts. Many of these texts were difficult to read and contained content I was not familiar with. I had to stretch my own thinking to grasp what was being communicated in these texts. My own experience is that of a white middle class female who has always found success in reading and school. This experience is much different than many of the children we read about this summer.

Reading about the experiences of others has created a sense of empathy and compassion within me. I wouldn’t say that I didn’t have these attributes before this class, but I would say that this class will cause me to stop and figure out what is going on with my students and not assume they are just slow, low, or disrespectful.

The issues brought up in the readings are of high interest to me. I was able to not only be exposed to something new but also to apply situations we read about to things I have experienced. This made the reading much more valuable than it would have been to me as an undergraduate who had not yet spent time in the classroom.

In addition to being about to personally connect to some of the situations in the text through my classroom experiences; I also tried very hard to hear the perspective of the subject in the text. I feel that I had some success at this and found that my ideas were changing even as I wrote comments to many of my classmates’ blog posts. I have often identified with many of my classmates in feeling that parents are a huge part of a child’s school problems or issues, but I found myself thinking about the parent’s life and point of view as we read from Reading Lives. Many of my peers noted that Laurie’s problem was partially because of lack of educational support at home and they, like I , wanted to blame the parent for this. However, I couldn’t help but think back to the reading and realize that Laurie’s mother and grandmother loved her and did everything they could for her. Their life situation did not allow them to support her in the way we as educators would want, but we cannot criticize or downplay the support and love they did provide.

As I approached many of the texts I was confronted with my own prejudices, and my hope is that this class has helped me to overcome some of these prejudices. As we read the first reading by Delpit, I couldn’t help but think of the many times, even recently, that I have though something negative about someone because of the way they speak. I consider my speech to be Standard American English, and I am proud of that. And often I cringe when I hear a southern drawl or an African American dialect. I know that these people are often just as or more intelligent than me and that speech does not indicate much of anything but speech. However, I still find myself thinking these things. I have consciously tried to correct my wrong thinking about speech, and hearing about the struggles of speaking differently definitely helped me to be more open minded about this issue.

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

This is without a doubt the quote that I would apply to myself in regards to the learning in this class. This quote means that when a person reflects upon who they are they will discover that there is things about who they are and how they thing that must change if they are going to be the person they want to be. If we reflect on who we are and see a flaw and are unwilling to change it, then we best stop reflecting on who we are because it is worthless. It is the change that comes from reflection that makes the reflection valuable.

This quote is true of me because of the many things I began to see differently as a result of the readings in this class. The first thing I began to see differently and am still working on processing is the concept of literacy. Before this course I had thought literacy pertained solely to reading and writing. Now my concept of literacy is much broader than that. I understand literacy to be the way an individual constructs and communicates meaning in their culture. This can included, but is not limited to, things such as storytelling, music, skits, drawing and nonverbal actions. This new understanding means that literacy practices may look different for different students, and that I must work to engage students in literacy practices that work for them.

Also, as I have already mentioned my perspective on language and it’s relation to intelligence has changed. As we read I realized my ideas were wrong and needed to change. The readings in this class helped me to see errors in my own thinking.

The Baker and Ladson-Billings articles helped change my mind on what it means to allow children to fail. I had often thought it the past that it wasn’t my problem if a child chose to fail. However, this article helped me to see that the little things teachers allow students to get away with may be allowing them to fail. This helped renew in my the desire to help all students find success in school. This wasn’t a completely new thought to me, but it was one that had been forgotten in the past years.

All in all, this course allowed has me to see the world through many different viewpoints. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to read from perspective of people who have different life situations then I do. I know that the information presented in this class will allow me to be more open minded and compassionate toward students who may not come from the same background as me. I have been inspired by the teachers we have read about to be innovative in my teaching in order to reach all students with literacy practice.

Shannon Keough

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”
Michael Foucault

In my day to day life of working full time and being a wife and mom of three, there has been little time to stop and reflect on life in general, much less my teaching. I was stuck in a rut and needed a change. So, here I am back in college and soon to be 40. I am absolutely loving this experience because you can and need to “teach an old dog new tricks.”
I found this class to be my most challenging class intellectually thus far. I had to move beyond my first grade, middle-class classroom to consider ideas I have not thought about since my earlier years teaching at an inner city school full of diversity. I had placed those issues in the past at times longing to be back in the mist of the diversity, but currently enjoying life teaching in the community in which I live.
So, as we began reading the articles and diving into the issues related to race, class, and gender I began to see some of the issues I faced earlier in my career. This time with more wisdom and time to reflect. Before this class I perceived the issues of race, class, and gender simplistically. I had to open up and see the deeper issues involved. It is not simply about the color of your skin or the social class you come from. Instead, it is about our upbringing, having a voice, identifying with others, and becoming part of the academic discourse.
I had never thought of my language as being a part of my identity. And if it was part of my identity, I took it for granted, because I am white middle class. My “voice” has always been represented in the classroom. I have never been asked to give it up and learn a new language. How could I totally understand what it does to an individual to feel their language is inadequate?
I found it even more interesting how Delpit’s daughter picked up on Ebonics so easily. It clearly shows children learn from their peers more easily than teachers because they are under less stress and are allowed to talk and interact without the fear of correction. Just another reason to allow more student talk and less teacher talk in the classroom. Delpit says, “…acquiring an additional code comes from identifying with the people who speak it, from connecting the language form with all that is self-affirming and esteem building, inviting and fun” (p. 39) As an educator, I must learn to add to their language learning by identifying with the people I am teaching because language is power. If I try to take it away, I am taking away some of their power, some of their identity.
“Permission to Fail.” Had I done this? Every part of who I am wants to say no. But if I truly reflect, I know I have. The Ladson-Billings article made me upset because it was assumed race was the motive for allowing Shannon to fail. However, my gut tells me maybe it was a small part for this teacher. However, it will never be a reason for me. After reading the numerous articles this semester I will strive hard to prove Ladson-Billings wrong. No child, no matter race, class, or gender will be allowed to fail or “give up” in my room. Ladson-Billings article will forever ring in my ear. I will raise my expectations higher before I let them fail and give them the “ladders” they need to reach them. I will meet them culturally and find what makes them tick.
The chapter I still have trouble thinking differently about is the chapter about Jake. I totally get that girls and boys are different based on their genetics and upbringing. I have a girl and 2 boys of my own and yes they are different from day one. But as their mother, I expect them to all behave in church, in the grocery stores, and at school. Gender is not going to be my youngest son’s excuse to fail. As an educator, I won’t let it be another’s boys excuse either. I will work harder to be provide more opportunities for choice and movement around the classroom. Purchasing more “boy” books is a definite start. The writer’s workshop and reading workshop provide the flexibility they need to get up and move around. It is my job as a teacher to make the curriculum meaningful and interesting for both genders -
There are times when teaching when I think I have tried all I know how to do. I must take the time to reflect and give it one more try with a new twist. With this in mind, I will take two very important ideas away with me - listen and “Motivation first, rules last (59 of Baker.)
First, I know in order to reach all students I must listen to them and their families. I must take the time to get to know my students, their families, and their backgrounds - I cannot forget how important the “whole” child is. I will bring parents into our class more often - get them involved. Communication and teamwork will make our classroom work as an extension of their community.
Motivation first! I must bring in picture books depicting students of all races, classes, and gender. (Picture books are not just for elementary school.) Teaching acceptance, compassion, empathy and individuality will be an important part of our family meeting time from now on. Discussions will become a bigger part of our classroom - I will allow them time to talk and write about what is on their minds.
Motivation first! I will work harder at making the curriculum fit around the interests of my students. There is a way to make sports fit into every subject!

Tamera Wilson

“Critique is understood as in interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate differences as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation”. – Judith Butler
As I read this quote I thought about how incorrect and inconsistent I’ve been all these years about, critique; about how I have critiqued a subject or a literary piece of work and because I critiqued it, I thought my review set me apart from the others. But after reading articles in this class, and describing and/or evaluating what the above quote means to me; I can now tell the veil has definitely been lifted from my eyes. Know I understand that it is not so important that I criticize but appreciate, embrace, and tolerate those areas that I’ve stood so strongly and negatively against. After all, it is our differences that make us unique yet those same diversities bring us together.
Those diversities are true in the educational realm if no other place, and being an educator it is very easy to say, “It’s my way, or the highway”. Sure, unfortunately, I’ve had a student in my classroom that didn’t quite understand the instructions, even after I’ve delivered and/or restated them three times. Instead of trying to comprehend where that student’s history or literacy comes from, I disregard that student as not being with it, or being off task. Noll made it clear in her study that, she was the “outsider”, and she needed to gain the trust of the American Indians while trying to understand their culture.
There were non-American Indian teachers who didn’t try to understand or reach out to the American Indian students. Noll quoted one of them as saying, “he did not really know her like he know the other students who are more vocal, Zonnie is just kind of there”. The point here is that this teacher, just like I’ve been guilty in the past, did not try or want to get to know Zonnie or her culture. Granted my student that I referenced earlier wasn’t American-Indian, but my student was from a different culture and literacy than mine. Just like Noll made it a point to get to know the American Indians, their ways, culture, and traditions. I, too, have got to break down my own barriers and model, and accept those differences in others, and learn to work with them.
Regarding the portion of the quote which states, “to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation”, is this what critique should be? Maybe Henry had it all figured out in her research when she quoted an African American teacher as saying, “teachers who ignore issues in the lives of minority students leave them voiceless. Voice is identity, voice is power – power to direct and shape an individual life towards a productive and positive fulfillment for self, family, community, nation, and the world”. Were these African Caribbean girls, “resisting models of assimilation”, not wanting to conform, or where they truly ignored, powerless, voiceless?
Henry believes that the students’ ability to be silent, and not speak in the classroom is words in itself. But the questions still remains, are the girls resisting conformity, or are they just misunderstood? I feel Henry explores this idea when she meets with the girls weekly and have reading and writing activities. Within these weekly meetings and/or literacy circles, she and the girls make connections. They connected with the text, with each other, and their community. Their group actually evolved into a problem solving type community for each other.
So, is Henry correct? We, as educators, regardless of our skin color, are we doing enough for our minorities, especially girls, to include them; provide security and cultivate their well being for them to want to be acclimated into our culture? Depending on who you talk to, we are doing plenty. There were several responses in our blog as well that echo this sediment that, “teachers are doing the best they can with the students they have”. Are we now? I work with teachers who absolutely “adore their black female students”. They reference how pretty their hair is always kept; they speak about how well they get alone with the other students; and if the black female is well developed (like most of us are by the fifth grade) then the teacher comment on how “mature” the student is. As Henry pointed out in her study, teachers do not consider these students are “serious learners”. Again I reiterate, just like Henry started an after school weekly meeting place for these girls to problem solve and to get to know themselves and each other. If we, as educators, do not step up our game and do more, then aren’t we telling these minorities girls that it is okay to be “voiceless”; therefore “powerless”, and then they will continue to resist our assimilation.
Toni Wheeler

I didn’t quite know what to expect from this course when I registered for it a couple of months ago. I also have never taken an online course so I kind of expected it to be an impersonal experience, but this blog has been a wonderful way for us to share our thoughts. It has been great! I honestly have enjoyed this class so much more than I thought I would. I also plan on purchasing the book that the first few articles came from. I have really loved some of these articles and think that I would enjoy reading some more. I also plan on recommending some of these readings to some of my colleagues in the future.

I am thinking back to different ideas and issues that these articles have brought to me and there are several that stand out to me. First, I am still a young teacher and have many many years left in my career. At this point I haven’t really had any students that come from cultures that are very different form ours. I have had Hispanic students, but they have all come from families that really value the American way of life and thus find education important and have all really valued me in their children’s life. I think these articles have helped me think outside of the box when it comes to students who are culturally different than the ones I am used to working with. Reading about girls from Africa and native American communities is eye opening. I haven’t really considered the possibility of getting students from these demographics, but it could happen any moment. Reading these articles have helped me to realize how important it is to help students find a balance between their old culture and their new one. I wouldn’t dare to ask my students to leave behind the traditions they have grown up with… instead I would want to know more about them so I could incorporate them into my classroom. I would want these kids to find success too, and enjoy school! I would never want any of my students to feel out of place in my classroom.

Another subject I had never really considered was having students with different dialects and how to help them learn to code-switch. It’s not really something I’m all that familiar with. Many of my students have accents, and some speak using poor grammar. But having many different slang and dialects isn’t something I usually think about. I think code-switching is very important for students who come from different backgrounds. We want our students to speak with proper English and sound intelligent, but at the same time we don’t want to stifle the culture they come from and are familiar with. I think teachers of older students probably run into this sort of thing more than I do. Older students really seem to embrace slang and other things. It’s important for these kids to understand when slang is appropriate and when it’s not.

Also, gender is something that is so important to consider when it comes to a child’s literacy. As much as I would like to ignore gender stereotypes they can actually serve as important guides for teachers. I realize that many, not all, but many of my students really fit into these gender stereotypes. Kids did years back, thy do today, and they will in the future. It is so important for me to know how to best reach these kids. I want every child in my room to be successful and it is my job to ensure that this happens. I think it is especially important for teachers like me who work in the lower grades to find ways to reach these students. I would hate for students to begin “hating” reading at such an early age. All kids want to learn to read and I need to make sure that this happens in a comfortable and safe environment.

This course has opened my eyes to many things. One thing I am really going to make an extra effort to do in the fall is familiarize myself with students’ families. I want to get to know each family so I can understand more about where my children are coming from. I need to know how much emphasis is placed on literacy in the home. I also need to know what kind of backgrounds a student’s parents come from. I want to know more about these kids so I can better help them. I don’t want anyone to have permission to fail.

Kelly Beckley

“Text of pleasure: the text that contents, fills, grants euphoria; the text that comes from culture and does not break with it, it is linked to a comfortable practice of reading.
Text of bliss: the text that imposes a state of loss, the text that discomforts, unsettles the readers’ historical, cultural, psychological assumptions, the consistency of his tastes, values, memories, brings to a crisis his relation with language.”
-Roland Barthes

Certainly the opening “text of pleasure” statement is straightforward and reader-friendly. It’s the second half that gets a little thorny, just as the quote itself declares that “text of bliss” is one that “discomforts.” Perhaps then, I can start by declaring this a “quote of bliss.” This quote is imbedded with irony in that one would assume a “text of bliss” to be the logical step up from the “text of pleasure”—simply a description of increasing pleasure. In actuality, however, the “text of bliss” or text of “supreme happiness”—as Webster’s defines it—is considered by Barthes to be such due to its ability to break down walls of the heart and mind, walls that perhaps were put there without the permission or even knowledge of the reader. Henceforth, it should be then, a blissful experience for the thinking person to possibly lose (“…text imposes a state of loss…”) such cultural, relational or personal impositions—brought upon by self or by others—rooted in the mind that work to obstruct every effort at comprehension on every level through any given means. In this way, the thinker (reader of “text of bliss”) is empowered to make more room in his house of ideas for the furniture of relational language—language that healthfully fosters relationship with other people and ideas. Let’s face it: the proverbial furniture of the mind needs dusting, rearranging, and even thrown out to the dumpster from time to time, and blissful text can no doubt be the tool that weeds out the useless or splintered furniture. Without this conviction-driven selection process, the thinker will find himself in a cramped room with no budge, completely unable to have a clear view out the window for all the piled-up mess. Before long, he’ll want to either condemn the building or start a bonfire. Hopefully we engage in enough “blissful text” on a regular basis that we can avoid such catastrophe.

Now to the business of making sense of my own ramblings: I can do that for no one but myself. Isn’t it a marvel how our own writing and thinking can make so much sense to us, yet when another reads it, they may think we’ve lost our minds? This, to me, is yet another example of the “text of bliss.” It generally lends itself to a certain level of intensity that naturally causes this “discomfort” and unsettling to which Barthes makes reference. I can testify that I’ve many-a-times read text that was so foreign to me that it wasn’t unsettling a bit because I couldn’t—and refused to for lack of interest—make a connection with it. The language experience is so subjective. Depending upon my season of life, I could stumble upon a text now that meant nada years ago, yet it shakes my foundation now. Here’s the thing: a blissful text to one may not be a blissful text—as Barthes defines blissful—to another. Unless one sparks personal connection with a text, it may not unsettle thought foundations or processes at all. Perhaps one has to be prior invested in a related thought process that the “text of bliss” challenges; or, on the flip side of this coin, one may also be shaken up by a text introducing a brand new concept that totally rattles their entire cage of consciousness. I believe that in this semester, I’ve experienced both instances.

The first reading that comes to mind from this semester is the Michelle Obama piece. I don’t know why her statement about not knowing what the kids were talking about when they said she “talked like a white girl” rattled me so. What is it in my foundation of thought that would crank me so about this particular statement? I think it’s my quest for truth, justice, and sincerity, a practice I’m already invested in for the sake of abundant life. I can’t stand to feel like I’m being lied to—taken for a fool. Or, that anyone else who can’t—or won’t—otherwise defend themselves is taken for a fool even if it’s over something as “minor” as this statement. What Obama said about her childhood response to some jeering peers is not going to start or stop any world wars, but I can tell you that I believe in what’s best for kids, and lying to them is no place to start. Lastly, I appreciate my blogging peers pointing out more “meaningful” or “positive” content which I missed due to my accusatory soapbox; but what made this piece “blissful” for me is, due to the unsettling, I’m yet another precise, thoughtful step closer to understanding my unapologetic quest for the truth—especially for the sake of children. Notice I didn’t say quest for mercilessness, self-righteousness or judgment, just truth.

The other text that spells “bliss” for me is Deborah Hicks’ Reading Lives. This book stands out most to me not because I didn’t appreciate excerpts from Skin that Speaks; these were mostly texts of “pleasure” for me, but Reading Lives really shook me. I found myself stopping to rearrange the proverbial furniture in my mind. As I wrote in my blog, some of the pedagogical truths in this book are so rich that I found myself dumping some of the old teaching examples I’ve followed. This is blissful to me—supreme happiness! Notably, I’ve been wrestling with the integrity in the practice of dangling rewards to get students to do what I want. Let me check that again—what I want! I’m nauseas. How manipulative. As I read about poor Laurie and how she always sat up straight whenever the teacher asked a question, making sure she always did what she needed to do to be the “good” girl, all the while using her good-girl behavior to overshadow her academic struggle, I became suddenly heartsick for this girl and for so many other Lauries in this world who manipulate—in an innocent way—others around them by trying their best to be whomever they think the world wants them to be so that they will be labeled as a “success.” I was so taken by this illustration that I stopped reading and immediately began to pray that my own daughter not fall into this “good-girl” behaviorist trash whenever she starts school. This, then, was a blissful reading for me because I’m one step closer to guarding my daughter—and other students, male and female alike—from the danger of manipulation by extrinsic rewards.

Lastly, I was especially uncomfortable when I began reading Chapter Three and Hicks was reflecting about being immersed in the culture of the “Bible Belt Southeast.” I immediately took offense and almost put the book down. Truly, I was aghast at what I was reading! However, I went on to discover the value of Hicks’ illustration in helping me to understand how gripping some of the discourses from whence I—and my students—have come. Undeniably, I immediately took offense thinking that she was denying her childhood culture and criticizing said Christian practices. As I worked through my discomfort and continued reading, though, I realized how much I may have offended students in the past without intention. I realized how I must tread softly when addressing cultural issues. I realized that I must affirm my students’ home discourse and facilitate their processes of making meaning out of and connections with our school discourse to that of their home. We all just need a little affirmation. Forgive the cliché, but it can go a long way.

Erin Farrington

Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained
in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions
for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.
Judith Butler

I chose to reflect upon this quote and how it connects with my learning this semester because it is a powerful statement and one that really strikes a chord in my heart. I think that we Americans sometimes don’t really realize how fortunate we are to live in a place where we can make so many decisions about our lives without intervention and constraint from government. We have so many freedoms and opportunities that many other countries do not have. For this very reason, our country is a melting pot of various cultures and ethnicities; people from other countries desire to come here because they see the opportunity for a much better way of life than that which they have in their homeland.

Often times these families are working class families, and in some instances they may arrive here having had to flee for their very lives (as the Lost Boys of Sudan did), so they are beginning at rock bottom without many financial resources or family to call on for help. This factor of poverty, combined with cultural differences and language barriers becomes a difficult hurdle for the children when they are thrust into our middle class school systems. We have programs, such as ESL, but are these programs really doing enough to help these children succeed? I do not think that they are.

There is a saying that goes something like this: “With great freedom comes great responsibility.” Our county has undergone a shift during the last half century. Life was once such that you could have a farm and provide for your family with the fruits of your labor. Now, the small family farms have all but disappeared, as well as the small businesses. Major industries and technology have made it even more necessary to get an education in order to get a job and provide for your family. But, many of our children of working class families and those of immigrant families are still clinging to the mindset that they don’t need to get an education, they can work physical labor instead and you don’t need schooling to do that. As parents, we are doing a disservice to our children if we pass this way of thinking down to them, as Jake’s father did in the article we read. I fear that many Americans may interpret their great freedoms and choices as permission to do nothing, resting in the security of social services to fill the gaps financially if they can’t afford to take care of themselves.

In Butler’s quote she refers to different modes of living. How I wish that our country could find a way to level the playing field for the children of families that are working class and/or immigrants from other countries. It seems that it is very difficult for these children to be successful in school and to break out of the cycle they are in. The schools try to help them, but sometimes I don’t think we really know how to help. We don’t want to assimilate families and people, so that all Americans are exactly the same. We don’t want our schools to produce robots and clones. To do so would mean the end of our democracy and the freedoms we value so much. However, I think that even in a country of such great freedom, there must be some standards and expectations if we wish for our societies to continue to be a safe, civilized place to live.

This thought has been forefront in my mind as I read our assignments and texts this summer. As a parent, I want to raise my children the way that I think is best; I don’t want restrictions imposed upon me. However, as a teacher in a school where there are mostly working class families and large populations of ethnically diverse students, I think there should be some rules for parents. There is no valid excuse for parents to not be good parents who are involved in the education of their children. In many cases, I think the parents want the best for their kids, but either don’t know what to do or don’t have the resources they need. We can’t just turn our heads and say it isn’t our problem because it isn’t our child. Our crime rates are high, our prisons are full, drugs and substance abuse is rampant and even showing up in our elementary schools now. It’s everybody’s problem, and if we don’t find a way to help these children be successful in school and get a good education, then our society as a whole will suffer tremendously. Stating the problem is easy, but finding solutions is the difficult part. Our government offers financial aid in the form of welfare, but often this becomes an enabling device or a way of life rather than temporary assistance until one can get out of a difficult situation. Someone mentioned in their post that their students talked about how many babies they were going to have so that they could get enough money from the government to live on. This is the source of our problems; we have made it too easy to fail! Why bother to learn at school or try to get an education so you can get a good job? There’s no incentive to work hard if there are no consequences. The burden of fixing all these problems can’t be placed upon our schools. They are institutions of learning, not social remediation centers. I can’t possibly overcome all the issues my students come into my classroom with, but I am expected to do that as well as cover my curriculum. Our government needs to look at our policies and find ways to help our needy families other than mailing them checks every month based on how many babies they have. There is no accountability involved. They should have to attend classes on parenting and bring their children to classes for school readiness in order to get the financial assistance. That seems like a workable possibility to me, and one that would benefit the children and help them get a head start so they would be ready when they show up at school.

The poverty issues seem to be a factor in most of our readings. Sure, race, ethnicity, and gender do greatly affect children’s experiences in school and life, but poverty seems to be a much more controlling and influential factor. So many posts have been made stating that parents can’t help their children because they are too busy working to try to survive. I don’t think that it is an acceptable excuse to be a neglectful parent. Parents must be held accountable to do their part. It should be mandatory to attend parenting classes where we could educate our parents about the importance of literacy and how vital this is for their child to succeed in school. This is especially important for our poor and minority children. I know that there are parenting classes out there now, but they are not required and the parents who really need them are not the ones who will voluntarily go to them. I also think that quality preschool programs are necessary; perhaps we should even look at making K-4 mandatory. The expectations and rigorous curriculums that are in place in kindergarten now do not give children that year to become familiar with school before more formal instruction begins in first grade. If we are expecting kindergarten to be an instructional year, then we really need to find a way to prepare the children. This would be expensive, I realize, but these are our children, our future, and I think that’s more important than any other expense our government may have.

In closing, I want to say that I have been challenged by our readings this summer and I have thought about these controversial topics in new ways. I have learned a great deal about why my students act the way they do sometimes, and hopefully I have a new sense of understanding and acceptance for their behaviors. I hope to apply these insights when working with families who are working class or from a different ethnic group, and my goal is to try to be more involved with the family and not just the child.

Lorie Hedrick

“Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.”
Judith Butler

When I think of this quote, I like to take a small phrase at a time and define what it means to me. To me a critique is how you feel about something. In literature I would define interrogation as questioning yourself, your beliefs, and your thoughts. Life is held back in order to open of different kinds of living.
I feel that as children in school they are very limited to having their own say or choice. DPI strictly controls educators and this forces teachers to concentrate mainly on the subjects that the students are being tested by the state. This constrains teachers from teaching from their heart and they are over powered to teach the students to pass the test. If teachers do not teach the students to pass the test then we all know that we will be interrogated by ones self and the principal. The state tests and the interrogations from administrators discourages us from opening up cultural differences which in turn could lead to different ways of living. By teachers following the system and ignoring student’s background, culture, history, and preference gives the students the impression of not being cared about by their teacher. We all know that when we feel that we are not cared about then we will no longer do our best for that person. As a teacher we all know that if we want our students to perform their best then we need to respect them for who they are. We must show each and every child that we love them, we care for them and that we want them to do their very best in school.
“We should not celebrate differences as such but to establish more inclusive conditions.” To me this means that we should not take time out of our daily schedule to talk about and explore the cultural differences between the students. We should just let everyone be themselves and not worry about their peers. It also means that everyone should establish the same school conditions. To me this reminds me of a uniform school where everyone has to be dressed in the same color and the same kind of clothes. I am not for or against the clothing issue but it does bother me when we are talking about how the children should act and learn. I do not want every child to act the same! This would be like going to school and teaching robots all day long. This is definitely not my idea of a job I want to do for the rest of my life. If this were to be the case then every child would read the same way. To me, this would not be so bad. Students would also write the same way and would have very similar stories. I do not know about you, but I do not want to sit down and read twenty-five stories that are very similar to each other. I am all for individualism and creativity. Every child should be unique in his/her own special way. We all know that the more a child is around someone the more they begin to act like them. When our students come to school in America we do not encourage them to act like ourselves. We encourage our students to be themselves and to be unique and different from his/her peer that they are sitting beside. I believe that most children get their identity from their parents and close relatives. Sometimes children do not turn out the way his/her parents want them to or the way they had been raised. We just have to deal with it. Do you think this could be from the lack of being taught issues that are culturally diverse? As a teacher if you shelter and maintain a classroom that resists assimilation then you do not accept “the merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups”. (Internet-dictionary.com) Is this fair to children that have been raised by a family that has different cultural beliefs? I do not feel that this is fair to the students. The students will learn better if they are in a loving environment. To me a loving environment allows the students to be able to express themselves and their culture beliefs. Just like the “Lost Boys” did in the article. The “Lost Boys” were accepted by their teacher/peers and they thrived. The “Lost Boys” were eager to grow to know and learn the English language. They were able to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
Over the past several weeks we have read multiple article that deal with the assimilation of various cultural groups that have came to America. As teachers we all realize that hardship of getting a child that does not speak English. However, it is our full responsibility to teach the child the NC standard course of study. We are limited on what we teach. We may tie in multiple diverse cultural groups into our social studies lessons. I have learned a great deal from this class. Next year I will definitely find/make time for social studies especially at the beginning of the year. Every child deserves to know about the history and cultures of other people living in America. There is not better way to help all of our students “fit in” with their peers. This will ensure a better school year for you and all of your students.
Misty Mistretta

Chapter 5 and 6
In Chapter 5, Jake is introduced as her 2nd research project. I guess we heard from a girls point in previous chapters. It’s obvious that one’s home environment has a great influence on how children learn in the classroom. Jake was used to exploring and using hands- on activities keeping him busy vs. paper and pencil. No one sits all day when they are at home so why should we not teach to each child’s learning style at school. We should subject mobility, lecture for verbal learners and mix the lesson with hands-on right after for visual learners. All students need this diversity in classroom activities if nothing but social reasons. Everything I have read is projecting home environment with literacy. Interesting, like the Indian Tribe communicating by dance and song in the “Storytelling to Writing article.”
On page 102 of chapter 5 I like when Jake’s mother voices her family philosophy of teaching and learning. She states, "Children need to learn from their mistakes, to learn for themselves.” I am the youngest of five children so I pretty much had to figure out things for myself. There was no coddling or babying. I was told to watch and I would learn on my own. Being a grandparent kid at night plays an important role in a child’s life. I can relate because I was a single mom and I worked at night so my mom would keep the girls and have them ready for school in the mornings. My mom always supervised homework and made sure everything was in place for the next morning. My children would write stories all through elementary school about my grandparents. Its true family is the best resource for students and teachers to motivate and relate topics to differentiate according to gender, race, and ethnic background.
Jake was drawn to his father’s woodwork and carried out the fathers identities. His father’s education was at the school of “Hard Knox” I would call it. There is no substitute for experience and practice in whatever we do. Jake was always moving from one activity to another. The task at hand had to make sense or Jake thought it was stupid. Sometimes it’s difficult to realize every student’s strengths and the areas they have strength. Teachers sure can pick out weaknesses. In fact most teachers think of the points to work on first. I’m not saying this is wrong, I think teachers are held countable for so much that to meet everyone’s needs we would need 1-1 daily for most students and who has time for that? I have found that centers do work for non motivated students. I have always had success with multiple topical centers and all genders, races, and no matter what economic status. Students journal write everyday about our centers and what we did, who we played with, and how we did it. The kids love this activity and it is drawn on something from that center that includes math, research, writing, science, and social studies. The whole curriculum is in my centers. I keep a running record. I also pull students 1-1 and read a baggie book on child’s level after picture walk during this center time. I track all books read and I can pinpoint culture issues because the books are multicultural and cover all genres and this makes the kids well rounded. After reading this article, I will be more conscience of student’s interest in the real world. Hurrah!!! New Zealand Keep up the good work of thriving on hybrid cultural spaces.
Robin Hand

Chapter 6 tells us how we teachers should motivate our students using everything we know including, environment, social groups, ethnic groups, and race and gender. The underlying statement is that a intertwining of literacy and essayist forms moving between narrative histories and reflective commentary on the situated nature of writing, teaching, and theorizing. According to Nussbaum, much of what we know is shaped by relations with concrete others and attentiveness to those relations may be important for shaping educational theory. When learners engage in practices and relations they have a better connection with others. This just about says it all.
Robin Hand

In reflecting over the work we have just completed in this course, I find that I am drawn to Foucault’s words as I consider my learning.

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”

Suddenly, I feel as though I have entered a long hallway lined on both sides with doors. All these doors, when opened, reveal topics for future study and inquiry – topics I had not considered ‘til now. These topics are pressing and crucial to who I am as a professional, as a teacher, and as a human being in contact with countless other humans. I must continue in careful consideration of these things to decide where I stand on these issues, the basis for so much of my personal philosophy. I find Foucault’s words to be a definition of where I am as a learner. It is a question I must constantly ask of myself as I continue my studies. Have I grown too hardened, so unmoveable and rigid that I cannot think differently? Am I able to recognize the extraordinary and unusual in daily practice and behavior? If I cannot answer a resounding yes, than I am standing still as an academic learner. I am certain that I am not standing still. My reading list is growing. I have added Discipline and Punish, as well as other essays by Foucault. Structuralism and the response of Post – Structuralists occupy space on my list, as do the ideas of agency, autonomy, literary and cultural theory, Womanism (Feminism?), politics of subjectivity, and Marxism. In addition, I have discovered de Beauvoir, Walkerdine, Deleuze and Guattari, Foucault and the multifaceted issue of power in relationships. I will come to think and perceive differently, and will continue to do so until I am mature.

I came into this semester knowing that there were issues coming. Issues that I had not addressed in prior times. I’m sure now that I had a good idea of what types of questions would be raised. I am delighted to say that my prior scholarly endeavors in Latino Studies (entirely in Spanish) could be a distant cousin to the subject matter in this course. Marginalization, assimilation, alienation in different settings, all these things I had explored in other, largely Hispanic cultural contexts. To include race, gender, and class within the periphery of education was a logical extension for expanding my knowledge. At this juncture, I cannot see how they could ever be separated.

Looking back over the course material, I recognize that we have met many of the competencies listed on the syllabus. While still developing, I have made and continue to make an honest effort to “broaden the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills in the academic discipline and in education.” One could not be exposed to the written words we have ingested throughout this month without doing so. I am entertaining several novel ideas and concepts for improving the settings for student learning. One of the most valuable things I have learned this semester is there is so much more to literacy than I thought in the past. I was forced to redefine exactly what literacy entails, and had to radically alter what my original definition included. My current idea of literacy is so much broader, must include more diverse means of expression and choices, and must remain available to alternate and or opposing interpretations, as the skill of the listener / reader / writer warrants. I concede that as a teacher, I must understand the differences with regard to literacy learning and expression within my students. I must concede, as well, that these differences should be viewed as strengths, rather than deficits needing correction. Noll’s article bears this out. I was not open to seeing literacy expression in the ways chosen by those Sioux children. Nor did I consider oral tradition to be literacy; clearly, the art of storytelling is a crucial element in the list of literate practices. Any list would be incomplete without its inclusion.

Exposure to the writings of Dowdy and Delpit has caused me reason for thought and reevaluation of my prior understanding of language and dialect. The ideas that one language could ever be superior to another, or that the speaker could in some way be deficient by reason of his / her mother tongue continue to appear absurd to me. These essays have affirmed that we cannot evaluate a learner on the basis of his / her means of expression, or the strangeness of his / her words. I perceive differently that grammar is a matter of personal history and culture, and not a weakness to be corrected or adjusted. The writings of Ladson – Billings and Henry seemed to me a reprisal of currently accepted teaching practices…I must ask myself - Do I do that? I must be aware and be sure that I include all learners in all aspects and on all levels of instruction. The ground shaking epiphany experienced during the reading of Perry’s research left me with an updated and more inclusive definition of literacy. The Lost Boys and their stories teaches us that each of us has the capacity to evolve, adjust, and acclimate ourselves to reality as we perceive it, or as it is imposed upon us. I concede that rhetoric and storytelling as academic practices are not only interpretable and personal, but are also infinitely textural and rich in cultural uniqueness.

Finally, Hicks has opened for me a real Pandora’s box of issues and questions regarding education and race, gender, and class. My views on delivery of instruction, assessment, and differentiation have been significantly altered after reading the qualitative narratives, personal memoirs, and poignant observations of those Hicks builds her case upon. Her writing taxed me. I am a skillful reader, and was significantly challenged by the text. Her constant return to literacy under the lens of personal history remains for me a constant reminder that being and knowing and learning are all inseparably tied to the essence of each of us. In discovering just what that essence is, I expect to discover a new perception and understanding of myself as I strive toward excellence in my field. As I develop a deeper understanding of myself, I may become better qualified to assist young learners in their own journey of discovery, as I daily act as guide, facilitator, mentor, and teacher for my students. I can easily say my students will benefit from the newness of my perception, the dissimilarity of my thinking, as we learn together and continue to challenge traditional academic views and methods.

Annie Croon

According to dictionary.com to reflect means to think, ponder, or to meditate. Well, during this class, to say that I reflected would be an understatement. I reflected so much that I started seeing double. Therefore, the quote from Michel Foucault is a perfect representation for my though process this summer:
There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Reflecting is what makes me a better person, a better mother, and most definitely a better teacher. If I cannot reflect and make changes, then my friends, my family, and most of all my students will suffer. As a result of the reflecting I have done during this class, I have grown and learned so much.

With our first readings by Delpit and Dowdy, my first thoughts were – he we go again, more pity for the African Americans. I had a hard time understanding why teachers would even consider Ebonics as a language to teach or use in school. African Americans have lived in the United States for centuries so why is it so hard for them to speak “proper English”? After reflecting, now I understand the answer to my question – culture.

I don’t think I will ever forget Ladson-Billings chapter, “I Ain’t Writin’ Nuttin’.” I still think about my students last year and the thought that I may have given them “permission to fail.” Throughout this course, whether in readings or in classmates’ posts, I recognized a common obstacle – pressure. I feel pressure from my district office to make sure my kids score high on their EOGs. I feel pressure from my colleagues, because they have to stay and remediate my students. I feel pressure from my principal to do the extracurricular activities which takes time away from my family. I feel pressure from my family, because I have to do the extracurricular activities. It is a revolving door and I cannot escape. For that reason, I know I am not permitting my students to fail, but who is?

While reading the two qualitative research papers, I became irritated. It just didn’t seem rational for Henry to say that “teachers who ignore issues in the lives of minority students leave them “voiceless.” I looked back at how I treated my Hmong and Spanish students. I treated them fairly and I cared for them and I helped them learn, but I did not go the extra mile to learn about them. They were “voiceless” in my classroom. Again, after reflecting throughout this class, I began to understand. Students in a classroom make up a team and minority children, in the classroom, start with a disadvantage on the team. They are unfamiliar with the rules, the plays, and their teammates. Therefore, their coach has to take extra time to research these particular players and come up with a few sideline plays so they can participate in the game as well. Next year, I am going to step out of my comfort zone and learn new cultures. I am in the process now of buying novels and folktales based on other cultures. I want to learn from my students. I don’t ever want my students to feel “voiceless.”

This course has been a long journey for me. I have traveled to Africa, England, the Caribbean, India, and Sudan. I have learned about many different languages. I have learned about many different cultures. However, one common thread was seen all the way through – stories. Stories speak the natural language and keep the culture alive. I want to use stories, from around the world, in my classroom. Most of all, from the stories, I want my students to appreciate and accept culture.

Loren Van De Griek

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all. Michel Foucault
This quote is the one that is most meaningful to me after taking this class. I will admit, when I first read the syllabus at the beginning of the course none of the quotes had any meaning to me at all! Now, having completed all of the readings, and almost completed the course it was tough to choose which quote had influenced my thinking the most! To me this quote has multiple meanings and implications.
First of all, this quote reminds me of my own narrow thinking prior to taking this class! As a middle-class, female, white educator sometimes it gets so easy to find myself in the box with only a peep hole to see out of! In many cases in my career and in my life I don’t think that I had considered many of the things that students from backgrounds different than my own go through in attaining and maintaining literacy. I wasn’t raised in a wealthy family, but we always had the things that we needed and usually a few of the things that we wanted too. Because I was raised in a rather middle-class environment I thought that I should easily be able to relate to those above me and below me, you know, since I was from the middle…interesting but ignorant thinking!  This quote is special to me because through our readings I have learned that, yes, I can think differently and I can and will recognize that there are things experienced by students of mine that l will have to move out of my comfort zone to understand. Second, this quote is freeing for me when I think about the students that fit the working class, or minority category. For those kids this quote shows that just because they are born into a certain race, class, or gender they are not sentenced to a given future. They can overcome their circumstances and be successful in becoming literate at home and school. Thank goodness our readings have shed light for us as educators on how we can make this happen!
Before writing this paper I sat down to take some time to reflect and ask myself what things have stuck out to me in this course more than anything else. This is what I have come up with:
I want to be the best teacher that I can be. In many ways it is easy in this day in time in the classroom to blame a student’s issues on their home life and go on with things allowing that student to fall through the cracks. What I have realized is that a student’s home life does contribute a huge amount to his/her literacy. Because of this, we cannot separate, or attempt to separate a student from his/her background. Through many of the readings we learned how much of a student’s identity is tied up in his/her language, class, race, gender, etc. Instead, as a teacher I must work to develop that home/school connection that will allow a student to feel comfortable to be real in my classroom. As far as language goes, this may mean not correcting but modeling correct language over and over in hopes that my students will grasp what I am sharing with them!
I want to meet the needs of every child every day. This is a huge task! One of the things that I immediately think about in regards to this is that I can meet their needs by helping them to become interested in their education. It spoke volumes to me that Delpit’s daughter picked up Ebonics so quickly. As teachers we teach proper language things over and over and for years yet students still do not speak properly. Delpit’s daughter picked up on slang in no time. This showed me that students learn what they are motivated to learn. I have always tried to provide a curriculum that is relevant and interesting to students, but after taking this class I will make this an even larger priority in my classroom. I now realize the importance of allowing a student’s interests outside of school to impact my lesson plans and focus in curriculum.
I will maintain high expectations for my students. I was struck by the article that discussed giving students permission to fail. While as teachers we hear this phrase and are horrified wondering who would ever do that, I think many times our actions and decisions send this message unintentionally. When we decide that a student is the way he is because of his home life and that we can never change the home life and thus never change the student, we are giving a child permission to fail. In my classroom I will be much more aware of the message that my actions send. I want all of my students to know that I believe in them and expect them to accomplish great things! One way of doing this is by helping students acquire the ability to code switch. Baker describes it well in talking about Trilingualism. There are times when we need to know formal English, or professional English, and there are also times when our “English of choice” is acceptable. Knowing when to use proper English and being able to switch back and forth is perhaps a skill of most importance in this world.
I also enjoyed reading Hicks’ work about Jake’s story. I feel like I have taught Jake so many times. He was truly all boy! There are so many students who are successful in the things that they do at home, but struggle so much at school. I will continue on my trek to minimize worksheets and other types of 2 dimensional work and focus on continuing to grow my writers, readers, and math workshops in an attempt to maximize 3 dimensional hands-on work! There are also many students who I truly believe are misdiagnosed as having ADD for something that could be solved if a student were interested in school. Even after all of the reading, I struggle with the idea of making school so much fun but there still being so many assessments and curriculum that have to be taught. As teachers we must do the best we can to combine these ideas and teach the appropriate curriculum and standards in the most authentic, purposeful manner.
As a whole I have learned so much from the readings for this class. I appreciate how they have all had ideas that have essentially reinforced some of the same ideas several times thus helping it to stick by reading it in several different ways! My whole definition of literacy has changed for sure. I will no longer see literacy as isolated to reading and writing. Literacy in my mind now involves language, storytelling, culture, and many other things all tied together by discourses and experiences at home and school.

Jessica Jackson

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
-Michel Foucault

Reading this quote made me think of myself as a teacher. I constantly have to look outside my box to understand my student and the ever-changing programs/curriculum that my students must know. If I think of teaching in terms of how I was raised and how I was taught in school (whole-group literacy era) I would be doing my students an injustice. Listening to other people’s ideas, opinions, and criticisms allows me to reflect more on myself as an educator, and helps me build myself as a better, caring teacher for my students. Being open-minded to the articles read in class and my classmates blogs, which perceived things differently than I did at times, allowed me to gain more insight as to what I should be doing in my classroom and helped me to look and reflect on my teachings. When reading Delpit I had to keep in mind all my African American students I had corrected, in the past, when they would use their language from their home or Ebonics. I thought I was helping them to correct their language to speak more properly. I did not think, at the time, that I would be lowering their self-esteem by correcting them. Delpit’s article allowed me to think differently about correcting language. Even though it did not tell me the correct way to fix this, I understanding that I can be more subtle about correcting them. In the other article read, by Dowdy, I could sympathize with her ”code-switching” and it allowed me to think about how so many people, from all different backgrounds, from all over the place, code-switch everyday, myself included. I had just never thought of it from Dowdy’s perspective, or related it to anyone else for that matter. We all have different dialects, or ways of expressing ourselves, and should not make judgments so quickly on someone just because of the way they talk.

I loved reading the individual stories inside the articles. This helped me to understand what it was like to be in their shoes and allowed for me to see things through their eyes. One on my favorite articles, that I am going to pull ideas out to use in my classroom, was Perry’s, Transforming Literacy Practices among Sudanese Refugees. This article pulled me in and had me thinking about their life’s struggles, achievements, and influence from all different areas. I can recall hearing about the “Lost Boys of Sudan”, but until reading this article and the importance the refugees place on storytelling and keeping their identity was an AH-HA moment for me. It made me "see" that I need to incorporate more storytelling into my classroom, and allow my students to express themselves and their identity/culture with the class. This article was also inspirational, in the sense, that these boys lost everything and yet were able to come to a new country, study and learn a new language, have no family to support them, and yet still go on to college and make a difference in their lives and storytelling. Too often I hear students complain that things are too hard and they will just never get it. I do plan on reading some stories about “The Lost Boys” to my class and discussing their struggles, which are greater than my students, and their accomplishment and goals they set out for themselves. My students need to understand that we need to be grateful for what we have and we must not allow ourselves to give up when something is hard, or things get rough. I also want them to see that they can go to college and can make something of themselves, just as these boys did. Seeing things from a different perspective truly makes me feel appreciative for the life I was raised in and the life I live right now.

Even though some of the articles were difficult for me to understand, I was able to pull information out of them that allowed to get the gist of the article. After posting my blog, I read other classmates blogs and learned more information that helped me to answer some of my own questions about the articles. An example being, the preface and chapter one of Hicks book, Reading Lives. After reading these chapters, I was very worried about reading the rest of the book. I was confused about so many different things, and was dreading having to admit how lost she had me in some parts of her writing. I feel reading others postings help give me a better understand of what Hicks was trying to lay out, and also a sense of relief that I was not the only one that thought some parts were repetitive and confusing. Once getting into the content of the book, I found myself relating to the book, which I did not foresee at all, when learning about Hicks background and reason for this study. This had me perceiving things in her book differently than I would have thought, from reading the introduction. Laurie and Jake’s struggles from Kindergarten to First grade had me questioning what should be done differently in that First grade classroom to help maintain their interest and incorporate their strengths. Should be move from whole group worksheets to performance centers? Or should she allow more choices for activities, instead of telling them what they had to do? One thing that Jake and Laurie’s second grade teacher did that has me rethinking my teaching for next year is having students do Writing Workshops. Allowing students to write about their interests and cultures is a great way to incorporate their outside lives into school. This just wouldn’t help Jake and Laurie, but it would also allow for students of different ability levels, cultures, gender, and class to express their own lives (if they so choose).

This class has definitely opened my eyes, in that, I think differently than another, and listening to how others perceived the very same article I read, allowed for me to reflect on their opinions and see things for their interpretations. Even though I may not have the same discourse as others, I have to be open to thinking differently and to reflect on others opinions and also re-evaluate my own. My thoughts did change on some of articles as I read other blogs. Something I would not have taken offense to at all had others very frustrated. For example, one person had written about her offense to Hicks’ ungrateful attitude towards being raised in a Christian home (Ch. 3). I had not taken offense to it at all, as I could relate to Hicks’ upbringing myself. Having looked at it from their view, made me see how they could have taken it in a different way and that was okay.

Before taking this class I would have just read an article, taken it in the way I usually do, and use it how I wish. But once seeing different ways of issues, with gender, race, and class, I can’t always take things at face value if I want to truly understand and reflect on what is best.

I may not be the best writer when it comes to expressing my thoughts into words, or good at deciphering some of these readings, but I do feel that I gained an understanding on how to look at my students’ backgrounds (gender, class, race) and incorporate their outside world into the classroom more. After all the whole reason I am doing this is to better myself so I can, in turn, better help my students. Failure can not be an option.

Barbara Terauds

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceives differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.

Michael Foucault

Awareness and Guilt: These are two words that sum up my feelings after delving into the readings this semester. The above quote is significant in the fact that many people, including me, get caught up in the chaos of daily living, never to slow down and think about other’s ways of living, and how they think and perceive things. We are so quick to judge others actions and ways of life without knowing the foundations of their being, and why they think, act, and perceive things in the way that they do. And never did I really slow down long enough to think about how it might affect their literacy. Of course, as a teacher, I am well aware that kids that come to school who have been read to, and immersed into literacy at home would have a better chance at success in literacy in school, but I never really thought about how one’s class, gender, or race would have such an impact on one’s literacy.

After reading “Delpit” and some blog posts, I am much more aware of the affect of continuously correcting ones language can have on a person. Honestly, before reading “Delpit” I had never heard of code switching. The points Delpit made in the readings though, completely made sense. After reading and reflecting upon the readings, I definitely look at language and code switching a bit differently. It is obvious that people from various places speak different dialects. I have never really slowed down long enough to think about how a person’s home language is part of their identity. It is obvious that environment impacts how a person speaks, but it tells us much more about a child and their literacy, than just how English is spoken in their home. After the readings, I think it is important to be accepting of our student’s language the way it is when they come to us. In addition, I also believe it is important to talk to our students about the importance of speaking standard English as well. Like it or not, a child’s language could prevent them from being successful, and for that reason, it’s an educators responsibility to make our students aware of standard English, and when it is appropriate and not to use standard English. I love the idea, from the book, about having children doing role plays of different situations and how we should speak based on the circumstances. In this activity, I believe students still feel their language and dialect is respected. At the same time they are learning the standard English so that they can be successful. I know that when I get together with my family, in which none are highly educated, I easily fall right back into talking just as they do. It is part of my heritage and culture. But, that doesn’t mean one can’t learn to speak correctly in the necessary situations in order to be successful. We just need to make our students aware of the three different types of language used at home that was mentioned in Judith Baker’s article: 1)home language, 2) formal language, and 3) professional language. Teaching these different languages, I believe, can easily be done through role play, and would give them a chance to use their home language as well.

The readings have opened my eyes to how very important one’s race, gender, or class may be in making one have a sense of belonging. As students walk into my classroom I will continue to get to know my students, but also dig deeper to “really” get to know each of my students. There are so many little aspects of a child’s being that can influence his success or failure in the classroom. The feeling of guilt overcomes me when I think about getting caught up in the daily grind of school, and don’t slow down to really honor my students’ cultures. From this point on, I will make it a point to provide more opportunities for my students to share their culture, through projects, writing, role play, and any other avenues I can think of. I have always respected each child’s culture, but I don’t feel I have done a very good job of making the students aware of one another’s cultures and taught them to appreciate the variety of cultures in our classroom and what we can learn from one another.

After reading about Jake and Laurie I felt a true connection to the readings in Hick’s book. It reiterated the fact that educators can make such a difference by slowing down, and really getting to know our students, from their interests, dislikes, the ways in which they like to learn, and much about their home life and how their parents view education. I do believe that we have to work hard to make connections with the parents of students like Jake and Laurie. Our relationship with the parents could completely change the path of a child’s success and motivation.

A final thought that I have as I reflect, is that as an educator, to make the most positive impact upon my students and their literacy learning that I can, I must slow down, really get to know them, where they come from, and establish a relationship with consistent communication with the family. I need to take a breath and be open to the way others may perceive things, because so often I am caught up in seeing it my way, and in my mind it just being that way.

Heather Houston

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than ones sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”- Michael Foucault

While thinking about this quote, I realized all the different perspectives that are in my classroom. I’ve never looked it from another point of view. I have always tried to understand my students and their backgrounds, especially since I have so many ELL students. I never really look at school from my students perspectives. I remember being a student and I guess I should not assume all of my students have the same outlook as I did. I always loved school and it came naturally to me. Teaching fourth grade, many of my students already have a perspective about school. They know how much work they are going to put forth.

I know that I can think differently and see things differently; I just need to make myself do it. I need to take the time and think about my students. I need to try to think like them. Some of them have so much going on in their lives at such a young age. They’ve seen and experienced things that I hope that I never do. I know that I need to do a better job of looking at things the way that my students do. I want to meet their individual needs. This past school year, I had so many students with special needs that it became hard to meet their individual needs in every subject, everyday. Having almost thirty kids in one classroom is overwhelming even if they are all on the same level and have the same background. I had students on every level from various backgrounds. I did try to look at the assignments from their point of view; I just had a hard time trying to please everyone. I know that I need to do a better job at this. I try to please the majority of the class. I need to get better about offering alternate assignments. I did this some this year, but I found it difficult to find the time. I try to give my students choices, so they can do it the way they want.

I am trying not to correct every single thing my students do. After reading Delpit’s article, I realized that I should not correct every mistake my students make. I know that if I was corrected all the time, I would just give up. No one wants to be wrong all the time. This has been hard for me because I constantly want to correct my students when they say something wrong. I still think that correcting grammar is for the best. I want my students to sound educated, is that so wrong? I am learning not to correct the way they say a word. I have African American students who do use Ebonics and I do not want to change the way they say a word. If I can understand what they are talking about, that’s going to have to be good enough for me. It is who they are, I don’t want to change the way they speak in front of their family and friends. I want my students to be able to code switch, I think this helps them be able fit into multiple situations.

I need to take more time and research and learn more about my students’ cultures, like in Henry’s article where the students did not feel like they fit in. I want my students to be able to understand the curriculum and have it apply to their lives. We’re not going to work hard to learn something if it won’t benefit us in the long run. I know all students, myself included, have memorized information for a test. I have long forgotten many of the things that I learned because it did not relate to my life. I want to make learning meaningful for my students. I want to teach things that they will remember. We do have to teach a certain curriculum, but we can teach it the way we want. I want to make learning fun.

I feel like the students in Noll’s article in some of my classes. There are certain topics that may be confusing or just not interesting to me, either way I have lost my voice during these classes. I think many people go through this at some point in their lives. Experiencing it, I know it can be difficult for some of my students. There are not always topics that we want to share our opinions on. I think that even if a student does not share their opinion, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have one.

After reading several of these articles, especially the first chapter in Changing Lives, I know how my students feel. I had to keep rereading it so that I could try to understand. This is how some of my students feel. I haven’t felt this way in a long time and it really bothered me. I’m not used to having to work so hard to understand something; I can see how my struggling readers must feel. I think it was good for me to be reminded of the feeling that happens in my classroom daily. It makes me want to explain things better to my students and to help them pick out books to read that they will understand. Of course there are going to be times we they do not understand something, but now I can tell them that I know how that feels and that we all go through it at some time.

I’m glad that I took this class because I wouldn’t have read these articles and research otherwise. It has really got me thinking about my classroom and they way I teach. I’ve been thinking about if I teach in a way that is beneficial to my students, academically and emotionally. I would never want to hurt one of my students, but now thinking back I’m concerned that maybe I have and didn’t even realize it. I’m going to be more careful in my classroom from now on and be more respectful of all cultures, even if I don’t understand it.

Dana Eudy

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than ones sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

When I first read this quote at the beginning of the course, I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret it. However now that I have completed this course the meaning is very clear. Dr. Jackson challenged me to read the assigned materials and, “make meaning of the text”. The readings were entangled with differing and contentious issues that were difficult to critique without getting personal. In order to make meaning of a text, one must find connections whether it be professional or personal in nature. As the quotes states, in order to think differently and perceive differently we have to continue looking and reflecting. I had to “look” at other perspectives and be open-minded so that I could construct meaning and knowledge from the content.

The Dowdy and Delpit articles are a perfect example of this quote. The articles challenged me to think differently, and instead, I reacted to them in an immediate manner that did not allow the construction of “true meaning” to take place. My responses were full of bias and judgmental comments that
were based on my own perceptions of language acquisitions. In short, I did not allow myself to rise above my own ignorance to find the importance of understanding how a child’s cultural background, upbringing and home language can and does influence their educational journey.

One of the objectives of this course is to “explore different ways of perceiving and thinking by integrating “old” knowledge with “new” knowledge. So with that, I began reading with the purpose of understanding differences in regards to literacy learning and the diversity among my students. Stepping outside of my box, allowed me to explore the complexities that students are faced with in regards to learning at home and at school.

After reading Hicks and the other articles, I am without a doubt convinced there is great significance and relevance to a child’s home life and their school life. Article after article demonstrated that in order for us as teachers to understand our students, we must take the time and get to know “who” they are and “where” they come from. We must learn about “their world” before trying to teach them about the world around them. We must appreciate the differences each student has and develop a community based on those diversities. In this type of learning environment, children are not mended to fit a certain “mold”. We must teach acceptance and character traits that help each reach their full potential without ever compromising their social or cultural beliefs.

Through the majority of graduate courses, I have seen great emphasis being placed on individualizing reading and spelling instruction to meet the needs of each student. This course has challenged me to adapt my instruction practices to meet the needs of the learner in a new aspect, their individual cultures. I must no longer view home and school as separate entities. My goal is to take time to get to know who my students are and where they come from. I will continue to reach out to parents, encouraging them to become actively involved in their child’s education.

Through the use of multi-cultural text and materials, I hope to provide a learning community that encourages student’s exploration of their own cultures and those of their peers. As I have experienced first hand from this course, there is much we can continue to learn about ourselves and others!

Kim Shaw

Summative Self Critique
RES 5535
Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research
July 2, 2009
Reaching the end of the course, I have realized how important that cultural contexts are in literacy learning and expression. The research studies provided left an understanding of young children and their experiences with literacy in school, family, and other settings. I like Michel Foucault’s quote, “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently that on thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on reflecting and looking at all.” The course material left me wanting to conquer all issues at hand. In order to be an effective teacher then students need to believe in what is being taught and why. Children need exposure, just like adults. I want to reach every race, economic status, and gender and make an impact on cultural differences and be a part of uniting as one. Life is full of surprises, pain, and happiness. This quote tells me to think outside the box more and focus on integrating literacy with all cultures reaching a happy above standard grade with parents, faculty, and administration while maintaining a positive and safe environment for the children. Sound crazy? This gender, race issue transferring over into language deficits needs to be addressed so everyone can be life long learners. I feel if something is not broken then why mend it. But if something’s bent it can be fixed. This whole research on Jake and Laurie was interesting but can we study students in one year and automatically know what the best and most effective way of modeling teacher assisted lessons is and will the student be able to apply what they are being taught. Can I make it interesting? You bet I can. A lot of mind boggling ideas cross my mind. My daughters in Greenland, I can introduce the Danish this year. My other daughter lived in Korea so I can introduce the Koreans. Compare likenesses and differences. Sort all the nationalities and language spoken by introducing all continents. Include picture walks, reading and watching a specific footage of a country. Children need to be subjected to third world countries and witness famine so they can understand why they eat and others don’t. Other ideas are to invite a parent or guest speaker to address a certain culture. For every different descent student in my classroom, I plan to respect their language and learn with the class how to pronounce words and numbers in other languages. This would be great and students could partner read about their culture, language, writing techniques, drama, and partake in role playing. Readers Theatre would work because it comes in so many different languages. Rosetta Stone is another program geared towards ELL learners or any other language for that matter. I have taught ESL at Caldwell Community College for the past eight years. I know how effective this program is because everything is picture coded and it targets all areas of literacy. I have had adults on primer level in English and some cannot even write their native language, but they can converse well. Students and teachers working with parents need to learn to adapt to stressful and unknown situations. They need to be problem solvers. I often wonder how I would feel if I were in a strange country knowing how I appeared and spoke differently. I love to hear different dialects. We have enough different dialects in the United States to keep us busy for a whole year in the classroom.
In reference to the quote, to perceive differently than others see makes me think of knowledge in order to gain it, you have to listen and acquire all you can. God didn’t put us here with a wealth of knowledge for us just to close our minds and who’s to say what is the right and wrong way to approach this situation. But this may be out of context but I have to say this, I have always taught and respected my students as if I were teaching my own children. Sure I get aggravated at times because we’re not medical doctors they see one patient at a time. We have more power as teachers than the president of the United States. Look they put us in a classroom and trust us with their children. They trust teachers with twenty to thirty children at the same time. We are not diagnosing an illness, we as teachers are surviving difficult issues while accommodating all level students. . We can conquer the world if we want to that’s what kind of power we have. We can teach kids in every aspect from every spectrum on our planet Earth. It’s pretty scary if you ask me. I can’t wait to get back to school so I can use my knowledge to transform these beautiful children into the best they can be and it’s better to have tried and quit than not to have tried at all. It’s like Laurie and Jake they had to fight to get their identity and to feel accepted knowing they felt inferior to others. The deceit Laurie faced at home led her to the quiet person in class because she wanted to compromise for not being able to complete her work. I say push those academically high and motivate the lower level students. Don’t pair them up together. No one wants to feel intimidated because they can’t express their thoughts through words. Processing, what a big deal. It is a big deal and sometimes pairing a higher to lower level will work for both children.
Ending the course I feel more sensitive to everyone’s needs. I look forward to listening for code switching. I feel there are multitudes of literacy materials to meet all diverse needs. I am a Taxi for one. I know when I read the book I couldn’t believe a boy that young could be exposed to so much in the Columbian Cartel. Until someone paints the picture, it’s hard to perceive what is different to others. In closing, there are different situations that were not researched. How about the children raised by Lesbian or Gay couples? They have issues too. This is just something to think about.
Robin Hand

Survival of the Fitest
Perry Article
To rely on your wits and stories to keep your heritage alive is remarkable. This story reminds me of Lord of the Flies except The Lost Boys had rules. We know what happens to society when rules are not followed. This research article was hard to follow, but the reason behind it shows students that no matter how dismal a situation may seem we have to cope with what live throws at us. Having to learn writing after verbal communication is all you know would be difficult. I think the article shows hope for all nationalities and economic situations. It reminds me of a Nickleback song, If This Was Your Last Day. Each day is a gift not a given right, leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind. Try to take the path less traveled by the first step you take is the longest stride. Don’t take the free ride in your own life. It’s never too late to shoot for the stars. It’s sort of like Santa Clause, if you stop believing he’ll stop coming. That’s the way life is. They may be more to life than you believe and more than you can see. Try your hardest and make every moment count. Try to inspire and encourage students, parents, anyone you come in contact with. You never know you may be some child’s missing brick in the wall. Be opening minded and motivate your students to want to learn everything they are subjected to. Find points of interest in a student and build on that concept. After all, we as teachers are all that some of these children know as a caregiver who will listen to their wants and needs. Different genders make for interesting classrooms. Depending on the age group, all kinds of situations occur. Children are learning their identities around 4 and 5 and this can be a crucial time in a young child’s life. Story telling is great and that is how we have our legends and folktales spread from culture to culture. Poetry would work here when introducing a nonfiction story as an activity that all students would enjoy. Maybe an “I Poem” or have students write an obituary of the Lost Boys, or keep a diary of their own. This inspires young writers to express situations that have occurred similar to this story. Of course we hope nothing this devastating has happened to our students but by opening doors to new literacy approaches we can transpire all cultures to a happy key to success.
Robin Hand