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.