RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2010)

As I read the chapter on Jake I thought of many of the boys that I have taught over the years. Like Laurie he could be an average child in my class. Jake struggles with school and home. At home Jake was read to as a child and literacy was positive in his home. He enjoyed being read to by his mom and mom-mom. Jake’s literacy experiences were relative to what his family valued. They liked NASCAR, history, and construction. His values were decided early on by his family life at home. At school Jake was a very active child. Like Laurie he was successful in kindergarten. Kindergarten allowed him to make more choices and move from different activities if he was bored or disconnected. Jake liked to write and tell stories on his terms alone. If a subject interested him then he was totally engaged, but if a subject did not interest him then he was off task. This seems to be typical of a lot of kids, not just Jake and Laurie. As Jake moved to first and second grade the structures of the classroom changed and he was required to do more seat work and less choice activities. I see this happening at our school as well with some students. They just seem to shut down in first and second grade when the demands and structures are higher. He really enjoyed readers and writers workshop where he got to choose the books to read and the topics to write about. Looking at his entries in his writer’s workbook, we see that Jake grew as a reader and writer. But his growth was not enough compared to the other students in the class. He was behind in his reading. He was just emerging as he began first grade and he quickly fell behind when the books became less predictable and dependent on pictures and patterns. Jake needed some guided reading on his instructional reading level to improve his reading skills. I teach in a school full of Jakes and Lauries. These students struggle when school demands more than they can give. They struggle with the demands of the classroom. They need someone to take an interest in them and work with them on their level.
Jake’s parents supported literacy, but their views of their son were different than the views of the school. Jake’s dad involved him in the family business taking him on service calls and encouraging him to one day take over the family business. His dad did not see the need to further his education after college because he could just work at the family business. He could be taught the trade. The quote on page 121 sums up how Jake feels about his family. It says “The stories voiced about us, by those whom we most love and value; shape our identities in ways more powerful than even the most authoritative institutional systems of social regulation.” This is true in Jake’s case. He loves his parents and what they believe in him is the power that pushes Jake. Jake was torn between the discourses of home and school and home would win out in the end.
Jake’s mother made the comment that why did it matter that he was reading differently from the other students. She is right in a sense that Jake should be taught at his level regardless of the level he was at. Jake’s family also questioned why he could not use cars as manipulatives in Math. Jake’s family wanted him to be able to use his interests from home and carry them over into the classroom. I have to say that the reality is that we do not always get to do what we want. Things in school interest different kids and some things just have to be taught. As a teacher it would be impossible to allow each child to only write and read about the things that interest them. You would have 20 different themes in your classroom. While I do believe that students do better when they have a connection to the topic you are discussing, it is not possible to connect with every child each time you read a story or do a math or science lesson. I do believe that we as educators need to find out the interests of our students and get to know their home life situations. This gives us a window into what the child deems as important when you get to know the family. The problem with working class students attending school that is taught my middle class teachers is that our lessons do not always reach the students. The curriculum is not written to their interest or experiences. So what is the answer to this problem? I am not sure, but I think that like chapter 6 says on page 152 “change also has to entail a moral shift, a willingness to open oneself up to the possibility of seeing those who differ from us. This is very hard work, but work that lies at the heart of teaching.” I do believe that we are educating a different breed of children. The students have changed since I have been working at our school. I believe that there has to be a shift from the way it used to be done to more differentiated instruction to meet the various needs of the students in our class. We as educators have to be willing to change some of the ways that we have been used to doing things and change the way we deliver our instruction. It is our job to leave no child behind.

Michelle Moffitt