After thinking back over the readings and what I have learned thus far from our assignments I really thought about all the different areas that one must understand in order to fully participate in life. Thinking of just myself, I have so many different discourses in my life that I truly didn’t think about until I was reading the chapters during a workshop. I began making a list of all the areas of my life I have to be literate in, in order to participate. To begin with I have a family discourse. I grew up with both parents who did not go to college, so I was raised to value school. I participated in sports and clubs during the years, so I had to mold myself into a student, daughter, player, captain, leader, etc. With each discourse my daily routine changed. As I grew I began working at 16 and had to again change myself to fit the mold of a professional. I then graduated and went off to college where I participated in class, intramural sports, teaching organizations, and was a part of the Delta Zeta sorority. With each area my attitude, appearance, and communication between others changed depending on where I was. After college I began teaching and with teaching I began grad school, working 2 part time jobs, conversing with parents, colleagues, and still with my social group. All of which I behaved differently when interacting with each group. I know there are many more discourses in my life including my southern upbringing by northern parents, but so many that it would take forever to include.
The purpose of my scattered list of discourses is to express the idea that the lives of children are full of choices and chances. As with the children in the readings we have read, everyone, no matter their age, race or gender has many hats that they wear and as teachers we need to understand where each child in our classrooms are coming from and do whatever it takes to help those children. I have no idea how I have made it through life while wearing so many different hats. I know that the support of my parents and teachers have played a major role in my success. As teachers in 2010, we are faced with the responsibility of these children. In order for these children to be successful in life we have to remember that we are for some their only stable foundation. A lot of children don’t have a solid life and we as teachers can’t base our expectations on our upbringing and our challenges, but instead immerse ourselves in the lives of the children we are teaching. On our worst day we still have to be there for our students. At the age of 6 some children are experiencing things we never imagined we would have to deal with even in high school. The world is different today than yesterday and tomorrow it will be too. Hicks chose to write about working middle class families and their discourses and challenges. I like the fact that we were able to read a different approach to research than from differnt nationalities; ones that we could relate more to. After reading about the hardships and lives these other children lead, I know that I can at least make my children feel loved and have a love for school. I know I will be giving more choice and allowing my children to write what they feel, so that they will give to me their story, so maybe I can change their life one sentence at a time.
Meredith
Comments (6)
Your essay helped me to realize that we all have a story to tell. We may just not be aware of it at the time. The mentioning of all of your different hats that you wear in life was a great metaphor. We are surrounded by stories all da, every day. We just choose to share some, all, or none of the based upon the individual.
Posted by Nikki Leggins | June 17, 2010 9:49 PM
Posted on June 17, 2010 21:49
Your comment about how "on our worst day it's probably our children's best day" made me think about the Ruby Payne training I had a few years ago at school. If you haven't had it, it is a really interesting study of children in poverty and how poverty affects their education. I had never thought before I had the training about how some of my students come to school each day and maybe I am the only positive role model in their lives, the only person that says a kind word to them, the only person in their day they can hug and feel safe with. It really changed my perspective of how my attitude at school can really help to shape my students.
-Elizabeth Norwood
Posted by Elizabeth Norwood | June 19, 2010 4:15 PM
Posted on June 19, 2010 16:15
Meredith,
It is truly amazing how many hats we wear each day. I too wonder how I juggle so many different hats. Then, I look at my students and realize they do the same thing each day. My students are constantly “code switching” each day. They switch from home mode to school mode to lunch mode to recess mode and so on. I loved this statement you made in your post: “A lot of children don’t have a solid life and we as teachers can’t base our expectations on our upbringing and our challenges, but instead immerse ourselves in the lives of the children we are teaching.” We as teachers have to realize that we are teaching a group of students who come to school with a variety of discourses. We have to take the time to get to know them outside the school setting and try our best to “be there” for them. When we take the time to care they will take the time to learn and be a part of our classroom. We are not only teachers but mentors and care givers. I get called mom almost every day at school. I don’t mind this because I am glad they view me as a provider and someone that they can trust. Our classroom may be the safest and cleanest place for some of our students. When I went into teaching there was not a class on these things we are discussing, it has been a discourse that I have been immersed in. I really don’t think there is a class that can truly prepare you for the hats you wear as a teacher. I am just glad we have the chance to wear them and like you said hopefully make a difference in the lives of the children we teach and care for each day.
Posted by Emily Rhoney | June 19, 2010 6:17 PM
Posted on June 19, 2010 18:17
Meredith-
I, like you, was and still am a part of many different discourses. All of which, I am different in. I never really thought about it either until reading about the discourse. Some students that we teach are trying to mold themselves into a good student but may come from a family where education is not important at all. My roommate in college, for example, is someone I think about when thinking about this. I went to middle school and high school with her so I know her very well. She came from a low income family. Both of her parents dropped out of high school. All of her siblings dropped out of high school. She was the youngest of two brothers and one sister. Both of her brothers spent time in jail. One of them still is in jail and the other passed away a couple years ago from a drug overdose while she lived with me in college. She worked the whole time she was in college to pay her rent and to pay her tuition. She was able to cheer at ASU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Special Education. She is now teaching and getting married in the fall. Needless to say, she came to school with having no help from her parents. They did not have much of an educational background, but luckily she was strong-willed and because of her family's mistakes she learned from them and learned she was not going to make the same mistakes. She was surrounded by people in her life who constantly encouraged her to keep moving forward and that is just what she did. I can guarantee that some of those motivators were teachers and coaches. So basically, we need to make sure we are moral supporters for the children that I teach and not give up on them! You had a great post!
Katy Dellinger
Posted by Katy Dellinger | June 20, 2010 6:03 PM
Posted on June 20, 2010 18:03
We do wear many hats in our classroom each day. We are teachers, moms, nurses, social workers, etc... It is our job to teach each child, but also to find out how to help each child succeed. Sometimes we have to dig deep to make that happen, but the bottom line is kids need to know that we truly care.
Posted by michelle moffitt | June 21, 2010 2:46 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 14:46
We all have many discourses and without thought we go from one to the next. It has taken us years to mature into this. Our students look to us to help guide them on the discourse for school. If home is not a safe, healthy environment for them that encourages them to work hard and value education, it becomes our job to create a safe place to overcome their home hardships. Being there for our students can make or break their chances to have a better life than the one at home. It is my desire to help each of my students to see the value of education and the possibilities it can open to them.
Posted by Tracy Icenhour | June 22, 2010 3:12 PM
Posted on June 22, 2010 15:12