Chapters three and four of this text were much more informative and enjoyable to read than the first two chapters. Not only was the text written as a narrative, but the author seemed to use less technical language in order to express her research findings.
In both chapters the author noticed some parallels and differences between herself and Laurie. Both grew up in rural southern towns in working-class families. Literacy learning occurred through socialization for both the author and Laurie within the contexts of relationships (mother-daughter), values, feminism, gender roles, and make-believe/fantasy. The author and Laurie mainly differ in their values: the author’s family had a strong desire for middle-class values, manners, and luxury. Laurie’s family, however, never seemed to consider these values as they were more concerned with making ends meet. As a result, it seems that the author was able to transcend her class’ boundaries. I wonder if Laurie will be able to do the same without having middle-class dreams?
While I enjoyed reading both chapters and while the results seem meaningful, I am wondering how the author’s research findings shows attitudes and behaviors that are different from any child. All children experience times in their lives when they role-play and spend time in a make-believe/fantasy world. For example, children dress up and play house. They create imaginative stories with elements of real life and make-believe. In addition, most children experience difficulties and hard times at home and in school in regard to parental involvement, support, finances, etc. Without trying to seem harsh, it seems that Laurie is similar to most children. Or, perhaps Laurie does exhibit real difficulties and differences, but I feel that the author does not express it clearly in her writing.
Laura Corbello
Comments (2)
I would have to say that I agree with you towards the end of your post when you ask the question of "is Laurie really different from oher children?" When I was reading this I thought a lot about this and then I started thinking.."wait - most children do this stuff and most children go through a stage in life where they are very imaginative." However, I guess the difference for Laurie is that she transformed her thoughts as she was reading which helped her literacy skills.
Katy Dellinger
Posted by Katy Dellinger | June 24, 2010 11:37 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 23:37
Laura,
I think you may be missing the point of the entire book. Nowhere does Hicks claim that Laurie has special needs that are different from all of the other children in her community. What you are reading is an in-depth case study that shows how one particular child's culture, discourse, and literacy experiences interact and shape her identity. The author's goal is *not* to show how Laurie is any different but to demonstrate, using qualitative research, what produces and enables those differences.
I urge you to read the remainder of the book with this understanding.
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 25, 2010 9:02 AM
Posted on June 25, 2010 09:02