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

Last week at the school talent show, a fourth grade girl (who was African American) stood on stage and sang a song that moved the entire gymnasium to tears. While she was singing all the teachers were exchanging glances as to say, “Who knew?” As she belted out the last note, everyone was on their feet screaming, clapping and congratulating her on a job well done. When the show was over a fifth grade teacher walked up to her and said, “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing like that?” The student’s response was, “You’ve never asked.” Simple, and to the point. No one in five years had any idea singing was her outlet. Days later the staff is still talking about the feeling of awe they had when she opened her mouth for the first note. The staff only knew her as the girl who has silent lunch regularly, and is a frequent visitor if the principal’s office.
Henry states, “ I am concerned with how schools may shortchange Black girls.” As I read that I instantly thought of the talent show and how this student has been shortchanged her whole schooling career. She struggles a little bit in reading, and lacks attention to focus in the classroom. However, had any of the staff taken a moment to connect with her, the passion for music would have come out and an easy engagement tool could have been discovered? I wonder how long she has been waiting to share her “voice” with the school.
Also stated is that “…traditional forms of literacy have required silence….” How true for so many students! The example I used above is an idea. That student has sat in silence year after year, while lessons that she cannot connect too are being taught. While she struggles to attaché herself, focus is lost and behavior becomes a problem. What type of reader would she be now, had music been tied into her literacy learning?
The view I have had of myself as an educator has been that of facilitator, rather than director. The students need to see in themselves the knowledge they have and the ability they have to master and problem solve. When students feel empowered, they begin to make connections with their learning. As we know when connections are made, the learning sores! If native languages were used as stepping stones to connect with the English being taught, students learning would become more connected and mastered.
My principal had the following comment after an observation of a lesson, “I noticed you called on a wide variety of students to answer questions from many different locations in the room.” While that may not be the most interesting of comments, it is true that I would consciously call on a mixture of boys and girls and a variety of races represented in my class. A professor had pointed that out to us in undergrad. Had he not done that, I wonder if I would call on boys, thinking the girls were “smarter” and knew what they were doing without my help.
As I reflect on the Henry article. I realize how busy teachers are. Each day we start the day with our agenda and the objectives we want to accomplish. While I know there must be some sense of direction, I wonder how we can find a better balance with mandated curriculum and student inquires. Each summer many teachers spend that time planning and thinking about what they want to change, and the students play no role in what will transpire during the upcoming year.
The Staples article evoked many of the same feelings as above. The idea of students being silenced and playing little role in what materials are placed in front of them. If we spend a small amount of time completing interest inventories (and using the data from them) throughout the year, I believe better identities would be formed. Through this a more positive self would be created so as not to exhibit one type of personality at school and another outside of school.
I was very motivated by the research showing they used many forms of media for reading. They branched out of the traditional book and used magazines and movies. Our students are vastly different from years past, and yet many educators approach each day with plans that mirror the past. Engaging students today requires more work on the teachers part, but can be made significantly easier by forming strong relationships with their students to discover what really makes each of them “tick.”

Michael Lemke