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

Jennifer,What age group do you teach? I also allow total freedom choice in my classroom where reading materials are concerned. I started Readers/Writers workshop this year and had huge success with it. I challenged my students to read 40 books this year and many students reached that goal. My EOG scores soared!

Jennifer,
First, thanks for sharing your life experiences. I agree those steps in life help you to relate to your students and create an environment that supports all learners. I don't think all teachers have lived a life that can help them relate to their students. They relfect on their past, possiblly middle class, and soared through school. I was not such a student so I too identify with my students easily. My homelife was not awful, but many events caused it to be emotionally draining and that took a toll on my school work.
Providing choices I think is teh easiest way to engage students. That allows them to have buy in to the task and see it as their classroom, not just as the teachers.

Michael Lemke

Could Jake’s interest in more concrete things be due to as boys they are given building blocks and legos, toy soldiers whereas girls are given dolls and told they are princesses? I believe so. I did this to my boys, I did not buy them baby dolls or things to play house with. I was always told these were “girl” things. My boys today have learned to cook and to clean and now know that even though they seen their mom(me) always doing this sort of work, that it is not a “girl” thing, but in fact it is a much needed part of life!
You are completely right about being equal in our classroom, each bringing their interest and experiences with us. I believe this makes for a wonderful learning experience for all who participate. I also allow my students freedom in what they want to write about but I am always available with suggestions or to help them brainstorm ideas to find a topic that will be interesting for them to write about.
If we make our classrooms a safe place to express ideas, feelings, and thoughts, without fear of being judged we will have learning communities they go far above and beyond our greatest expectations. This is my true desire.

Jennifer,
If I was a student, I would want to be in your class. It was the teachers like you who stick in my memory as my favorites. It is not what I learned from them, but the fact that they made me feel special. I wanted to learn when I was with them because I wanted to please my teacher. This is the type of classroom where kids feel accepted and valued and in return, learning takes place. I remember one of my son's primary teachers (who was a veteran and known to be a good teacher) was one who would take a kid in the hall and humiliate a child (my son had this experince). Altough he learned to read while in her (he is one of those kids who have learned to read from a rock), he left that grade feeling like a failure. The following year, he had a teacher who welcomed him with open arms and an open heart. I watched him change from a scared little boy to a self-assured student. She still asks about him today (he is 21). This is the kind of teacher that inspires children.
Susan Hines

Yes, Jake did seem to have a better grasp on concrete thinking than Laurie did. He also appeared to have a lot more self-esteem than her. I wonder if his father figure had anything to do with that. Possibly his attitude caused Jake to be more confident. Laurie of course had no father figure to give her any support.

That is wonderful that you provide your students with a lot of choice in the classroom. Sometimes that is what the little Jakes in our classrooms need. Children can be stubborn at times. If we provide some flexibility and decision making within our lessons to their benefit then they should enjoy school more and hopefully participate more. Writer’s workshop is a great way to allow students the opportunity to choose what they want to write. It can backfire sometimes though. I have had problems with students in the past not wanting to write so when they are given the choice as to what they want to write they will say, “I don’t know what to write.” So I made a list to go inside of their journals that is called, “planting seeds.” It is a list of many suggestions and ideas for them to write about. It even has lists that say things like, “my favorite foods” “my favorite vacations” “my weekend adventure” and on and on like “scar stories” stories about how they got a scar. The kids love this and it still entitles them with the freedom of choice as to what to write about and it also guides them if they struggle to get started with their writing.

You are right! Students/children cannot control their environment! So we as teaches should create environments that are stable, comfortable, inviting, respecting, and loving. That is so wonderful that you provide all of these things in your classroom. More teachers should do this. Children are human ya know.

I loved your comments. Like you I agree that it isn't our job to judge our student's backgrounds. We need to embrace our student's differences and help them reach their full potential. What I love about kindergarten is watching all of my students enter my classroom with an open mind, not really knowing what to expect. As an educator I have the opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives. I give 100% each day, because like you I love my job. Pam Aubuchon

I appreciated your sharing your story and agree that your life experiences will truly help you when working with students. I like someone else had the question of what grade you teach. I have taught Kindergarten for seven years and my classroom for the most part was based on free choice. Next year I am moving to First Grade and I was wondering if complete free choice could be done in a higher grade?

I teach 6th grade.

Wow, what a life experience to help you in your teaching! You have come full circle and congratulations on having your own classroom! I too grew up in the upper middle class, and the school that I attended was majority the same standing…and you “knew” who was not. As for my work experience, it has been the complete opposite. Most of the families that attend my school are of the working class. Boy did I get a reality check (going on 4 years ago)! I kept wondering why the principal and curriculum coach kept bringing to my attention that my school is “different from the other schools”. How rewarding it has been; to get to learn about these “differences”, knowing that everyone did not come from the same home life that I grew up in. I have had to become a wrestling aficionado, baseball enthusiast, and Hannah Montana admirer, all to be able to relate to my students. I welcome these new experiences in my life and hope to inspire this and more in my students!

Jennifer,
As you were comparing Laurie with Jake you mentioned how they perceived things so differently. I found this interseting and it made me think. Boys (men) often do tend to concentrate on reality, What has happened, what is happening, what will happen. While girls (women) do tend to day dream and live in fantasy land. As women, we often think we can do things based on illusion, while men seek out the reality. I think this is just one of the main differences between the two sexes.

I think that is great how you give your kids the option of what to read and write during that time in your classroom. You are opening the door for them to find things on their own that interest them. Also, during your discussion times you say that there is no right or wrong answer, which is also great, but not only that you make them expand on their answers which increases critical thinking skills which really help these children who fantasize! At this time they can also relate what they are talking about to an experience they have had. I also respect you for all of your work with working-class children. I am sure you do have a lot of experience on how to deal with children from a lower socioeconomic status. From your experiences from the job that you had, it probably makes it easier for you to find things that click with the child of a working-class family! Great post!

Katy Dellinger