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

Maria, It was sad that Zonnie's and Daniel's teachers felt they were just mediocre students because of their performance in the classroom. Maybe part of our job is to empower not just these minority students but all of our students from an early age to feel good about where they come from and to use whatever means necessary to give them a voice.Some kids seem to come to us defeated from the start. It's up to us to pay attention and be able to recognize those students and do whatever we can to not let them slip into the cracks and just get by.We sometimes get so caught up in what we're doing that we don't notice a child unless they are acting out or are very vocal.

I agree with you both. It is quite tragic that Daniel and Zonnie's teachers thought they were mediocre. I firmly believe that children rise to their teacher's expectations. Perhaps their teachers thought they were slower, non-interested students and dismissed them from the beginning. Perhaps they had a preconvceived notion that since these kids were American Indian, they would not do well in school. I think all teachers need to provide a supportive, positive learning environment in addition to having high expectations for each student. If students feel this support from their teachers - their cheering section - then they should perform better in the classroom.
I encourage my students to write in their native language if it is easier for them. I also try to speak and read Spanish with them when I can. Even when they tell stories or bring in food that is particular to their culture I am quick to ask questions or try it. I think this demonstrates my care for them as individuals, which in turn helps them perform better in the classroom.

I agree that students can slip through the cracks so easily especially if they are not major discipline problems. I know that My ESL students that I have had in the past fall into this category if not monitored closely. Sometimes they seem medicore, but when you dig deeper and get to know them they have a lot to offer.

Maria,
As a child my father would tell me a story every night before I went to bed. I absolutely loved this time. Looking back now I know that I was able to obtain a good sense of story, deepen my creativity, and spend time with my father. I too think story telling is very special and I am sad that it is kind of pushed aside or really unheard-of in today’s curriculum. I know my 1st grade students, well for that matter, really anyone loves to hear a good story told. Story telling has a way of opening one’s mind to new creatures and worlds they have never explored before. I also think it would be good for schools and communities to have more culture events. I think people make judgments on others based off of what they have heard not what they truly know. Providing culture events would allow people to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of all races. I think this would help students from minority backgrounds feel like they fit in and are appreciated. I also think it would cut down on the bullying and crude comments.

I was also found it interesting that Daniel's family taught a lot through story telling. I think that is one thing that is being lost these days with many cultures. I can remember my grandparents sitting around with family and friends just taliking and telling stories and experiences. We learn so much about our heritage that way. Things have changed, though. I am as guilty as most for not taking the time to tell stories about our family's history. It's so obvious that children learn from them, because whenever I do take the time to tell them, one is never enough for my kids. They always ask for another! It is just a very sad realization that the stories of some cultures are being lost because they are no longer being told.

Maria, I agree with you. I feel that it is important as a teacher to enhance learning by touching upon different cultures. I teach elementary school and since my school is lacking of different ethnic/cultural groups I always talk to my students about accepting people for who they are. For the last two years I have done a multicultural unit. I want them to know that kids that aren't from where they come from are still just kids.

I believe that Daniel and Zonnie were not given an outlet to express their creative talents. I agree with you that these students were far from mediocre. Racism is such a cruel thing for anyone to have to deal with especially teenagers. Teenagers are so awkward and long for acceptance. I think it is an excellent idea to have teachers educate others about different cultures. I try to make my students more aware of the cultures that are in my classroom but maybe that is not enough. I wish more school would have cultural celebrations and educate parents and students. I think if people understood each other more than they would not fear people who are different than them. The ultimate end result would be less racism. It would also make all the students whose culture was celebrated feel special, important and accepted. Isn’t this what we all want??

I couldn't agree with you more that we need to incorporate more cultural activities into our classroom. I also think our students will have a better understanding of these cultures and be able to develop a respect for the people around them. As I read your post it didn't really occur to me that Daniel and Zonnie might be able to be more then mediocre students if given the right assignment. I was thinking how the teacher should incorporate more cultural activities in the class, but giving Daniel and Zonnie a choice for how to show the information they learned might have even helped with their motivation in learning. In my class I try to give my students a choice of products to show what they have learned, so I wonder if Daniel could have used the drums in a way to present information if he would have been more interested. Maybe we don't need to change so much the material we teach, but the ways we ask them to regurgitate the information.

Maria,

It is interesting to me as well that the students engaged in the traditional activities (including storytelling and tribal dancing). It is rare in this day and age to see children involved in activities that don't contain some type of electronic. They were born that way.....plugged in. As teachers, we need to take the opportunity to celebrate the cultural differences in our students and allow them to use what they have been taught to show who they are to their peers.

I think the same is true of the differences between students in varying ability groups. These students also have a variety of experiences that could enrich learning opportunities among their peers.

I think you are absolutely right about needing to celebrate one another's cultural backgrounds. In my first grade class I started doing a Christmas Around the World unit a few years ago. It was interesting for me to learn about how different cultures celebrate their Christmas holidays and the children in my class enjoyed it as well. Several of my students the first year I did this unit were Hispanic and Hmong and they brought a lot of their experiences into my unit. They shared pictures and stories of how they celebrate with their families. I think it made them feel important to be able to do this and I think it made them feel special because they realized that the other children thought that it was cool that they got to do such different, neat things because of their heritage.
-Elizabeth Norwood

Maria, I agree that cultural awareness could prevent some racist attitudes. I think one way to address this is through community involvement. Getting members of that culture to come in and work with students or spend time helping out in the school so that the students see the people from that culture as just normal people.