I found it interesting that both of these American Indian students thought that they wanted a career in fields that involve reading and writing. I found it refreshing, as a teacher who loves writing, that these students enjoyed writing. I have taught narrative writing in fourth grade for seven years and can eventually get most of my students to also like the writing process. It also made me excited that both students were read to as children. I believe that this is the key to getting children started on the right path as readers.
I could tell that their heritage was important to them and their family. I have taught a student that was ½ Cherokee. One big difference though between the two students in the article and him, was that he knew nothing about his culture. His father never spoke to him about living on the reservation as a child. He spoken broken English and was a laborer. The child came from a home where education was not valued and rarely had work. I believe that my student was very intelligent and will eventually find out about his heritage on his own. I hope that he can treasure the culture of his people.
In the article about Daniel, I really thought that the teachers at his school allowed him to explore his culture through openness of assignment topics (reading and language arts, and civics). It stated that even though he did the assignments, he lost them. I got the feeling from reading the article that he valued his cultural experiences far more than his educational ones. That is sad, especially when teachers are willing to incorporate your culture into the assignments. I am glad that he can relate his experiences and emotions through his fictional stories. I hope that there are American Indians to write about the experiences they have so that we can glean their insights as to what changes can be made to make school a better experience for them.
I was also glad to read that Zonnie expressed herself through poetry. This was something that she obviously did well since so many adults, teachers and friends knew of it. I believe that being a female is sometimes easier than being a seventh or eighth grade male. Females are more social and make you feel like you belong in a group. Alienation by her peers was not as intense for Zonnie as it was for Daniel. I believe that both students wanted to be accepted by their peers for who they are, which is true for most teens.
I think that Ms. Noll conducted her qualitative research for this article very well. Seven months is a long time to spend with students. I felt that she conducted thoough interviews with the families as well. She noted that the families were often hesitant because they felt that American Indians were often presented in a negative light in the past. I think that the time and effort that she put into her research allowed her to see a more true picture.
Amy Reep
Comments (7)
Amy, I agree with you that Zonnie and Daniel were very fortunate to have parents who embraced their culture and passed that on to their children. I think if a child is from a different culture and the parent, teachers, whoever try to leave that behind and just have them try to fit in whereever they happen to be is a true disservice to the child. Kids need to know where they come from. It helps shape who they are.
Posted by Linda Bohland | June 9, 2010 10:02 AM
Posted on June 9, 2010 10:02
I think you made a good point about the socialization differences between boys and girls. Although girls can be easily included in a group, that can be reversed in a nanosecond. I think boys are more accepting of each other as a whole and less likely to travel in packs. This might affect Daniel since he prefers to be by himself. He might have friends in different social circles, but not be part of a larger group - making it appear that he is a loner. Zonnie could be in a big circle of friends, but still be a loner within the group.
Posted by jennifer wagoner | June 9, 2010 1:59 PM
Posted on June 9, 2010 13:59
Dear Amy,
As a first grade teacher I can understand how difficult the writing process is, so I can relate to your feelings of joy when students actually like to write.
I agree that it was a good effort on the part of the teacher to assign projects that dealt with tha Native American culture, but I still feel that the teacher could have taken the initiative to find out why Daniel wasn't turning in assignments.
Posted by Reshawna Greene | June 9, 2010 8:41 PM
Posted on June 9, 2010 20:41
Amy,
I agree that reading to young children is a key to getting them on the right path for reading. I have put that comment in my parent notes for years. I really wonder if anyone really read my notes! Childern come to school on so many different levels, for so many different reasons, we have our jobs cut out for us. This is why getting to know our children and their families is important. We can learn what cultures, beliefs, and priorities they bring and then know how to reach the children.
Susan Hines
Posted by Susan Hines | June 10, 2010 6:55 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 18:55
Amy,
I agree the experiences for middle school males and females are very different and the males have less of a support system in place at school. The females are more apt to accept new people into their circle of friends, where as males tend to exclude others and "torment" them. Don't get me wrong, females have their fights, and issues, but they are more willing to forgive and move on. It is great that Zonnie was able to find the outlet in poetry. Many students lack a creative outlet, how great for her she found hers in literacy! It was hard for me to see all the opportunities Daniel was giving his teacher to try and make a connection with him and she failed to acknowledge him.
Michael
Posted by Michael Lemke | June 11, 2010 4:30 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 16:30
I also agree that the writing expressed by Daniel and Zonnie was a refreshing change to what is normally found in the classroom. I currently teach second grade. I began the year having my students journal on anything they wanted. In the beginning, it was like pulling teeth. Children would write one or two sentences and give up. I encouraged them and even had some of the students share their writing. After a few weeks, several of my students began writing more and some would even ask to write if they finished their work early. I think that the teachers allowing the students to modify their writing assignments to not only write about their culture but topics within their culture that were relevent to them would have produced a more positive experience for these students in the school setting.
Posted by Erin Whisnant | June 11, 2010 10:01 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 22:01
I agree that I was upset when I read that Daniel often did the assignments but lost them. It made me think that some of his problems may not be related to his culture. He needs to help with organizational skills and motivation. His teachers did try to incorporate assignments that would interest him which I thought was good. Another thing I noticed was the parents were supportive and wanted good things for their children, but like so many parents they didn't seem to know how to help the children do better.
Posted by christy findley | June 13, 2010 3:27 PM
Posted on June 13, 2010 15:27