Thinking back to my early years, I played a lot with Barbies and read many books. I know we owned many Golden Books and Disney books. With those, I had two older sisters to play and imagine with. Like me, we all were into the "girly" things, and always were playing dress up and house.
Looking at the text and seeing that those early years of all the play that took place, I didn't really ever relate it to literacy in any way. My mom stayed at home, and my dad ran his own business. When we got older, my mom helped my dad at his business, and we did too when we got old enough. We lived in the country, not on a farm, but in rural WI. The closest town was a 10 minute drive, and we often just stayed at home and played. We did have lots of things to do, and when the weather wasn't good to play outside and make forts, we played inside. I was very fortunate to have my sisters to learn from. They were "good girls." They were both academically smart, loved to read, one was more musical than the other, but all in all were very smart and good in school. I on the other hand, struggled in elementary school. I didn't like to read much on my own, and only read because I had to. I didn't like math because I really struggled with story problems. One thing my mom reminded me of was my determination to solve my problems. I guess my abilities were more athletic than academic, and that is what gave me my identity so to speak, not my literacy abilities, like my sisters. The princess and happily ever after came for me that I can remember from the Disney movies we watched over and over (the times we were let watch tv that is). I wasn't too girly and feminine until I went to high school. That's where the feminine role of women really started to sink in. My family believed in all sharing in the work, no matter what it was.
My mom didn't ever tell me any stories of her high school sweetheart days, so I couldn't relate to the text when she talked about that. It was interesting and easy to see how that could definitely play a huge part in her development in reading and especially writing. It was heart breaking at times to see how Laurie developed throughout her school years. The times she struggled to the times where she was successful. Tutoring a child makes you see more into their life than just what's on the surface. I know as teachers we wish many times we could just spend more time one on one with these kids to really reach deep into their struggles, and most of the time we can't. As things in our country continue to change, the role of education does too. I'm afraid of what may come, and the opportunities to reach struggling students are not going to be there. Our tutoring services during the day at our school are looked to be cut. If it wasn't for Laurie's out of school tutoring, she may not have regained her confidence and grew in her abilities. I hope someday to be a stay at home mom, and tutor on the side. I know there are kids who need and would really benefit from the help that their parents may not be able to provide.
Abby Boughton
Comments (2)
You mentioning how the romantic relationships of Laurie's mother could affect her literacy. For Laurie, mom's dependence ingrained her views of how to value men and relationships with them. My parents divorced when I was very young, and I saw firsthand how my mother dealt with her relationships with men. She was a very independent woman, yet still got involved with men of interest to her. She even remarried 2 times but those marriages didn't work out. Now as a "singleton" in my early 30s, I can see how her relationships impacted my view on relationships and life in general. I have always been an avid learner, and perhaps seeing her challenges inspired my own yearning to learn and my literacy.
Posted by Nikki Leggins | June 24, 2010 8:50 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 20:50
Tutoring is a great way to really get to know students and understand them as a student and a person. In the past, I have kept some of my students after school for tutoring as the one on one time makes a huge difference. I also formed a really close relationship with these students. Laurie’s situation would have been so much worse if she had not had the after school tutoring. I am doing the practicum right now and I see the need for more one on one time with students. So many students are so behind and are struggling they need more instruction than they are receiving in the classroom. I am enjoying getting to know my two students and learning how I can best meet their needs for the next three weeks. I am hoping that this one on one time is helping them become more prepared for the next school year.
Posted by Ashley Caldwell | June 25, 2010 7:34 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 19:34