I must agree with several posts stating that these two chapters were a much easier read than the first two. I loved the style that it was written in and was longing for a connection to what I was reading. I grew up in a rural area where there were no preschools, afterschool care, or many daycares for that matter. Children were kept at home with family and neighbors until they went to kindergarten and while school was out in the summer. As a child, I stayed with my grandparents as much as I stayed home. They were my "daycare". They lived in a neighborhood where there were many kids around my age. We would often meet at one house and end up riding bikes and "exploring" for hours at a time with no adult supervision. We never got into trouble, did things we knew were wrong, or got hurt. No one questioned our every move, much less what we did all day. We were good kids. We were good kids because we were raised to be good kids and we knew it was expected of us.
Most of the early schooling that was received was at church. During Bible school, Sunday school, and youth meetings. This is where we met new people and learned how to listen and pay attention.
Laurie had no childhood such as this. She was forced to be a grown up too soon. She never got to enjoy the carefree, endless days of childhood. Of course this made school difficult for her. She never had the chance to think like a kid at home, but she was expected to learn like a kid at school. There is a fine balance between who a child is at home and who they are at school. It takes time to adjust and learn how to transition between the two environments. I think Laurie lacked support from both ends. Had she had more support from home and from her teacher, she might have been able to make school a successful place for her.
My own children are not allowed to "roam" like I once was. I am much more aware of the dangers of the world to let them be unsupervised that way. Even in the same neighborhood. They have grown to be cautious of others and of things they are not sure of. Has this caused them to mature too quickly? Yes, I think so. But I cannot change the ways of the world. I just hope they do not lose opportunities due to it.
Sarah Hutson
Comments (6)
I know what you mean about spending the day roaming with little supervision. I grew up in the same manner and, like you, my children do not have that opportunity. They have learned the "discourse" about strangers and dangers of this world. Sad but true.
Posted by christy findley | June 24, 2010 11:51 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 23:51
I also see a difference in how children are able to "play" these days. It is interesting how in some ways we as a society we are less able to roam, but at the same time many of our children are alone even supervised. There is so much involvement that doesn't contain face-to-face interaction (take this class for example). How different are our children's discourses, because the lives they have led have been so different? How will they have to learn differently? The reading that they do will certainly continue to change as it does all the time. :)
Posted by Christy Laws | June 25, 2010 12:47 AM
Posted on June 25, 2010 00:47
Now that you mention it, I do not remember many kids attending daycare when I was a child either. My mother stopped working when my brother was born and went back to work when I began school. When school was out and she had to work, we also stayed with grandparents. As a child we also roamed freely without the worries that parents today have to face. It seems like life has changed so much in such a short time. It is hard to believe not so long ago, life was much safer.
In regards to your comments about Laurie, I agree that she was forced to grow up to soon. She lost her childhood at such a young age. I have seen a few students cross my path that were too grown and it makes me so sad. They struggle so much to shift from the leader/mother role to the listener/student mode, often causing problems with the way they relate to other students in the room. Laurie seemed to struggle in the same manner, never really fitting in with a group of friends. I would be interested to know what happened to her as she got older.
Posted by Erin Whisnant | June 25, 2010 9:15 AM
Posted on June 25, 2010 09:15
I was bothered by how fast Laurie I had to grow up. I have seen it many times with students in my class. They are the grown up all the time and have no idea how to be a child. I had a student the year before who cried because I told her not help me but go play with the other students.
I went to daycare as child and Sunday school. I know I was taught how to listen. Also, I knew if I missed behaved I was in trouble by the adult in charge and with my mother as soon as she found out. The adults worked together for the good of the child. I am sure parents did not always agree with teacher or adult in charge but parents were supportive. A child's expectations were very clear. As many of us know the lines of expectations can become blurred.
Posted by Zandra Hunt | June 25, 2010 3:58 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 15:58
I like that you said "We were raised to be good kids we knew it was expected of us." This was my childhood! I to roamed in the neighborhood with friends in the summer. We used our imaginations and formed backyard bible studies and school for the younger kids in the neighborhood. My mother did not do a lot of checking in with me. She just trusted the neighbors and knew that I was somewhere on our road. I was a good girl because I was raised to be that way. I did not have the pressure of living an adult life as a child like Laurie did. I was free to use my imagination and shape my literacy discourse from what I saw my parents do and older friends do!
Angie Somers
Posted by Angie Somers | June 25, 2010 5:27 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 17:27
I agree with you that Laurie grew up entirely too fast. She was expected to take care of her siblings, but couldn't be a child as well. I felt like her mother expect a lot from her. She never had an opportunity to just be a kid.
Posted by Odessa Scales | June 27, 2010 6:35 PM
Posted on June 27, 2010 18:35