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

As I began reading these chapters I was reminded of so many boys that I teach. It occurred to me that maybe this is what happens to boys in the early grades of school and therefore when they get to middle school their attitude about school is completely negative. I have had so many boys especially, like Jake, who seem to have no motivation and no drive to try in school. They have already decided what they are going to do when they are older, and most of them want to do what their dads do. As I have learned in the past few readings, with Laurie and the stories about the boys from Sudan, I have realized that there is so much more involving literacy than we really think. When I first heard of this term, I thought of books and reading and if a child could not read then they were illiterate. But obviously I had this completely wrong. Jake, like many other students, was very literate. He could construct so many things which was mentioned several times in these chapters about how he liked to do centers in kindergarten that involved making things. He worked beside his dad and learned so many things from him, such as heating and air conditioning and race cars and he learned how to use the computer. It also mentioned how he helped build an outdoor swimming pool. I was very impressed when I heard this because he could help out so much at such a young age. However, this is why it was so difficult for him at school. He was seen as a hero at home because of all he could do and all he had been taught. He had a passion for constructing things and working with his hands. It seemed as though when he started school he was limited to what he could do. There was more focus on reading and writing, subjects which were emphasized highly at his home, but the things he read and wrote about were not of interest to him. As a teacher I have noticed how most of the times boys are more disengaged in school than girls. Boys are often filled with energy and like to move around a lot. Sometimes it is hard for them when they get to school because they have to find other outlets for their bottled up energy. Could it be that school is not as engaging for boys? Jake was like Laurie in a lot of ways. They both had positive role models in their home and they both like to imagine things! Laurie, with romance and material things, and Jake with race cars! As teachers we must ensure that all students have a way to express their imaginations. We allow students to write, but what if students are like Jake and call writing "dumb"? As I have been reading over and over, the point that finally came to me was that literacy starts at home with children. It may not start with books and writing, but it takes place where the student child spends the first five years of their life. In the case of Jake, he was allowed some freedom to figure things out on his own, which caused him to learn on his own. He was very curious and his mother was correct when she said he was a fast learner. However, we see too often children such as Jake who can make learning look so easy, but the problem is that they choose what they want to learn. Reading and writing were not important to him unless it was something he could connect with his life at home. This is important for us to understand as teachers. It seems as though school is catered more to the needs of middle-class children. So what do we do about all others? What do we do with the Lauries and Jakes in our classrooms? This is what we have to understand. In my opinion, after all of these readings, learning is something that is innate in everyone. Children are born wanting to learn. So we have to make learning interesting to them, not to mention on their instructional level, in order for them to gain anything! It is completely normal to have a room full of rowdy Jakes in the room. Does that mean they are behavior problems? I have thought so, but maybe they are just trying to express themselves because they are struggling with the task they are trying to complete because they have no connection with it. These chapters about Jake reminded me so much of when I was in the undergraduate Special Education program at Appalachian. For one of my classes I had to research on a topic of my choice and I chose to research on why boys are overrepresented in the special education program. I made a connection with these chapters and my research from several years ago. Boys take a little bit longer to connect with what they are learning. It is almost like you have to find the perfect button in order for them to "get it". It seems easier for girls because girls are raised in a way in the south with the attitude of pleasing people. They are more concerned with pleasing their teachers and boys are wired with energy and need to find outlets to express themselves. Often these boys are recommended to the Special Education programs because it seems as though they lack the skills to learn, but really they are very capable of learning. It is how does what they are learning connect to previous experiences and what goes on at home. Once again I say that teachers must find a way to get to know each and every student in their classroom and also find ways for them to relate to what is being taught!

Katy Dellinger