There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault
I selected this quote because with each article and chapter I read I reflected. I reflected on my childhood, my relationship with my family, and my teaching style. I learned about children and situations that I had very limited or no information on. I discovered how brave some children have to be in order to survey. I felt a personal connection to many of the children within these articles. And I discovered that just like many of my fellow classmates, I have many discourses that make me the person I am today.
As I read each article or chapter, I realized I began to follow a pattern. I didn’t intentionally do this, but with each article or chapter I read I began to think about my own childhood. As I read the Ovuh Dyuh article I could relate to the young African American girl. She worked so hard to speak grammatically correct. As long as I can remember I’ve attempted to do the same thing. Not only did I have to train myself not to use the words ain’t, ya’ll, and I reckon, I worked to tone down my natural southern drawl. Just like the young girl in the article I felt as though I was fighting a losing battle. Her friends made fun of her for speaking correctly, but at home she was expected to speak grammatically correct. For me no matter how hard I try, I will always speak with a southern drawl, and I will probably always have in-laws that will make fun of me. The Ovuh Dyuh article for me wasn’t about speaking “white” or “black”. I don’t believe that speaking grammatically correct has anything to do with a person’s race.
After thinking about my own childhood my next step with each article was to make a classroom connection. With the Ovuh Dyuh article I began thinking about my Hispanic students. At the beginning of the school year my Hispanic students struggled with speaking in class. They never wanted to answer questions. My goal as their teacher was to make them feel secure and confident enough to speak in class. I never corrected them for grammatical mistakes and I never told them they were not allowed to speak in Spanish. I was so proud of my Hispanic students. They put 110% into every lesson, and by the end of the year they had blossomed. They were raising their hands and taking part in classroom discussions. I will have to admit though that one of my little girls was really beginning to speak with a southern drawl. After reading this article I was able to see what they were going through, and realize that like me they may feel insecure about their accent.
When reading the Speaking Up and Speaking Out article I was impressed with how this group of young girls had the opportunity to work together within a reading and writing group. As I read this article I felt as though this group was more of a support group for the girls. What a wonderful opportunity it was for these girls to get together and discuss issues, and write about their thoughts and concerns. These girls had been reprimanded for using their first language in the classroom. Having this reading and writing group gave them the support they needed in order to succeed. Again I thought of high school and journal writing. Having the opportunity to express myself by writing in my journal was a great escape from the daily life of a teenager. All students need to be allotted this time. However in the regular classroom with our curriculum demands this often seems impossible. After reading this article I questioned my daughter, who is in 4th grade, to see if she is ever allowed to write about topics of importance to her. I am sad to say she said no. In her class they always had to write from prompts. In my kindergarten class I encourage my students to write about whatever they want to. When the writing lesson is complete I give my students a chance to share with their classmates. You can see the pride on my little one’s faces as they share their thoughts with their classmates.
The Experiencing Literacy In and Out of School article made me really stop and reflect on my lessons. I need to embrace my student’s cultural differences. I need to allot time for my students to share their own personal experiences with the class. In my rush to fit in all of my lessons I forget to stop and reflect on my classes’ personal interest and needs. I am going to do a better job next year to include these types of lessons. I want all of my students to know that they are important to me and my class.
I have learned a lot from the articles. From Storytelling to Writing: Transforming Literacy Practices among Sudanese Refugees was an eye opening article. My heart broke for those young men, but at the same time I felt pride in their ability to overcome all of the obstacles they faced. Reading about storytelling made me realize how much I longed for knowledge about my family. In our society we are so busy trying to get from point A to point B that we forget to talk to each other. After reading this article I started asking my mom to tell me more about her childhood. She showed me pictures of her dad and grandparents. Pictures I had never seen. She shared stories about each of the pictures that I can now share with my daughter. The art of storytelling will now continue in my home. The statement that really stuck out in my mind was written by Johnston, he said, “telling of one’s stories facilitates a philosophy of life and a blueprint for living.” I want to pass this blueprint on to my daughter.
The articles were excellent and I enjoyed each one. For me however, I made the biggest connection with Deborah Hick’s book Reading Lives Working-Class Children and Literacy Learning. I grew up in a working class family and I truly understood how Jake and Laurie felt in school. They brought their home discourse with them to school. They had trouble understanding that what was considered okay at home may not be allowed at school. I was the same way in school and found myself in trouble on a number of occasions for talking. As I read about how each of these children disengaged in class I began thinking about my own classroom. I have seen students do the same thing by talking to their friends or playing in their pencil box. I thought it was because they didn’t want to do the lesson; I never stopped to think it might be because they didn’t understand the lesson or didn’t find the lesson interesting.
I have learned so much about myself and my teaching style while taking this course. I need to take the time to truly get to know all of my students. I need to respect each child’s individuality and structure my lessons to meet each child’s needs. I will include more time in class for reader’s workshops and writer’s workshops. I have also spent a lot of time reflecting on myself as a person during this course. I’ve discovered that I still use reading as a way to escape just like I did as a child. When I need to forget about the stress of being an adult all I have to do is pick up a book. I know now that I want my daughter to know where I came from and through storytelling she will learn about a young girl growing up in a working class family; who loved Bible school, cookies and kool-aid.
I appreciate all of your help and support during this class. Pam Aubuchon