I decided that this would be the best title for this entry because I think it sums up the life of Laurie and the other girls she represents in this society, past, present, and future. So many of our students that we teach are "Lauries" in our classroom. However, what saddens me is that some teachers do not even take the time to know the life that these students live. For example, I teach with a couple of teachers who prefer not to get to know the children they teach because they say teaching them is their only job. Now I see these teachers as having great classroom management. Students do not misbehave in their classroom, and in fact they are even scared to sneeze or cough in the room. However, this particular teacher has no idea who her students are. She comes to work everyday and teaches math and then leaves. I have had problems with classroom management in my resource room, but I think a lot of it is because I actually take the time to get to know the students and interact with them on a personal level. I know about their family and how many siblings they and who they live with. This is important to me, and I am sure the main reason why I am like this is from being in this master's program. I never knew before taking some of these courses just how much a child's family and environment they grow up in affect their attitude and success in school.
While reading these chapters about Laurie, I learned a lot about children that we teach. First of all, Laurie grew up in a home in a Southern rural community with no father figure, but very much influenced by her mother and grandmother. As a little girl she became acquainted with the idea of wanting more. She desired things of luxury and imagined having these things one day. She also referenced a need for having a prince charming, which I think is what Nicholas represents. What was the most interesting to me is that she did not have as much of a chance to explore and experience things based on where she lived and her way of life. However, this made her even more of a dreamer which influenced her writing and led her to become curious and creative! Basically her limited childhood produced her into a creative and imaginative young woman! As teachers we must not hinder our children that we teach. In fact I think a lot of the time we give up so to speak on students who come from a lower social class. We just assume that they will not get it because they have a disadvantage from day one. I know that I have been guilty of this because I have met some of my children's parents and think, "well if there is no support at school then there is no possible way they will try at school." This is really sad because there are plenty of "Lauries" sitting in our classes who need the extra push and not only that but they have such a wonderful and creative imagination but just do not know how to express themselves. The point is that everyone has a story to tell. We just have to find the interest point that makes our kids want to tell their story. Once again, I am going to back to connections, but we should find something our kids can relate to.
I enjoyed these chapters because it tells me that kids may not have the experiences as others or the luxury of others, but there are so many ways they can learn to express themselves. Luckily for Laurie she enjoyed reading from the start and by reading stories which she could actually play out in her head made her want to read more! This is what we want for the children that are in our classrooms!
Katy Dellinger
Comments (6)
What a keen insight you have about Laurie -- that her limits enabled her strengths. I think your perspective on scaffolding for children who are hesitant readers is spot on!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 25, 2010 9:08 AM
Posted on June 25, 2010 09:08
Part of the reason kids are enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program is because they have been identified as "at-risk" through such things as their socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, etc. I relish my role in starting these kids out on a positive note by exposing them to many things that they have never experienced. In some ways, everything is new for them. I thought of this when you mentioned in your post that she did not have much of a chance to explore and experience things in the area around where she lived because one of my biggest gripes about the pre-K program (at least in my district) is that we are not allowed to take field trips because of seat-belt regulations on buses. I want to get them out and experience the world around them in new ways and take them to places in the area that they may have not have been to. This is difficult when we must stay on the school campus. I am not saying it is impossible, just challenging.
On a humorous note, your post also made me think of a trip to Denver several years ago when I went to a place called Garden of the Gods. In this park, the rock formations, which were once covered with water from an inland sea, were made by the shifting of the rocks through tectonic activity so that they stand vertically. When I was there, a tour group of school children were being given a lesson on how the rock formations were formed. I heard the tour director say, "How many of you have ever seen the ocean?", as she began her explanation of the inland sea that used to cover Colorado. Being from NC and having gone to the beach every summer while growing up, that comment struck me as funny because in my experience growing up, everyone went to the beach. To think that kids had never been to the beach was a foreign concept to me, although I know now that many of my own pre-K students from the Piedmont have never seen the ocean. Taking such a trip is financially prohibitive for the families.
Posted by Clyde Rice | June 25, 2010 12:12 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 12:12
Your title was one of my favorite lines in the chapters. When my mother and I traveled, we would make up stories baseed on the clouds shape.
Katy, this was the first year I did not get to know my students. It will not happen again. My classroom management was great but my students were not comfortable coming to me with problems. The students who made sure I formed a relationship with them had a better academic year because I knew their strengths and weaknesses. I seemed to stuggle with my other students and their individual needs.
I love teaching writing. Her imagination will make her a fantastic if she is taught. I have had students that struggled with reading but could write the best stories. I was disappointed with her teachers.
Posted by Zandra Hunt | June 25, 2010 4:27 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 16:27
Katy,
I agree with you as teachers we should make every effort to learn about our students and where they come from. My goal each year is to connect to my students and learn something special about them and their family. At the beginning of each year my students create and All About Me poster. We share the posters in class. This gives me valuable information about what my children like to do what kinds of families they come from and what kind of parental support that they have at home. I am always intrigued to see which parents helped and how elabroate so posters can be. After we share the posters we display them around the room or in the hall so that we can continue to learn about our classmates. I find that parents love to see the different posters when they visit the classroom. I try to involve my parents as much as possible in my classroom. I form close bonds with students and parents every year. This helps me teach their children to the best of my ability the more that I know the better that I can teach them.
Angie Somers
Posted by Angie Somers | June 25, 2010 5:50 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 17:50
Katy,
Your post was very inspirational. I agree that there are so many kids in our classrooms like Laurie that only need to be pushed or engaged or acknowledged. Once this occurs on a regular basis, the kids will express themselves in ways in which they are gifted.
I also understand your situation related to classroom management and getting to know your students. I think it is so important to know what’s going on in the child’s life-what they like and dislike, who takes care of them, if they have help and support, what their family dynamics are, etc. I try to get to know my students, not just teach them math, reading, social studies, and science. I think it is hard to find the fine balance between getting to know your students and maintaining the authority role.
Laura Corbello
Posted by Laura Corbello | June 25, 2010 7:53 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 19:53
Maria- I believe most parents do want to believe their children are gifted. I do. I also know that there are many ways to be gifted, and not all are academically. Dealing with parents is one of the most stressful aspects of being a teacher. I find it very hard to tell parents when their child is failing or needs to work harder, they often get so offended but if they would take time to look at their child’s work and to know what they are being asked to learn, I believe they would be able to see it, and possibly help their child. Unfortunately not all parents care enough to get involved at that level.
I agree with you that Jake’s father was part of the problem; he could have helped by making school important and encouraging Jake to work hard and to do his best.
I often begin a writing activity in my class by sharing a personal story with my class, using as much book language as possible and lots of details. I then ask them to write a story that is important to them, about something they can relate to. I have found that this is a great way to get to know about my students and their lives outside of school.
Posted by Tracy Icenhour | June 26, 2010 11:51 AM
Posted on June 26, 2010 11:51