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

Noll Article

Red, yellow, black, white, we all have our own traditions that make our families unique; regardless of race, class, or gender. Both Daniel and Zonnie have these rich traditions that they have been taught to live by. Traditionally American Indians are thought to celebrate through music and dance, and a specific physical appearance – males that have long hair. These traditions were observed through the literacy observations at home, in the community, and at school. The article suggested that Daniel was often teased for having long hair. This is a problem of tolerance. Tolerance is something that has to be taught; we as teachers cannot assume that this is being taught in the home. Caldwell County has a “No Tolerance” rule for bullying. These differences have to be embraced to make ALL students comfortable. I have seen students with Mohawks, rattails, initials dyed into hair; these are the small things that students have to learn that these qualities are what can identify who they are as individuals. None of the teachers at my school treated these students any different.

Daniel and Zonnie both became “good” readers. Their homes were rich in literacy, both of them being read to and told stories. Daniel chose to write in prose, while Zonnie embraced poetry. They both used writing as a means of communicating to their family members. Daniel wrote to communicate messages to his family, but he also showed promise in wanting to write children’s literature. Daniel realized the need for others to understand American Indian rich customs. Zonnie shared of writing to her imprisoned father. She even used mentor texts to assist her writing, such as country music.

Teachers have to be the ones to embrace the differences in learning. Zonnie’s favorite teacher showed her this quality. The teacher didn’t try to “fix problems and mix around words”. Telling a student that an answer is wrong is often a discouragement, but giving a student a suggestion about a better word choice would be better received.

To me, the “distorted view of their capabilities” is not that of Daniel or Zonnie abilities, but because of their teacher’s shortfalls. As I said in my last critique, it is the teacher’s job to make learning relevant to the student. To gain the interests of both of these students, all the teachers had to do is acknowledge some of their traditions/current events. In my class, I welcome these learning opportunities that students can bring to the class. For example, I helped to organize and participated in learning about how other people celebrate Christmas in other countries with 2nd grade students. Both Daniel and Zonnie’s potential might have been seen if they would have been encouraged in this way.

I do feel that doing a qualitative study was best for this research. The reader was able to understand not only the research subjects, but other influences in their lives. I would have liked to have known more about how involved the parents were in their schooling. Were the parents actively participants in the school (not just reading to them in the home)? These few points would have made the research even stronger.

Angela Steele