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 chose this quote because it says to me that,” Yes, it is necessary to be able to rethink one’s own sense of knowing to continue to grow and live a life worth reflecting on.”
This quote means to me that when looking at life and all that consists of one’s personal knowing, that at times one must rethink their own knowing when confronted with new knowledge, or changes. That if we stop thinking about what we know and refuse to try to be open to change, we will find ourselves in a place of isolation, indifferent to the world around us: a place where no growth or change for the good or bad can happen. This is a dark place to be avoided if one wants to live a productive life that is able to adapt and survive in an ever-changing world.
Reading throughout this semester has been rather overwhelming at times, trying to set aside former thoughts or beliefs and be open to the author’s point of view when it came to the literacy experiences of students seen as marginalized. I found if I would read and reflect as I went through the reading, and try to anchor the reading to something I know or have experienced , that I always got so much more meaning out of the reading. It always helps when a real life example that can be attached to new materials to help make sense of them. When I am able to take what I know and reflect on it, openly, this is when I can really find new modes of knowing.
When I first started reading the articles about the Lost Boys of Sudan, American Indians, and the African Caribbean Girls, I was having a very hard time finding a reference or real connection to the text. Then I thought of the three years I spent living in Germany. I remember trying to communicate with the Germans in the shops, catching a bus or streetcar. I remember how scared and alone I felt. I began to see how hard it was for me as an adult, how I felt inferior because it seemed at the moment I was at their mercy. Would they try to help me understand? Some would and others would snap your head off with, “nein sprechen si English”, and walk away. So thinking of this personal experience I was then able to think of how these children must have felt. New countries, different customs, culture clashes, and no real way out, having to find a way to live hybrid lives blending their discourses to fit into the new discourses they were submerged into. The word hard does not begin to describe the mere survival of these children and young adults.
Looking back over the past four weeks of reading and thinking of all I have learned several parts that have stuck out most to me, first, is that as a teacher, I have to know my students. I must accept that they have discourses that may be very different from mine. They may have different cultures, customs, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and dialects but regardless, they need to be respected and valued as part of who they are; even when they go completely against my core values, it is not my place to take that from them. All this is part of their literacy. It is my responsibility to help educate the child and help them to know who they are and who they will become. That through guiding them, not pushing them into a mold of my choice, but one that is of their own choosing, helping them to acquire the tools necessary to reach their goals. Second, we must acknowledge all the different influences on a child’s literacy so the child can really be known. Knowing whether they have been exposed to books, or any form of story telling, writing, or drawing prior to school. Learning how their families value education. In Hicks’ book, Jake’s parents had two different plans for him. His mom wanted him to go to college and dad said he would take over the family business. Which would be best for Jake? I believe this is were teachers must help their students see the value of education for themselves, separate from what others may have planned out for them. In addition, I believe that having positive role models for our students is necessary. I think when a boy is without a male role model and I as a teacher know this, I should find a volunteer to work with him, to share with him his own literacy story. Sharing favorite books of different genres, and helping them see how being literate had benefited their lives.
Throughout this semester the whole process of knowing what to write, how to say what I felt was important has been very challenging for me. I have never considered myself as a writer of any sort. It is not something I feel very confident in doing or teaching. I have found that just reading and taking time to process the words and the underlying meaning of the articles prior to writing a critique allows the meanings to come together and makes for a much smoother process. Responding to the posts of other’s was much easier for me, most were centered around personal teaching experiences, which are always interesting and provide such rich insight on the topics we have discussed. I honestly learned as much from my peers this semester in their blogs and comment posts as I have reading the articles and the Hicks book. This has been a learning experience like none other for me.
I have also spent a great deal of time reflecting on my own literacy. I love to read, but I honestly do not have in childhood memory of being read to. I do remember having the book For the Love of Benji, and reading it repeatedly. My home did not have books, newspapers, or magazines. It was not until I was older and had a family of my own that I developed a love for reading. I always read to my children and had plenty for them to read in my home. I believe it is hard to become a literate person who reads and writes for pleasure or work in a world that is so consumed with television, videogames, and computers. I believe we should do all that is within us to help our students find literacy as a great source of strength and as an escape from the day to day worries of life that can consume all the joy from you if you fail to find an escape.
Life is a constantly changing force that will become stagnant if we fail to reflect on our knowing and change when we see our knowing needs changing for us to continue to grow as a person in the world today.
Tracy Icenhour