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

It is remarkable that you grandfather is willing at his age to learn to read and write. My father's situation was very similar to your grandfather's except my dad was always too ashamed to talk about it. He didn't want anyone to know and used many strategies over the years to compensate for this inability. I cannot imagine him asking me to teach him although he has learned some on his own over the years. I think in his childhood it just wasn't that big of a deal. He could work with his hands and learned to make a living (barely at times). I still have students who have seen this their whole lives. They are learning to do the things that their parents and grandparents have done and hope to follow the same path. My concern is that the world is changing so quickly that this may not be as feasible as it once was.

My father struggled in school, but not because he was slow, but because that just wasn't for him. He at least graduated high school unlike his own dad. But in many ways he did follow his dad. He too started his own grading business and also became very successful. In switching gears to my mamaw and aunt (dad's sister), they were both "literature" smart. What I mean is school came easy to them. Learning from books and text was natural. I definitely think this was due to gender and what ideas were formed towards education.

My dad now is so proud of my sisters and I. I have completed college, the other is a sophomore in college, and the other is a senior in high school who is ranked 13th out of 400 some students. I remember when first coming home from college my dad was reading something and did not know the meaning of it, so he asked me. I was shocked because before college this would have never happened. At the same time I was thrilled he was not afraid to ask for help. It's funny now if he doesn't know a word he gets my sisters' iPod touch and finds it through the internet that way. But believe you me we have had a time teaching my dad how to use technology!

Your grandfather reminded me of my grandmother. My grandma was one of the smartest people I knew. She may have finished first or second grade because her family was sharecroppers and everyone had to work. She taught herself to read. She was an observer of everything. When I went off to college, my grandma advised me to observe the people and world around me. It is amazing what you can learn by observing! Grandmother’s learning style was observing and then trying the task. Jake learned by doing and finding the purpose. The classroom has to change to accommodate all students.

Everyone wants acceptance. If you cannot accept a person’s belief, respect them for being human. Teachers demand respect from their students but teachers should reflect on their behavior toward students. What am I doing to earn my students respect and trust? Think about your actions when someone respects and trusts you.

The world is changing but it still needs all levels of intellect to make it work. I need the garbage man to come every Friday. I need the carpenter to repair the deck on my house. I need the lawn service man to tend to my yard every other week. I need my hairdresser to cut my hair.I need my doctor to help me stay healthy. I need a researcher to find the cure for cancer. I believe everyone has a place and as teachers it is our job to help them succeed.

Doesn't it speak volumes that your grandfather finds the value of reading and writing now. I am sure that he found the value in it when he was in school but helping his family was more pressing than learning. Back then things were much different and education always took a back seat to the family needs. I also try to integrate books into other subject areas. I think for our students to be successful (all students), we must expose them as much as possible to a variety of texts.

Candace-

I am on the same track as you when ask questions of how to integrate the "roaming around" of young children into their reading and writing. I have also found it challenging to figure out what to do with this. The problem I have though is that my kids are in middle school and by the time they get there they are so far behind in reading that it almost seems impossible to get them back on track, especially when they already have negative attitudes about what they are learning and how they can apply that to their everyday lives. I am seeing the same type of thing right now as I am doing the ASU Reading Clinic in Burke County. I have a student who struggles paying attention to the hour that I have him. He is very far behind. I am trying my best to figure out how to keep him motivated and focused and wanting to learn. The little bit of time I have with him could make all the difference in the world if I can just get him to try! I guess as teachers we just know we must always persevere as much as we can!

Katy Dellinger

I have roamers in my classroom also when it comes to reading time. Often the roamers are boys that are active and hands on learners. It is a little easier to concur the roaming problem in kindergarten. I usually pair the student with a peer that is reading at a higher level and they partner read. I make sure that I select a peer for the student that will be helpful in helping the student read and I try to pair them by interest. For middle school students I can see how motivation could be a problem. Have you tried pairing the students with a lower grade student in a tutoring situation. They may motivate them to read if they have purpose of helping another.
Angie Somers

Your title is so true to Jake as he progressed through 3rd grade. There definitely should have been some effort made to recognize this and address this. I often wonder how the hatred of school can be develop into a love myself. One approach that I have tried is to allow students to be more active in what their classroom activities involve. I typically provide choices when giving projects that support various interest and modalities. I also like to allow them choices in their reading and choose what they want to say. I found that often having them draw a picture that they connect to the story they can provide more information in a way they enjoy. Motivation is huge. As teacher's it is our job to motivate and go beyond to find ways to motivate development of reading and writing. That means doing interest inventories and using them to address our student's interests.