Carol Sherrill
Reading the narrative on Jake and Laurie made everything come together for me. If there is one word I take away from this book it is CONNECTION.
It sounds like Jake had a good relationship with his dad, He was kind of like a mini-me to his father. Becasue of this CONNECTION, what he had to learn from his dad was important. He didn't have to stay seated, he could work with his hands and he wasn't required to use a pencil and paper. More importantly, Jake was successful in his learning and he was given responsibilty. It was also clear to me that Jake's family valued "home" learning. You could say Jake got a lot of his education at the School of Hard Knocks. I did hate to read about Jake's temper tamtrums and anger issues. I would like for there to have been more text on dealing with those issues. There was an obvious difference between Jake's home discourse and his school discourse.
For my research class, I completed a research study on separating the genders in the classroom. I have quite a few Jakes. What I learned was, I have a lot to learn. It is a fact that the genders learn differently. That can not be ignored by us as educators. If we want children to be successful, we have to teach them like they learn. Jake is a prime example of this.
The author stated in Ch 5, working class children need to have equal opportunities for success in school and work. I have a problem with the word equal because it makes me think all of the same. Children are not the same. I haven't even been able to find two alike. They all need to be provided with opportunities that meet their needs. Jake was provided with the same opportunities as the other children but that wasn't exactly what he needed. He resisted and said I can't but what he really meant was I don't know how. As teachers we need to make the CONNECTION between our students and how they are going to learn. Not an easy feat! We also have to find a way to help children understand the value of an education. Jake's dad was on to something when he said that schools should be engaging environments. I don't think anyone could argue with that.
The conclusion of the book led me back to CONNECTION. The world of education is a complex, ever-changing world. We have to connect with it. Teachers can't sit back and use what they learned in college. We have to be life-long learners. and reading other people's research is a way to do that. At the end where Hicks was talking about teachers being frustrated with students they couldn't reach and parents that didn't support them made me see a lack of CONNECTION. If that is your attitude and you are always looking for someone to blame- you are in the wrong profession.
Carol Sherrill
Comments (6)
It is all about connection. Students often have to make a connection with text or writing topics in order to engage in the activity. Teachers need to make a connection with the students in their class to reach them. We are lifelong learners. I really don't remember much of what I learned in undergraduate school. My learning began when I actually got in a classroom. We as educators must always strive to be on the cutting edge of education if we want to meet the needs of the students in our class.
Posted by Michelle Moffitt | June 27, 2010 8:47 PM
Posted on June 27, 2010 20:47
Carol,
You are exactly right, we have to find a connection with our students if we want them to learn the best way possible. Children are not alike. What works for one child may not work for another. We have to give students opportunities to engage in learning activities that motivate and interest them. That's neat you did research on separating genders in the classroom. Honestly, I never really thought about doing that before. I would be interested to see what your results were. We are life-long learners. The educational world is constantly changing, and it is up to us to learn the new information and keep ourselves updated.
~Jamie Brackett
Posted by Jamie Brackett | June 28, 2010 12:12 AM
Posted on June 28, 2010 00:12
As I read your post I couldn't help but think of my nephew. He is a very smart child, but would rather be involved in video games and building things just like Jake from our reading. He always struggled with behavior issues, which eventually effected his education. He failed the third grade EOG, so his mom asked me to tutor him that summer. He could read the material, but he wasn't making sense of any of the stories we read. He was simply reading the words to get done. I finally realized I didn't have material that was interesting to him. Once I got him involved in the stories, he was so much more motivated and involved. He took this to his fourth grade year, and continued his reading. He was on grade level at the end of that year!!
Posted by Angie Sigmon | June 28, 2010 8:37 AM
Posted on June 28, 2010 08:37
Carol,
you're comments about the use of CONNECTION in chapters 5 & 6 really tied together this section of reading. We do have to make a connection with our students and their families to maximize their learning. And you're right how each child is not equal within the classroom. Because of this we modify or extend things to help each child individually become equal.
Posted by Nikki Leggins | June 28, 2010 1:20 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 13:20
There are times when I am tuned out in my classes because I am not connected to the material. I know it is a different case, but still, all applies to any person learning! I know that providing different choices for students is a big part of keeping them engaged. We all know that giving them the choice allows them to take charge and be proud of their learning. I also think though that Jake needed to be taught at home. It seemed as if the "he'll figure it out" attitude was doing him a disservice because he didn't know how to handle his emotions. There are some things I think you can let go and let kids figure out, but behavior is something that has to be taught.
Posted by Abby Boughton | June 28, 2010 10:04 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 22:04
Carol,
I love your use of the word "connection." I think we as teachers need to show our students a connection between them and what we're teaching, but I also think we need to make a connection with them. Children are more apt to do their best and try hard in a classroom where he/she is comfortable.
It's funny you mentioned the fact that different genders learn differently. Until this class and the readings, I never realized the importance of a student's gender in relation to his/her academic performance.
Marsha Warren
Posted by Marsha Warren | June 29, 2010 9:48 PM
Posted on June 29, 2010 21:48