I felt very sad for the “Lost Boys,” they lost everything. Their villages were destroyed, their families were killed or made to be slaves. They had to hide so they would not be forced to fight. I can’t even imagine having to go through all of that and still being able to make a life for oneself. Once they made it to America all they had left of their culture was their stories.
I like the point the article made that literacy is related to culture. “What people do with languages and literacies is patterned by social relationships as well as by cultural values, beliefs, attitudes, and identities.” For the lost boys a central part of their literacy was story telling. This is the way the information about their lives before they came to America was staying alive through them telling their stories. The stories help them see where they fit into the world and how their lives are making an impact on the stories they will continue to tell.
The literacy of the “Lost Boys” was more verbal than written. Do we give our students enough time to express themselves verbally?? So many students can tell you a great story but when it comes to putting in on paper there is a breakdown between what is in their head and what they put on paper. In the Somalia and Sudan culture storytelling, reciting poems singing songs are important ways of teaching and learning. Research done with Hawaiian children found that incorporating these kinds of activities improved the children’s literacy development. In kindergarden we do these kinds of activities but it seems the older the children get less of these kinds of activities to participate in. I think that students need a mix of both verbal and written literacy activities.
Story telling is a very old custom that is evident in many cultures, races and ethnicities. This is a custom that is important to pass on from generation to generation. As teachers we need to encourage story telling but also help children with putting those stories into writing.
I enjoyed getting to know the “Lost Boys” and hear their stories. I found that this article was good to read after reading the Henry article. Students must have a voice and be willing to use it so that they can become story tellers.
Ashley Caldwell