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

I agree with you completely about how students will speak out when they are in a small group setting compared to a large group setting. I teach two Inclusion classes and two resource classes. Obviously, the kids in my class know they are learning the same material, but at a slower pace. Many of the students come in with the hopes of doing well so they can move to the "regular classroom". However, I have noticed more times than not that my students would prefer to stay in a smaller classroom. They feel comfortable there. They feel comfortable with the other students. They don't get upset when they make a mistake. They worry that if they are in a bigger class they will be judged if they mess up and a lot of times students are scrutinized because of their mistakes without teachers even realizing it, especially at the middle school level. At this level the kids are very mean and they bully one another. Students feel safe in the resource classroom. There have been times where I took my resource kids into the general education classroom if we were studying the same thing and we would treat as an Inclusion class. My students hated going in there because they felt uncomfortable. The ones who always speak out in my resource class did not say a sound in the regular education classroom. As teachers, we need to make sure students not only feel comfortable in all classes, but also they receive plenty of positive reinforcement to help boost their confidence!

Katy Dellinger

I have to start by saying that I am very glad that someone else had a hard time with these articles. I was focusing so much on what the articles were saying that I didn't even realize that I was experiencing something that our students constatnly deal with. I realize that we weren't asked to read these articles so that we would be confused and could empathize with our students, but for me that is the exact emotion it evoked. I think rarely as teachers do we come across literature that we struggle with, so we forget how our students are sometimes feeling. After reading these articles I now remember how they feel and I have a little more sympathy for them when they complain about an assignment being hard.

You make a good point about how students will speak up more if they are in a smaller group. I have guided reading groups and spelling groups. Since these groups are on their instructional level, they are going to feel more confident and want to participate. When we meet in our small groups, I have a lot more participation and the students are engaged. Once we are back to whole class, my students who tend to struggle more academically are less likely to participate.
Trish Edwards

Elizabeth, I was also thinking "WHAT?" I could not imagine these movies or things being discussed in my rural county. Then I began to realize that, like everything else, these topics are relative to the area. While students in my county may want to discuss sex or drugs, I don't think it would take on the harsh quality of Tamesha's discussions. I also think that in my community parents would have a fit. One of the students (Kay?) said, I love this class. I discuss things I can't talk to my mom about. I can see this kind of thought causing big problems where I teach.

I think we would have parents in our school that would also be extremely upset by a teacher bringing up controversial topics in our classrooms, but I think it also makes a difference of the grade level. I think students in the upper grades (middle to high school) are mature enough to handle these controversial topics without having parents complain (as much). I also think it is in the way the teacher is approaching the subject and handling the information given by the students. I really like how dialogue journals were used for the students to express their thoughts and opinions on the topic. This definitely gives the student an opportunity to share without judgement, but it also keeps personal information private.

It is controversial and would be deemed inappropriate for students to view these types of movies and have discussions about those topics; however, these are the things our children watch without discussion or parental supervision. I admired Staples for taking on that risk, and providing us with guidlines and an opportunity to see it put in action. I am shocked by what my students watch at times, and what they know. But I think we all need to be realistic about it. They talk about worse things on their cellphones. While I wouldn't do this within school, I think a community program with parental permission addressing these issues that come up within movies and other media may provide our students with an opportunity to understand what they are viewing and reflect deeply upon it. Media is raising a majoritiy of our children. In practicum I have an 8 year old girl going to see Eclipse. She isn't mature enough to understand what she sees for sure, but some parents don't have limits with their children. We need to be real that our students often see things that are highly inappropriate. I admitted to my students that I watch a South Park episode because I overheard a conversation. While I didn't bring it up, I did offer my insight on to the bigger picture. Was it a class discussion? No. But I got the students thinking more about the context and meaning behind the lewd jokes. While the show is lewd and horrific at times I know, in a rude, offensive way, the show is commenting on society and our lack of understanding. There is definitely a line that shouldn't be crossed, but at some point we need to recognize that our children are watching adult movies without guidance or support for expressing their thoughts.