When I was reading about Jake, many things came to mind. First of all, there are so many kids today with two discourse communities:home and school. I have heard from many parents in conferences that "he/she isn't like this at home!" When I hear that it's usually half say it because they are so good at school, and not at home, and the other half say that because they are so good at home, and don't know why they are misbehaving in school. Either way, parents seem floored when they hear of different behaviors that are being expressed in school.
Second, I respect her research and have found it interesting to hear all her documentations on these kids. But, nonetheless, I don't agree with what they are saying. I'm not against in any way making school differentiated and adjusted according to students' needs or interests. But, I do not agree that because a student doesn't like to write about a topic, that we automatically let them choose what they want to write about. That just isn't reality. If a student gets a job and they are asked to do something, they just can't say "sorry, I think that's dumb." It's not all about what a student wants or doesn't want to do. There is a reason it's called public education. We are told what to teach, and that's that! Having a student come through a public school is supposed to make a student well rounded in all subject areas in order to become the best citizen they can be to make a difference in society. I'm sorry if Johnny doesn't like to subtract, but reality is, if Johnny can't subtract, he won't make it in the real world. Sometimes I think we as educators are being pushed to make ALL kids learn and like learning. Yes, we are, but it's not only up to us to get the job done. Families should recognize this sometimes and find out what they can do to accomodate to make their child better in school....and not always the other way around. "What can you do teacher, to adjust to what we've taught at home?"
Third and lastly, I do think we are to bring our knowledge when instructing all the different languages and discourses that our classroom community bring. Acknowledging and adapting literacies in order to teach the different discourses is important and part of each childs' education. Understanding backgrounds is crucial, and knowing where and how each child was raised will have a significant understanding to their path of knowledge.
Abby Boughton
Comments (4)
We must teach the same kids. I wish I had a dollar for everytime parents couldn't believe the child I was describing was theirs. I never knew that had a name until now! I understand what you are saying about too much choice. I have to do things every day I would rather not do. Children need to learn how to tackle the good, bad and ugly along with the things they enjoy. I also get frustrated with the amount we are expected to accomplish. I am not arguing against the Standard Course of Study but I do think policy makers lose touch with what really happens in the classroom when they get into the positions of "power". Every principal, superintendent and board member needs to spend time in the trenches when making important decisions.
Posted by Carol Sherrill | June 28, 2010 2:25 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 14:25
Dear Abby,
You make a good point that we can't always give children options. For the math, reading, and writing benchmarks that are given in first grade in the county where I teach, students are not given a choice. They just have to apply what they've learned to the tasks they're given. The same holds true for EOC's & EOG's. However, there are times that we can remain flexible with our students and give them options. That way when it comes time for them to take tests, they can show us their best.
I agree that we need to be realistic in our approaches as teachers and parents need to understand that as well. They need to understand that their child may not always be given a choice in their assignments and that is the way their job will be, unless they are lucky enough to be self-employed.
Reshawna Greene
Posted by Reshawna Greene | June 28, 2010 3:15 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 15:15
I agree that students need to be able to maneuver through the PUBLIC education system, however I must add thank goodness for grad school research articles. John T. Guthrie, Department of Human Development, College of Education, University of Maryland, is the go to guy for finding ways to motivate students. His vast amount of research continues to support student choice of texts, responses, or partners during instruction. There are many times throughout the year when we “must” administer the “same” assignment, but there are many more opportunities to teach students about making choices. The strategies for choice are not hard to implement and by following the student choice philosophy negative student behaviors were reduced, to almost zero, during reading and a community of readers enjoyed the year too!! Sometimes it does not take recreating the wheel to motivate students. It just takes the “will power” of the ones in charge!
Guthrie, J., Cox, K., Anderson, E., Harris, K., Mazzoni, S., & Rach, L. (1998, June). Principles of integrated instruction for engagement in... Educational Psychology Review, 10(2), 177.
Elizabeth Achor
Posted by Elizabeth Achor | June 28, 2010 3:45 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 15:45
Abby-
I like that you brought up the issue of parents' influence on their children’s' academics in and out of school. I too, believe that students should understand that they sometimes just "have to do it". Teachers are pulled in so many directions all the time, that there has to be a line drawn somewhere and students need to know certain things are just the way that they are. I think in our society today, especially with the working class population, some kids are given what they want (as long as it is within means) and are pushed aside while Mom and Dad are busy making life possible for their families. Typically, in a classroom, students are not given this choice when it comes to curriculum driven content, and want to argue, whine and complain about what they have to do. I guess this idea goes back to different discourses that children play: home vs. school.
Renee Hennings June 28 2010
Posted by Renee Hennings | June 28, 2010 8:49 PM
Posted on June 28, 2010 20:49