Reading chapters 3 & 4 made me think about my own literacy experiences growing up as a young girl. Like Laurie, my mom and grandmother both worked and were examples of strong females in my life. Unlike Laurie though I have a father who also worked nearly everyday. I had the support of my family throughout my academic career, and still do to this day. As I read I could see parts of myself in Laurie. I always strived to be a "good girl." I always tried to please my parents and teachers and wanted to be thought of as smart and responsible. My worst fear then was that I would do something to make them mad at me or dissapoint them in some way. I too had a strong imagination that was evident when I played and in my writing as well. I didn't really struggle with reading as she did however, but I see the struggles many of my first graders go through as they strive to become independent, strong readers. I notice when they seem disconnected to a lesson or they may try to rummage through their desk during writing to mask the fact that they don't know how to begin.That's when I try to go to those students as my other students are working independently and give them help.
It was interesting to read and follow the life of Laurie over a three year time span. Unfortunately, we do not get that luxury of that amount of time to get to know our students. As we have read in almost every article, we need to take the time to get to know our students so that we can connect with them and earn their trust. I believe that's the only way to reach many of our students, especially those who may have already had negative experiences with school and are "switched off" to it. The researcher was able to form a bond with her that allowed her to reach out to Laurie to help her in ways her teachers couldn't. They also shared a mutual understanding and respect for each other.
I was glad to see Laurie's second grade teacher take a different approach to reading and writing instruction that allowed Laurie to grow and gain confidence. I had hoped that with her being in a special reading program and the additional support she received from Deborah she would have made more progress than what she did. However, I had to remember she had started second grade with a deficit in reading and writing and although her mom reads to her each night, she had to catch up with her classmates. I was surprised at the violence in her story about the flowers and the good vs. evil that was very apparent in her writing. As pointed out, her stories often were fictionalized in some parts. I found this to be clever on her part that she would write about her life as how she wanted it to be. I was amazed at her later entries in her writing notebook at how much her content had improved not only in length but in detail and spelling as well. I would love to know how Laurie is doing today and how she has developed as a reader and writer. I would be thrilled if she were performing at or above grade level in reading and writing.
Reshawna Greene
Comments (5)
Isn't it neat to see ourselves in this book. I had some of the same comparisons you did. It appears our childhoods were a lot alike. I agree with you that most of us do not get the opportunity to get to know our students the way Hicks did. I will admit there have been years that I was counting down until the end of school becasue I knew the group I had would be moving on. However, do you think looping across the grade levels with the children is a good idea. Would we be moe effective if we got to know all the grisly details of their lives and moved with them from one grade to the next? I too found it encourageing that Laurie was with her 2nd grade teacher. She was wise to use workshop ideas to teach to the ability levels of her students.
Posted by Carol Sherrill | June 24, 2010 12:04 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 12:04
Hicks ascribes much relevance to Laurie’s story about flowers, poison ponds and angels. I can’t help but think she has read too much into Laurie’s story. It reminds me of when one of my students used to draw me pictures of 100 ways to die by bow and arrow. Other drawings would depict me in the belly of a shark with this brave student in the boat trying to rescue me (still with bow and arrow) in the face of attacking submarines. I could ascribe a lot of hidden meaning to these drawings, or I could just see them for what I think they were, interpretations of various stories and movies personalized by the student. Laurie’s story had some elements which seemed strait out of a Disney movie. Most of our kids see much worse on a daily basis on tv, so I am not surprised that her work reflected her anger and frustration is such a descriptive way.
Rebecca Ashby
Posted by Rebecca Ashby | June 24, 2010 12:56 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 12:56
I too tried to be the “good girl” in school and at home. So I saw several parallels while I was reading as well. This good girl attitude often consumes you…Wanting to please my parents, I often did not go and do things with my friends as others did. School was very easy to me and often I did not have to study for tests. As for my sister, school was more difficult. It’s amazing at the amount of pressure a kid can put on themselves to fit into this “good” category.
We can hope that as teachers that we can be that influence. Offering support through being a mentor and showing examples can make student writing better. Laurie can to see that writing is an outlet…writing how she wanted her life, her fairy tale. When we take the pressures of writing “correctly” students can feel liberated through their writings. Hopefully we can make this happen for more students than just Laurie.
Posted by Angela Steele | June 24, 2010 4:23 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 16:23
Reshawna,
I found it interesting that you and I shared some of the same experiences and observations, while also identifying with Laurie, even though our family support and structure was completely different. I did not have the support from family, well I did in many ways, but not so much academically, which is why I identified with her on that level. It is interesting how two people from differing back grounds can still find a sense of commonality through the story of a little girl.
William Byland
Posted by William Byland | June 24, 2010 7:12 PM
Posted on June 24, 2010 19:12
I could also relate to Laurie’s need to be a good girl and please her teachers. I was very much like this in elementary school. I also see these kinds of girls in my classroom. I had one this year that wanted to always please me and would get very upset if she did not understand how to do something. She was a strong reader but struggled with math. I also have the students who when they do not know how to do something they do things like look in their desk or play with their pencil to divert the attention away from them not knowing how to complete the task. It would be nice if all children who are like Laurie had someone to form a bond with and relate to. I agree with you that her teachers were not giving her the bond and attention she needed.
Posted by Ashley Caldwell | June 25, 2010 7:22 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 19:22