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

Tracy,

I agree with you that the quote from Ezra about cultures on page 349 was a very powerful one. I grew up in a very conservative, rural community in North Carolina. When I was growing up, I heard so many racist comments from neighbors and people in my own family. Even in recent years, there are members of my own family who frequently use derogatory names for people from other racial groups. When I look at my own environment here in Greensboro, I see myself surrounded by people from various races, nationalities, etc. The school where I teach is becoming an International Baccalaureate school with the focus of becoming global citizens. I am a friend and mentor to the two Chinese teachers at my school. As I reflect on these things, I wonder if my desire to be involved with people of different races and nationalities is a direct result of my upbringing, a way to counteract the negativity I witnessed while growing up.

In your entry, you also spoke about the fact that the Lost Boys retained the act of storytelling even after experiencing all that trauma. I think one reason this was true, besides the fact that storytelling was an important part of Sudanese culture, was that speaking of their circumstances gave them power over the traumatic events they had experienced. I have often heard that individuals who had experienced traumatic events, such as rape, kidnapping, etc., felt that they truly began to heal and come to terms with what had happened when they were able to talk about the events. In this way, the events did not have power over them anymore. They were able to express the hurt, anger, etc., and use this as a tool for healing. I think this is one reason why counseling is effective, because it allows individuals to sort out their feelings and begin to come to terms with issues that might be bothering them.

Clyde Rice

Tracy,
The quote you placed in your post also grabbed my attention as I was reading. I will be 1st to admit that I need to have a better knowledge of the cultures that make up my school and community. As I read your post, I was also begin thinking about how well I know my own culture (family heritage). I need to take time and listen to the stories told by my grandparents while they are still living so I can understand my culture even more. I think storytelling is being overlooked in most schools and communities. How can we change this as teachers? Maybe host a storytelling night and invite parents and community members to share. We could also tell one story every day in class and encourage our students help with this activity. We could provide our students with time to write their stories down and share them. I think a lot of time we forget that storytelling is a vital part of literacy and learning who we are and where we came from.

Dear Tracy,

I agree, so often we take education for granted in our society while these young men did not. They definately faced many hardships that most of us did not have to face and they not only made the best of it, they pushed themselves to be the best. They also told the story of their people and put in into print so that it will never be forgotten.

I was also reminded of the fact that storytelling should be an important aspect of reading and writing instruction in our classrooms. It allows us all to remember who we are and where we came from and gives us all a purpose for writing.

Perhaps we could have members of the community that want to share their culture and their story come in for a day and share with students. This would give them a chance to see and hear first-hand instead of just reading from a book. I remember attending a teaching semiar and one of the presenters was a professional storyteller. She used instruments and props to tell her stories. She told 3 stories and after each one I wanted to hear more! I believe we need this in our schools because it would excite our students and hopefully connect them to this lost art.

Reshawna Greene

Tracy,

You are so right. Many students in today's educational world do take for granted education. They do not have a concept of what it's like to not be able to have an education, and that so many people in our world today are uneducated due to issues in their country or culture. I don't think that storytelling should be overlooked in education today. I think it would be great to have a story-telling day where each student can share something about their culture or family with the rest of the class if they desire. We need to educate all students about various cultures around the world and in the United States so it is not lost or forgotten.
~Jamie Brackett

I was also struck by the wisdom expressed by Ezra in the quote you mentioned. After all he had been through, for him to have that insight on life was absoutely amazing. What I couldn't help think when I read that was that people who belittle other cultures and feel their culture is worthy of dominance over other cultures, must really have a hardened heart. Ezra and other "Lost Boys" had such horrific experiences that it is hard to say what they went through was a blessing. I can, however see that through those experiences, or inspite of, or maybe partly because of those experiences, they can have a very rewarding life. What a wonderful lesson for us all.