Reading Lives (Chapters 1 & 2)
My name is Angela Steele. Angela means the “Angelic one” – I’m not sure that I live up to the high expectations of the name given to me by my parents. Naming a simple principle; however, when you take it out of context, does it mean the same thing? Often not. I really liked the comparison to the three bears and the mathematical word of describing something as “bigger”. The meaning of this simple word is different depending on the context.
This does not just work in the concept of naming. Students are going to take different meanings from different stories based on their cultural upbringing. If a child has been taught that the male person is always dominant, then students will carry this into the classroom, i.e. the Sean and Terry excerpt. Having a preschool-aged student address another student as a “cunt” would have totally caught me off guard. This is obviously something that has been seen as acceptable in the home; just as the Jake and Lee Ann account.
I work in a school where the majority of children are from the white lower socioeconomic environment(99% free and reduced lunch). I have encountered in my own classroom accounts where parents have told their child, “If someone hits you, you hit them back and let the principal answer to ME!” This is one of those act now, and ask questions later frames of mind. For the lower socioeconomic status, it is often taught from the get go that everything will be a struggle, and don’t let anybody tell you what to do, you know what’s best. As we all know, it is difficult in the “real adult” world, but students have to learn on their own how to create this “hybrid” lifestyle.
Well, how does this all work into teaching a child about literacy? A child with the male figurehead point of view will see characters differently from one that has been raised to acknowledge everyone is on a “level playing field”. How a student shares in class will influence their writings. We have to remember (as I realized from the last article) that even those little stories that seem to be off task, can be a child seeking to make connections to what they are reading.
I can see where the Qualitative Research strategy is going to be a very effective process portrayed in this book so far. We, as readers, are getting the opportunity to see these “affects, cultural, racial, and economic circumstances” that are creating the readers that we have in our classrooms today!
Angela Steele
Comments (4)
A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, if you like the smell of roses. If you had been taught that roses were evil and someone tried to give you a rose, would you be offended? I would. Our students come to us with different ideas and it is up to us to TEACH them another point of view. Our goal is not to change them into little robots that only think or act like we do, but to teach those options on how to deal with what the world has to offer. There are many recipes for chili throughout the world, some are too spicy, some are too mild and some are just right. Our goal as teachers is to make available the spices that can help make a child’s educational experience just right.
Elizabeth Achor
Posted by Elizabeth Achor | June 21, 2010 5:11 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 17:11
Angela,
In your second paragraph, you write of how students will take different meanings from stories depending on their cultural upbringing. I believe that we can take advantage of this thought to allow children to see different perspectives about a text; lessons can be taught through different students. It is also important that the teacher acts as a mediator to help explain different perspectives spoken, in order not to offend other students. Some of the best teachers are students themselves.
Posted by Katie Johnson | June 21, 2010 6:03 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 18:03
I thought you made a very important point when you talked about different students viewing literacy differently based on their up bringing. It is my opinon that as a teacher I must take what students bring into the classroom whether all alike or all different and expand on that to allow them to understand a different perspective. I have never had boys in my class that displayed the kind of male dominance that the two boys did in the book, but I would hope that if I was in that situation I would be able to take their viewpoint and expand on it making them see a different one. I think a good idea for those two boys in particular would have been to choose and age appropriate book or story to tell them about a girl who took on a leadership role. By simply introducing them to the idea that females can be leaders I think the teacher could have opened their eyes to other ways of thinking.
Posted by Katie Templeton | June 21, 2010 10:08 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 22:08
Angela,
I also forget how important the stories are that the students share in class. Most of the time their stories are related to the topic in some way and they are just trying to make meaning and connections between what they know and what they are learning. I guess I struggle with this question: At what point do I move on? Do I cut them off? I’d be interested in hearing how you handle this situation.
Laura Corbello
Posted by Laura Corbello | June 22, 2010 5:00 PM
Posted on June 22, 2010 17:00