This article brought out a lot of emotions in me. Initially, I felt sadness for these 2 adolescents. I feel they are "torn between 2 worlds." I think they feel that if they participate in things their peers are doing, then they are turning their backs on their heritages. I think they also feel they can't express themselves freely at school because of being subjected to criticism and bullying. Being adolescents, they are going through enough emotions and changes without having to worry about fitting in with their peers because of their race.
I am glad that these 2 students have such a wonderful support system at home. It seems to me that both sets of parents want more for their children than what they received, in terms of education. They both have played active roles in the development of their childrens' literacy. It also seems that the parents support the children in their artistic talents as well. I'm also glad these 2 students found a way to express themselves freely, without having to worry about criticism, through writing and music. After reading about the parents' support, I do wonder what Daniel's parents think about his attitude towards school and class/homework?!?!?
I think the parents were unsure at first of the author's motives in doing the research because of their past experiences with other researchers. I think it's safe to say that if someone treats you badly or speaks of you in a negative way, then you would probably be suspicious of that person. I honestly think this is the reason the parents, at first, questioned the researcher and were not very supportive of her.
I also wondered after reading this article what type of, if any, staff development is offered to teachers concerning the different cultural backgrounds of the students? I know at our school we've been required to attend staff developments on lower SES backgrounds, as well as the Hmong culture, which are 2 groups in which we have a lot of members of our student population members of. If teachers were offered this, then maybe they would understand better the different backgrounds, beliefs, etc. of their students, which in turn may make the students want to do better in class. It would show them that the teacher cared enough to learn about them as people. At the same time I believe teachers should make more of an effort to learn their students' backgrounds, I also feel that students, such as Donnie, should make more of an effort to do his best in school.
Marsha Warren
Comments (2)
Marsha, I agree that teachers need more staff development in this area. One of the most beneficial things I have done as a teacher was to participate in the RIPPEL program, and I completed my K-12 ESL certification through that grant. Even though I don't teach ESL, and don't plan to anytime soon, I still take advantage of that training when working with those students. The cultures are different and the Hmong culture hasn't had a written language but just a few decades. So some of our student's parents and many of their grandparents are illiterate in their own language. That fact is very important to know in order to understand the value some families place on their children's education.
Karen Chester
Posted by Karen Chester | June 10, 2010 7:18 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 19:18
I also felt sad for the two teens. They were torn between two world. Both teens seemed to have a good support system at home. I also questioned why the parents were not more involved in the students schooling. If they were so involved in the students activities outside of school why would they not be making sure that their children were not turning in assignments or just barely making passing grades? I wondered if the parents had a bad experience when they were in school? I wonder if the parents were more involved in the students schooling would that have made the students take their schooling. I also believe that if the teachers had made more of an effort to relate to these students that they would have been more interested in school. I know that the students should take an initiative in their own education but I know for a fact that children are more interested in school if they know their teachers care about them and are interested in them as a person.
Posted by Ashley Caldwell | June 11, 2010 7:54 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 19:54