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

Text of pleasure: the text that contents, fills, grants euphoria; the text that comes from culture
and does not break with it, is linked to a comfortable practice of reading.
Text of bliss: the text that imposes a state of loss, the text that discomforts, unsettles the reader’s
historical cultural, psychological assumptions, the consistency of his [sic] tastes, values,
memories, brings to a crisis his [sic] relation with language.
~Roland Barthes
Reading for pleasure has been a practice I have grown into over the last 10 years of my life. Prior to that I viewed reading as a school task and not something that was done at home. My parents only read the newspaper, so I assumed when I was an adult I would acquire the same practice, until then I did not have to worry about reading outside of school. When I did begin to read for pleasure I discovered the world of mysteries. I feel in love with the suspense and the realistic feeling that genre gave me. It became a habit of mine to start reading a book and simply not close it until I was finished. I was consumed by the plot and typically became frustrated once I read the last page. This frustration came from the sadness of not being able to read anymore about the story line as well as not having anyone to discuss the book with. During this time I was working at the county juvenile detention center. Many of the books I read I saw a comparison with the teenagers I interacted with daily. Many of them were being detained because of a crime involving violence, theft, and yes, murder. Reading mysteries allowed me to escape the realities of my job. In the book, I knew the characters were not real, so punishments did not phase me. The job was an emotionally draining. Reading allowed me to still ponder the events of work, but in a fictional way.
I know that reading can allow me to travel the world and experience things I would not otherwise be able to. I also know it can broaden my knowledge base and increase my awareness of the world around me. Reading such material is enjoyable, but I had not thought to consider that bliss reading. That was prior to reading material for this course. I have found the material I read in this course to cause me to experience discomfort and unsettle my prior assumptions about people and ways of life. Exposing the truth through reading is another reason I enjoyed reading mysteries. That is what the material read in this course has done for me as well, exposed the truth about the lives of my students. Throughout my career I have worked at lower social economic status schools, so I was aware of the needs the students had. The lack of support from home, the lack of resources they had access to, the emotional baggage they bring to school, were all facts I had accepted and took into account when planning instruction and interacting with my students. However, that was the extent of my thinking. They were poor, so they had a bad home life. During the last few weeks, those basic thoughts have been challenged, and caused me to reflect on myself. The realization was, while I understood they had a special needs because of their home life, I still expected them to function in the classroom with no problems. I also expected this to happen rather quickly. Not once had it occurred to me the discourses of their home life and school life being in conflict. I do value building relationships with my students, but I do not believe I saw the true importance of that until doing the reading for this course.
Joanne Dowdy was the beginning of the above stated revelations. Reading about her experiences of trying to navigate between her cultural being and the desires of those around here was interesting. Having to control her use of language to fit the desires of the society around her was a point of frustration for her. She even compared it to acting like a stranger. Why should we feel like a stranger when using language?
Lisa Delpit’s struggle with her daughter’s language and reflection on her reaction hit home with me. Many of my classrooms have been predominantly African American. I appreciated the way she suggested creating entire units of study around hair care and the cultural history. Some similar thoughts had crossed my mind at various times in the past, but I never truly saw how important it could be until now.
One of the most interesting articles I found was the Annette Henry article. When I made my post about this article, I started off by talking about a young girl at my current school who is African American. She surprised the school with her singing abilities. I reflected on the interactions she has had at school, none of them being all that great. She responded that no teacher had ever asked what she liked or had an interest in. She felt speechless in her classroom; she had been left to sit passively while teachers dealt with the behavior and needs of the boys. This particular girl’s behavior defined who she was. While she did not have awful behavior, she was rather energetic and off task. She historically became known for that. I had heard so much negative talk about her; it was not until the last few weeks of school when I was working with her did I realize she was on grade level. This student has been solely defined as a “bad” student, and left voiceless when she has a lot to say and offer.
The readings from Reading Lives challenged my thinking as well. Again, I have had many students who were similar to Laurie and Jake. The working class life they grew up in had a critical impact on their school life. I valued being able to get a look in to their home life and see the struggles they had navigating the two discourses of their life. It made me reevaluate my thoughts on lower social economic status students. Actually that is one correction I realized, I was lumping them all into one category; poor. I did not make a distinction between poor and working class. The biggest revelation I had in reading about these students was; their home life has value and gives me a better understanding of who they are. Too often I dismissed their thinking and tried to make them conform to my expectations. That was a great wake up call for me. I personally rebel when someone or something is trying to make me conform to their values, why would I impose that on children then? I have realized the importance of valuing the desires the students have that are directly formulated from their home life. The struggles they experience between their two worlds are affecting their literacy development. As educators we want our students to succeed. School districts buy the latest and greatest new curriculum and resources. I am thinking that maybe instead of doing that, we should get to know our students and their families more and work on building relationships. Our eyes would be open to their struggles and we would have a firsthand look at their needs.

Michael Lemke

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
~ Michel Foucault

I elected to write my summative on this quote by Michael Foucault because of the reflection this course has evoked regarding how I think and do things. Never before have I had to reflect and connect so much. I feel that I have truly grown, as a person and as a teacher, and for that, I am thankful. When I first read the quotes at the beginning of the course, I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret them or how they would apply to the course. Now that I have completed the course, the meaning is clear.

By asking me to read the articles and make meaning of the text, Dr. Jackson was challenging me to dig deeper, to go beyond a summary, to make the text apply to my situations in the classroom. I cannot think of a better way to grow as a teacher than through self-reflection. All the readings were intertwined with controversial issues that were difficult to reflect upon. Sometimes these readings evoked emotion within me and my reflections were personal memories involving pain or success. To make meaning of the texts, I needed to find connections whether it be professional or personal in nature and I think I was able to do that. At times I had to challenge myself to think differently. Now I realize that I must always keep an open mind regarding a sitaution and continue to think and reflect.

I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood. While we certainly weren’t wealthy, my mother always made sure I had everything I needed by sacrificing herself. As a middle-class, female, white educator I occassionally forget that everyone isn’t just like me! I realize we all look different but I am speaking in terms of upbringing, exposures, life experiences, etc. Because I teach middle school, I do not think I had considered many of the things that my students from different backgrounds experience when they are learning to read. Most all my students are fluent readers by the time they reach the 8th grade. I want to be sure those that aren’t fluent readers don’t fall through the cracks. The quote above is significant to me as an educator because through our readings, I have discovered that I can think differently. I am better prepared to recognize that my students experience things that cause me to move out of my comfort zone in order to understand. I also believe this quote is refreshing because the working class and minority students can be anything they aspire to be. I spend countless hours every year reminding all my students of that fact. Thinking differently! Today’s students have more opportunities than ever before including the ability to overcome their situations and becoming successful in school and beyond.

The articles by Delpit and Dowdy certainly stirred some emotion within me. While I did not automatically agree with everything that was written, I understand a few things better. The one thing that bothered me in this article was Ebonics. I found it quite interesting how Delpit’s daughter picked up on Ebonics so easily. This confirms that children learn more quickly from other children than adults. But as an English teacher, I struggle everyday getting students to use grammatically correct language in speaking and writing; therefore, I have trouble considering it an actual language instead of slang. While Ebonics may be acceptable in the home and on the playground, I do not believe it should be acceptable in the classroom or professional workplace. That being said, I also realize that the classsroom environment isn’t always formal. Now that I have become more aware of how my corrections will affect my students, I will limit my corrections to written assignments, formal papers and oral presentations only. I do not want to cause my students to shut down.

In reading the Noll article about, Daniel and Zonnie, the American Indians, I became aware of how important motivation is to successful teaching. These two students should have done well in school but did not because of lack of motivation. I will look at my students differently from this point forward and encourage my students to achieve their personal best instead of expecting all students to achieve the same goal. I aspire to be the best teacher and motivator that I can be.

Looking back over all we read during this course, my favorite article was the story of the young men from the Sudan. Reading about the lives of these young men touched me and put life into a whole new perspective. The little things that I deal with every day, such as the drama with my three teenage daughters that constantly cause worry and stress, are minor compared to what these young men endured to simply survive. Suddenly, my issues are not such a big deal after all.

The book by Deborah Hicks, Reading Lives; Working Class Children and Literacy Learning, was an additional resource I am glad I was exposed to. This text has inspired me to think about my classroom and how I teach. Do I teach in the most beneficial way for my students to learn both academically and emotionally? Laurie and Jake’s stories are the untold stories of children in my classroom. I gained fresh insights as I examined new perspectives on the working class children of my class. While I grew up in a working class family of just two, my mother and me, I knew the value of a good education. I also knew a solid educational background would be my way out of the working class.

I think this class has been the most challenging class for me thus far because it caused me to think and reflect on my own teaching practices and theories. I had to step outside my eighth grade, middle-class, mostly white classroom to consider ideas I have not thought of since spending my first two years of teaching in an inner city school full of diversity. Going forward, I am going to attempt to familiarize myself with students’ families and cultures in addition to getting to know each of my students. This will allow me to better see where my children are coming from. By reading the ideas of others throughout this blog, I have been able to reflect more on myself as an educator.
Karen Chester

A final reflection,

“Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.” As this quote by Judith Butler states, critiquing, in this case through reading, allows one to take the knowledge that one has and open up the possibility of different ways of thinking, not just to celebrate our differences as a peoples, but to gather conditions in which one can assist in allowing and maintaining those differences so that one can protect against the obstructive dangers of assimilation, which lead to some form of bland sameness. Taking this into consideration, within the confines of this course, I have continued, through the numerous readings and reflections, to enhance my ability to not only enjoy differences within those that I teach, but also continue to nurture those differences as they are a part of the beauty that defines, not only education, but also the eloquence that is humanity.

From the beginning of the course, I was and have been forced to tangle with the concepts of the costs of assimilationism within the subcultures that are prevalent, not only here in America, but also throughout the world. As sad as it makes me to admit it, I had never considered these costs until in, “Ovyh Dyuh,” the author discusses the cost of social affirmation through learning the language of the colonizer, which was isolation from her people yet it helped her within the confines of her education, future successes, and most of all, within the world that the white colonizers had developed. It was interesting to see that there were and are social expenditures that one must pay to fit into the norm of the dominant society; however, the ever present and resounding undercurrent that pervaded my mind whilst reading and even during reflection, was one simple thing: I ask the same of my students. I ask my Black American students to speak the language of a peoples whom dragged their ancestors here on rotten ships, shackled to flooring without the hope of even standing, let alone not lying and often dying in their own and others excrement, laced with the tears of raped mothers and dead innocence within even the youngest of passengers. I would never ask my students to accept the numerous half hearted apologies or the fact that history has attempted to recover these unforgivable actions; I would not ask a Jew to hug a German; I would never ask my Great Grandfather to apologize for the innocent victims that he massacred under the name of racial purity, God and county; and most of all, I would never ask myself to proclaim some semblance of forgiveness for any of the atrocities my bloodlines have forced upon the world; yet I demand that my students correct their pronunciations and dot those I’s that their families former masters drove them to, even in the face of what one could argue is just ridicule from their peers for doing so. Or at least I use to, now I will focus on the importance of doing both, learning the language skills of the dominant so they can be successful and encourage an appreciation for their slang and Creole.

Also, during this course I became very interested in and engaged in the theoretical approaches and research of teaching Native American students through their own learning styles instead of trying to force them into undersized desks to learn stories in ways that demonstrates no value to the forms of expression that their forefathers have been practicing since they laid claim to this land over the frozen path through, what is now, Alaska. Further, this understanding grew within me to include those that also come from oral backgrounds, such as the children from Appalachian families whom have derived their family legacies through the oral traditions of camp fires, living rooms, and now even recorded medias. I realized, and found, new hope within the ideas of accepting a new definition of literacy that includes the oral traditions of so many of the students that not only live in America, but are also within the desks and walls of my classroom. No longer will I only teach myths, legends, and histories through the narrow minded approaches of textbooks and handouts, but I will immerse my students into the learning environments of their peoples as well through oral literature, recordings of locals giving the oral histories of this region, and through participation in the traditional dances, that, at one time, I only taught my students through a two dimensional sheet of paper. Also, during writing excursions, I will encourage students to record their stories as they write them like their own forefathers, with the lisp of a southern accent, and a tall tale of histories unrequited since the modern age has overcome them.

I have learned as stated in the article by Dr. Staples, “Such a decision is politicized when it is coupled with active resistance to traditional tendencies in educational policy and research to conceptualize literacy as being either a school or out of school based practice.” We must go against the traditional norms of teaching that isolate our students by ignoring their race, heritage, and social economical status, and trying to “cookie cutter,” and Tracy stated in one of her posts, a form of education that tries to fit all of our students into one mold that will only suffice to stifle the originality and differences that make us not just different, but unique. If Charles Darwin had of seen the animals on the Galapagos islands and decided to “cookie cutter” a solution of evolution that only included the dominant animals, then our protection and endangerment laws would only serve to support those animals and we would have long since lost the beauty that is lizards with human like eyes, bushes that grow blue leaves, and water snakes that provide nourishment to the island by way of their skin like bodies. Not only would we have lost those animals, but also the ecosystem itself would have fallen, leaving death to all in its wake, just like in education, when we try to “cookie cutter” our students, we kill not only their ability to learn, but we endanger the society that education is meant to help build and support through workers with knowledge and talents beyond just those that speak the languages of the social sciences, but also the languages of literacy itself.

With all of the knowledge gained and future products that will affect not only my lessons, but also my students, I have also developed an appreciation for reflective practices. Too often, I read a piece of research and think about how wonderful it is and its implications on the world, as I am trapped in a mode of educational understandings and theology, instead of thinking about how research may broaden my own classes and lessons. If this course has taught me anything, it is that research about a boy named Jake or a girl named Laura, in elementary school, can tell me a great deal about my high school students and classroom. Also, I have found a new relevance for discussions with my peers about not only lesson plans, which has been the main tenant of my conversations as a new teacher, but also discussions of recent research that could benefit our students. It is a beautiful thing to read and understand the implications of research as well as I think I do, but it is even more impressive how much my fellow teachers add to that understanding in ways that not only inform something I may have missed in my fast paced reading, but also how their thoughts, observations, and experiences with the text provide a sense of enrichment to the over arching picture that is educational research and practice.

William Byland

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all. Michael Foucault

In my opinion, this quote best represents my learning with the course material. I feel that this comment means that without active reflection of the information presented to us through articles and readings we will not change no matter what we read. This comment involves taking action about the material we felt moved by and introducing it into our teaching lives.

The articles “Speaking Up and Speaking Out” (Henry, 1998) by Annette Henry and “Hustle and Flow” (Staples, 2008) by Jeanine Staples were the first readings that truly required me to begin my reflective journey. These articles talked about helping children to find their voice through reading and writing. I had previously thought that the selections I made for reading were revolutionary, because I went against the county mandates of the reading series and taught through novel studies. However after reading about how these researchers used the students’ interests to draw students into active engagement while teaching I quickly realized that my “revolutionary ideas” were incorrect. I am a middle aged middle class female, whose ideas no more correspond to my students’ than they do a toddler’s. These teachers used writing topics and reading materials that were reflective of the personalities they were teaching, not their own. This requires thinking outside of your comfort zone. I had done this in the past with my personal reading, but never in a classroom. In my classroom I like to feel in control and have things go my way. Using alternative means and topics to reach kids was not something that I saw myself doing. However, after reading these two articles I see the importance of letting kids use their voice in reading and writing. It allows children to make those connections to their reading to their lives and cultures like the African Caribbean girls in Henry’s article. Often these are connections that we as teachers could not make on our own, because our understandings and experiences are limited to what we know. Taking on this new role as facilitator can be scary at first, but this method can bring about a change in the way lots of kids see their role in education. For some it may mean the first time that they are able to make a personal connection with school, which can be a catalyst for an even greater event, like Bashir in Staple’s article who reauthor himself and started his own focus group for young men. Without active reflection and exposure to a new way of thinking that was presented in these articles, I would continue to view my narrow rebellion choice of alternative reading materials as differentiating to meet the needs of my learners. This would be meeting the needs of me as a child learner, but not all students who are in my class.

Another article that had a large impact on me as a reflective practitioner was Kristen Perry’s (Perry, 2008) about Sudanese refugees. Their life was filled with tragedy and turmoil. However, through it all, they felt the need to recount their life long journey through storytelling, which was an important means of communication in their culture. They used storytelling to tell fictional stories of their culture, explain things, and promote welfare for others in their homeland. Story telling allowed them to be a catalyst of change themselves. Sudanese culture was extremely important to these Lost Boys. They were able to assimilate to the live style here in America, but they felt that it was their duty to continue in the practice of telling stories. The Lost Boys felt that people need to know and behave in ways of their culture but also learn to appreciate others’ cultures, and how to intermingle between different cultures. After reading this amazing story and the success that these struggling children had educationally, I became deeply moved. I began to think of the things that hinder me to be a better teacher or role model, none of these are in any way as detrimental as what these Sudanese children witnessed, yet I let my “issues” hold me back on a daily basis. These young men used story telling as a connection to their past and used it to mold their future and inform others of living in conditions similar to theirs like Darfur. I began to again think of helping students find their voice. I began to think about how many other cultures I am aware of and how I let that influence my teaching. This year I had an African student who had immigrated ten years before. I treated her no differently than I had other children. This should have not been the case. In the future I will help her and others to investigate their culture and make assignments relevant. I am going to have all students next year interview the oldest family member they have and have them tell them a story. The child is then going to record the story so they have a piece of their history. History and family help us to realize who we are and where we have come from. Hopefully this will be a moving experience for them and allow them to see that we can all learn from others.

The most eye opening reading, however, was Reading Lives (Hicks, 2002) by Deborah Hicks. In her research through Laurie and Jake, two southeastern working class children, I was able to peer into the insights of members of my class. My school environment is now full of Lauries and Jakes after a redistricting when a new school opened. This has been a tremendous change to the population of my school. Previously I had received training on Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty. However, there is a large difference between working class and poverty, and a lot of the presented ideas were not applicable. This book allowed me to think of children’s home lives and how it impacted the learning that occurred in school. The previous year I gave little consideration to the value of education in the home or role of literacy at their home. The activities I gave hopefully reached them, and I tried to be respectful of different learning styles in my room. After seeing the responses of the two children about school assignments and understanding how their roles at home impact their school discourse, I have a new appreciation for choice assignments and individualized reading materials. These children can easily become lost in the mandated curriculum. Any steps that a teacher can make to help working class children make meaningful connections between their home discourse and their school discourse should be attempted. After reflection of this book, I have decided to use more student led writing journals in my class. This type of writing can help to connect reading selections to each student personally; it can help further development of ideas on an individual basis, or the student to fulfill a fictional need to develop a story.

I am excited about using the ideas I have become conscious of during this class. I have also learned that I need to become a more hybrid teacher that is accommodating of all discourses in my classroom. I feel that if I follow these ideas, all students will be able to achieve success in learning. Maybe I can be the one who sparks a new interest for those who have previously been lost, or help further an advanced learners interest in other cultures.

Amy Reep

Bibliography
Henry, A. (1998). Speaking Up and Speaking Out. Journal of Literacy Research , 233-252.
Hicks, D. (2002). Reading Lives Working Class Children and Literacy Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Perry, K. (2008). From Storytelling to Writing:Transforming Literacy Practices among Sudanese Refugees. Journal of Literacy Research , 318-358.
Staples, J. (2008). Hustle and Flow. Educational Action Research , 377-390.

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
~Michel Foucault

Reading has always held a special place in my life. I have always loved to read books. My favorites include mysteries, romances, and the occasional “scary” book. I have found (just like many of the students I teach), I enjoy a book much better if I get to be the one to choose it. Oddly enough, when I was in school, I read all the time. I was always reading something all the way from elementary school to high school. My love of reading stopped (or was put on hold) when I started college, became a teacher, and now have entered the graduate program. I never seem to have time to read anymore. So much of my time is spent doing homework for college, grading papers, etc. I hope I will have more time to read for enjoyment as graduation gets closer.

I do like to choose my own books. Therefore, some of the articles I read in this course were difficult for me to read. This class made me think of cultures, genders, and identities in a whole new light. I picked the quote above because I think it best fits my journey in this class. I had to think differently in this class. I had to open up my mind and think about things that I may not be great at as a teacher. I think this quote means you have to think openly in order to change for yourself. After reflecting on this course, I realize that I am not always “in tune” with issues going around in my classroom. I do not think I am negative about the problems, but probably just haven’t realized all the issues that exist within schools. This course has forced me to think about situations our students face daily, that I may not have even realized were problems.

Dowdy was forced to speak “the right English” during her time in school. She had to change the way she had always spoken to “fit-in” with her current learning environment. Students are often forced to “code-switch.” They are required to speak one way in one place and a different way in another. This code-switching was probably the one thing I felt best about with my own teaching. I try not to make fun of my students for talking how they talk. I think of my own Southern accent. It would be horrible if I had to change how I speak to please someone else. Therefore, for the most part, I try to let my students speak how they learned to speak. One fault I have found in myself is sometimes assuming people aren’t smart because they communicate differently. I think back to this past year when I had a student that couldn’t talk at all (he had oral apraxia). I was guilty of making the assumption that he wasn’t going to be able to learn because he couldn’t talk. I quickly found out that he could do math really well and could even do fairly well on written phonics activities. Delpit talks about how we shouldn’t assume cognitive deficiency just because a person’s communication skills are different from our own.

Noll wrote about Daniel and Zonnie, who were two Native American teenagers. Both Daniel and Zonnie struggled with integrating their home life and school life. These two students wanted to be true to their culture and heritage, but often found it difficult to do that at school. Both were extremely talented in writing and music. Given the chance, they could have used their talents in school to share information about their Native American heritage with the others in their classroom. This article probably made me feel guiltier about my teaching than any other article I read. I have mostly white students in my classroom. Every year, I have one or two students that are from a different race. This past year, I had a Hispanic child in my class. He was very smart, he could read, write, and do math better than most of the other students in my class. I always treated him (and all the other students I have had from different races) just like my white students. This student was from Mexico. I never gave him an opportunity to share anything about his history with the rest of the class. He may not have wanted to share, but as a teacher, I should have had a study or focus on different cultures in the world to make sure he didn’t feel isolated. Thanks to this class, I am now aware that I need to study the different cultures within my classroom to make everybody feel important.

A common theme in the readings from this class was to give students the opportunity to share what was on their minds. Staples lead an after-school group with African-American teenagers. The group discussed issues they were having and spent a great deal of time developing their talents such as hip-hop, athletics, and song writing. I need to give my students more of an opportunity to share their talents and discuss things they need to discuss. Just because one of my students may not be able to sit down and write a 5 page book report doesn’t mean they can’t express themselves in a poem or song they have written. I need to remember that all people learn differently, and it is my job to allow my students to showcase their talents and abilities to best fit their personality.

Perry wrote about the Lost Boys of Sudan and how they shared their history through storytelling. The Lost Boys were the only ones left from their country and many felt it was up to them to keep their history alive. Through storytelling and writing, these Lost Boys were able to communicate everything they had gone through. I need to remember that storytelling is an important method of communicating. By incorporating storytelling into my classroom, I can help develop my student’s language and communication skills. Storytelling can also give my students the opportunity to talk about what is important to them. Perry helped me realize that storytelling is not a lost art and should still be included in my first grade curriculum daily.

A big part of the readings from this class came from the work of Deborah Hicks. Hicks did research on working-class children. She spoke a great deal about discourse. A discourse is the various components of our lives. We have to act a certain way in each of the discourses we belong in. Our school discourse will be different than our church discourse which will be different than our home discourse. Students bring all of their discourses with them to school every day. Hicks speaks of how learning is socially constructed. Our students watch their parents, siblings, teachers, and friends to learn new information. As a teacher, I need to remember that my students have these different discourses and what my students learn at home is also going to be brought into my classroom.

Hicks spends a good deal of her book discussing gender roles. She discusses how many girls tend to be “good girls” in the classroom. Many girls have a need to please others. Hicks did a research study on Laurie. Laurie was a “good girl” in school. I think this may have been to cover up things she lacked in within the school setting. Hicks speaks of how girls often have fantasy worlds. Laurie often wrote about her mama getting married, having a daddy, and life on a farm with horses. None of these things were true, but Laurie lived them through her writing. Laurie’s home life had a huge impact on her learning. Her mama and grandma were often busy and didn’t always have the time needed to help Laurie on her school work. I need to remember that home life greatly impacts how my students learn.

Hicks also did research on a boy named Jake. During her research, she discovered that Jake (and many boys) liked to have a point to what they were learning. Jake didn’t want to do anything academic without a good reason for doing it. I need to remember this in my classroom. I need to make sure my lessons have a purpose. For example, I could have my class practice fluency by doing Reader’s Theater. I could then offer a purpose by having my class “perform” their reader’s theater to the class down the hall. I need to work at making my lessons more purposeful and worthwhile to my students. Jake liked to read books that told facts. He wanted to be just like his daddy who read many history books. Jake also developed a love for history books. As a teacher, I need to make sure that I have different genres of books within my classroom. Girls have a tendency to like fantasy books while boys have a tendency to like non-fiction books. I need to have all of these types of books readily available to all the students (boys and girls).

As I complete this course, I now realize I need to be more open and understanding in my teaching. As the quote says, I need to “think differently than I think” in order to reflect on the activities within my classroom. Reflection is what helps teachers become better teachers. I need to remember that no one is perfect and everyone has room to improve. I need to be more considerate of my student’s cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. I need to find activities that will meet the needs of all my students. I need to teach with a purpose. This class has helped me reflect on my shortcomings as a teacher, but has also given me some great ideas to make change.

~Jamie Brackett

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

This quote says exactly what I felt this semester. I have learned that if you really want to learn about what you are reading and learning you need to take time to reflect. When I started this course I had a very hard time with the syllabus because I did not think I would be able to reflect well enough. This course has really taught me how I need to sit and really think about what I am reading, ask questions as I read, and not just read it. Had I just read and not thought about things I would not have gleaned nearly as much information then if I spent the time reflecting on my reading. There are many times that my principal tells me, that I need to reflect more about what I am teaching. I need to spend time and think about my day and think about how it went and how I can improve. I need to spend more time thinking critically and reflect in learning, and in everyday life. If I do this I will be able to establish a better understanding as to what I need to do to help my students increase literacy, and in their lives in general.

When I think about the different articles that we read this semester there are a few examples that come to my mind that go along with this quote. The Dowdy article made me realize I need to really think about how I interact with my students. After reading that article and doing my blog post I realized that I am like that mother. I am constantly correcting my students about how they speak. I make them constantly speak English, which I think is a good thing, but I find that I am constantly correcting their English. It made me feel really bad. I need to be more reflective at the end of every day and think, did I say the right thing, and did I handle that particular situation correctly? How can I correct my students without hurting them? I need to make sure that I don’t expect them to speak perfect English but encourage them to speak as best as they can.

Kristen Perry’s article was one of my favorite articles. I found that I really connected with the lost boys. I think that they are so inspiring and I wish that my students were able to learn more from them. These boys grew up in complete and utter turmoil yet they did not give up. Instead of saying “woe is me” they took their turmoil and created literary works. This really struck me, how many times do I look at what my students have been through and turned it into a piece of work? I can honestly say very rarely. I think that as a class we need to be more reflective on what goes on around us when we do our writing. We need to write for the “small moments”. I need to spend more time talking with my students about what we did on any given day and have them pick a “small moment” to write about it I think this will really encourage them as writers and help them be more proficient writer. If a child is having a rough day I also need to make sure that I give that child the time to express their feelings. I think that students, like adults, need to be able to write everything down and we don’t give them enough opportunities. I need to be a more reflective teacher and watch my students better, if someone is having a rough day I need to address that and not just blow it off for another day.

The Noll article really opened my eyes. When I read this article I was very frustrated and annoyed. I could not believe how these students acted. I was also very confused as to why the teachers were not helping these students more than they were. It seemed to me like these students were very bright students yet something was missing. This article really showed me I need to look at each student as an individual and think about what he or she like and what they are good at. Daniel was a very good horror-story writer yet his teachers did not see it. Zonnie was a great poet yet her teachers did not see it either! This really struck me I wish that these teachers were more reflective on their practice. I have learned that if I have a student that is a great horror-story writer I as a teacher need to make sure that I allow them the ability to flourish in that area. If I have a student that is better at writing poems then they should be able to flourish. This is not something that comes from just looking. I need to take the time to look at each student and really talk to my students. If I do not spend time talking to them and finding out their strengths and weaknesses they will end up just like Daniel and Zonnie.

The final reading that I am going to touch on that impacted me as a reflective teacher, is Reading Lives. Hicks did a research study on Laurie, a typical little girl in a working class family that needed some extra love and was trying to get it. Her mom and grandmother did all that they could to provide for her and her siblings so I think that she acted out in order to gain more love. My students have the same kind of lives, they have parents that work hard just to make ends meet and they still struggle. I find that as a teacher this makes my job more of a challenge. Just like Laurie’s mom, my students’ parents do not have extra time to read with them at home, so I have to work harder with my students at school. At the beginning of the year I have to really sit down and reflect about these students. I have to think about who I will need to give that extra little bit of love to and those that I will need to spend a little bit more time reading with just to make sure that they get what they need. These students love school and try so hard but sometimes what they get at home is not enough to push them through. I also, like Laurie, have students that like to act out. Sometimes I’m not sure if they do it just to do it, or if they do it because they can’t help it. I have to think about what I can do to help those students. Sometimes what I try to help with their attention problems does not help. I need to then take the time to really reflect about what my options are and keep trying. I find that if I just rush to a decision it is not always a good one and I end up getting in trouble.

Hicks also did a research study on Jake, a very rambunctious boy who liked to stay busy. Jake loved to learn but he had to have a purpose for what he was learning. He did not like to sit down and do busy work there had to be a reason for this. I think that Jake needed more structure in the home and if he had that I think he would have done better at school. Jake loved Nascar and cars in general and I do not think that is teacher took that into consideration during his learning. I have learned that I need to spend time reflecting about what my students like. If they like cars I need to give them the opportunity during the day to write about them. I think that if I have a boy that does not like to work during school I need to make it more applicable to them. I should find interesting ways to help him learn, whether that’s give him cars to work with during math to help him in his subtraction, or allow him to write about his favorite car during writing. I need to make sure that I have more resources in my classroom to allow all students to use what they love to help them in their learning.

To summarize what I have learned this semester can be said in one word, REFLECT! If I do not take the time every day to really reflect on what I am doing as a teacher and the decisions that I have made I will not be as effective. I need to make sure that every day I spend time walking through my day and making notes on what I can change and make better. I need to reflect on what my students’ strengths and weaknesses are. I also need to reflect on what I can do to help my students succeed to the best of their abilities. I have learned so much in this program, and I am so excited to take what I have learned and apply it as I gain a new classroom next year.

Natalie Enns

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceives differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”
Michael Foucault

To stop and reflect, and critique oneself is not an easy task. I have always found that I am my worst critic because I only see myself and my views through my own personal perspective. I would assume that it is the same for most people as well. It is difficult to hold up a mirror and see anything differently than what we have always seen or to do things differently than we have always done. Therefore, why do we bother to look in the mirror if the reflection is always the same? We know we will see the same thing looking back. The reason for reflection is to look at ourselves and try to see things differently. How can it be better? Is there a side I haven’t seen? What have I missed? These are the questions we need to ask as we reflect on our students and our teaching practices.
As I read and reflected on the readings for our class, I found myself returning to my thoughts and assumptions about my students and their families. I like to assume that I have treated all of my students and parents with equal respect and understanding. I like to think of myself as open-minded and accepting of differences. This class has opened my eyes to the fact that I do carry preconceived ideas about certain students and families and I just skim the surface of understanding and respecting their differences and challenges. That was hard to admit, but unless I acknowledge that fact, I will not be able to make the changes in my actions to truly value students and their families.
“We need to rid ourselves of preconceived notions. We also need to also be aware of the challenge and responsibility we face to incorporate student’s cultural heritage in our instruction. This not only builds relationships with our students, it boosts their interest in learning as well as opens the door for tolerance and learning about each other. School needs to be a place of acceptance. Students need to be able to feel free to express themselves so that they are valued and not feel they need to hide who they are or where they come from.” These were my words from our first reading on Delpit and Dowdy. I said these words before I really had a clear understanding of what many of my students face as they come to school each day. Our charge is to educate students to be successful in the world. How each student defines success is varied and unique to each individual.
As reading educators, we are faced with the challenge of teaching students to read, write and to communicate. We teach Standard English because this is the language of our mainstream, middle-class society. What became evident through our readings is that literacy is not gaining meaning purely through various forms of oral and written language, but that relationships with family and friends impact the acquisition and expression of literacy and language. These influences shape literacy experiences. Daniel and Zonnie built an “understanding of themselves and their world through reading, writing, dance and music.” Laurie and Jake’s relationship with their families formed their identities and connection with literacy learning.
In Henry’s study, she outlines how to combine student interest with curriculum by giving students the opportunity to openly express their “voice.” She describes “voice as a student’s desire to express ideas in a clear, coherent way, because that student understands that his or her thoughts are important.” She also reports on the practice of combining reading and writing together by having students respond to literature through journals. These are teaching strategies that can be incorporated into our daily routines.
In our classrooms, I see the shifting of discourses in students. We have students who act a certain way at home and have a particular identity, but at school, their identity shifts and in response, they have to act a different way in order to fit the model of a “good student.” I have observed that acceptance and understanding of cultural diversities is easier than accepting and understanding socio-economic differences. We don’t always recognize socio-economic levels as a cultural challenge. We just expect these students to conform, behave and learn like everyone else. We need to recognize their difficult challenges as they navigate through different expectations, language, experiences and prejudices. We had the rich stories of Jake and Laurie to illustrate this for us.
As we strive to provide connections for our students and bridge discourses, we are still faced with the restrictions of curriculum and material mandates, and well as standardized testing demands. As we are trying to meet the needs of a diverse population, we are told that all children must be on the same academic levels at the same time, on the same day, using the same evaluation. The practice in the county where I currently work is mandating that the EC teachers use specific curriculum for its EC population, one for primary grades and one for elementary and beyond. These are the students who have been identified as having literacy delays and require specialized instruction. It is disturbing that as EC teachers, we are not given the professional decision to choose curriculum material for these learners. The program for the elementary and older student does not give teachers in the classroom the freedom to choose books that could provide more interest and connection to literacy for our students. It also limits the instructional strategies and ease of moving children in and out of appropriate groupings. The program for the primary grades does attempt to make connections to literacy with stories about letters and reading “rules,” but again these stories, even though seem fun to adults, may not provide the connection for all children.
The schools I am currently involved with traditionally have a middle-class population. As the economy is changing and with it, as families are moving in our area, we are seeing a much more diverse population. I am seeing the schools attempt to diversify and provide different curriculum and materials for our “at risk” learners. We are having to make changes to be able to teach students with challenges brought about by a struggling economy. Families are in crisis and this is yet another challenge for our students. After reflecting on the readings from our class, as a special educator, I have much to think about as I return to school and look at my students with new eyes. Many of them face the challenges and barriers to literacy that we have read about. I have ELL students, student from low socio-economic families, boys, girls, (mostly boys), students with physical and medical challenges. I will see them with a better understanding of the challenges they face when they walk into that foreign world called school.
I have been in education and an EC teacher for twenty years. I definitely have experience with students who struggle and have differences. At this stage of my practice, you would think I have enough knowledge of learners and teaching that I wouldn’t need to learn anything new. That is the point where I hope someone kicks me out. When we stop reflecting and learning ourselves, is when we stop being effective. I do know that teaching Special Education is my “calling.” I love working with my EC population and their families. With their ongoing struggles, I will continue to strive to find ways to help them learn.

Susan Hines

The summative self-critique quote that I can most relate to is:
There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

To me this quote exemplifies how I have been instructed in Undergraduate and now Graduate Studies, the importance of being a reflective practitioner. I believe what Michel Foucault is saying, is how important it is to be open to thinking and seeing things from a different perspective. Without this openness, one’s reflection is very limited, only seeing the world in a narrow scope. Opening up to diversity through race, class, and gender is necessary in today’s educational endeavors.

There is evidence of this quote through the work of Delpit and Dowdy, as well as in the ABC News article. Standard and non-standard dialects are accepted differently. Without the ability to think differently and see differently one might be mislead through what they hear. This reflection comes in attending to the different social situations we are put in. Just because someone talks with a deep southern drawl, doesn’t make them any less intelligent or socially unacceptable.

Race was the topic of discussion in the Noll article. This article depicted teacher failure to Zonnie and Daniel. The lack of interest in their Native American culture “distorted the view of their capabilities”. In this case, there was a lack of this openness to being reflective. All that was needed to support the learnings of these two students was to inquire about their culture, making learning relevant and REAL to them.

Through recognition of their own “differences” older students can even work toward political change – i.e., the Perry Article. For the younger students, they have to be taught to “speak up, and out” in order to gain a “voice” in literature. These voices are not wrong; students have to be taught to defend their thoughts or ideals. This also means a teacher has to think differently and give each student’s idea equal credibility and focus.

Deborah Hicks, in her book Reading Lives, portrays the epitome of Michel Foucault’s quote. She dealt with the obstacles of two children in the classroom as related to race, class, and gender and how it affected their literacy. Through her close observations she was able to follow their progress over three years and provided suggestions to Jake and Laurie’s teachers. These suggestions were not based on trial and error, but through close reflections from their home and school cultures.

“Reading Lives” in all of us whether it is in our race, class, or gender. I am experiencing this in my own classroom. Working at Whitnel has been a challenge, not through dealing with racial or gender differences, but that of class. I have had to shift my thoughts from my own social class to those of my students. Each of these articles brought forth a new way of thinking, from the way we speak to the way reading/writing is taught. There may come a time that a student is sleepy from “going on call with dad” or name calling because a boy student wants to paint his fingernails. These are instances where being a careful observer is necessary, to avoid disciplining a student for something out of their control or stopping bullying before it begins.

Tolerance can and must be taught in the classroom. Not one student or teacher comes in with the same background. We have to teach that is it “okay” to be “different”. Therefore, we have to embrace Foucault’s quote to “think and perceive differently” to address all the needs of our students.

Angela Steele

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” Michel Foucault

What comes to mind in responding to this quote and reflecting upon this class is change. Change is often scary at first, but can open up new doors and allow for tremendous growth. Without change, there can be no growth and just like a pond with no water source flowing in and out, we can become stagnant and “smelly” in our thoughts and opinions of the world around us. If we aren’t open to new ideas our practices and approaches in our personal and professional lives can become stale and irrelevant. All of the readings, from the articles to the Reading Lives text have caused me to look within. I have always considered my perceptions of the world around me to be diverse and have tried to place myself in other peoples’ shoes, but reading some of the firsthand accounts caused me to think deeper about myself and my profession as a teacher. As teachers we assume many roles, or as a mentor once told me, “We wear many hats.” We interact with children, parents, and members of the community from many walks of life and it is our job to get to know them in order to try and reach them. I believe that just one teacher can make an impact either positively or negatively. I choose to strive to be that teacher to make a positive impact on the lives of each of my students.

I think back to the Dowdy article and the way that she was made to feel. She was told by her mother that in order to “fit in” with the “right people” that she must learn to speak properly. This sounded alright at the time to Dowdy because she wanted to make her mother happy; however this alienated her from her peers. It made her feel as though she was trapped between two worlds and there was no compromise. It was not until later that she realized she could “code switch” and have the best of both worlds when she became an actress. Her mother did not allow her this freedom as a young girl and it had a negative impact on her life. As teachers, we need to communicate to our students that it is alright to do both. There is a time and place to speak properly like when doing your job, as well as speaking in a “relaxed” manner when among friends and family.

In the Noll article, Daniel and Zonnie both excelled outside of school through literacy practices related to music, poetry, and prose. I find it sad that their teachers didn’t take advantage of these strengths both students possessed and help them use these in school. Both students were very much connected to their Native American Heritage and culture and should have been able to express this more in the school setting. This reminded me that we need to recognize and celebrate all culture and heritages that our students represent. They should be allowed to bring ALL of who they are in the classroom.

Another underlying theme throughout our readings was to make what we teach each and every day have a purpose and a connection to life outside of the classroom. I don’t want to teach my students how to take a test! I want to teach them how think, how to dig deeper to find the answers for themselves (like what we had to do as we read and responded to each other). They need this skill in order to survive in the world we live in today. They don’t need another worksheet or boring text. They need hands-on lessons and experience. Do I have all of the answers to make this all happen at once? The answer to that is no, but through all of the readings I have reflected about the way I teach and have begun to think of new ways to improve lessons to better prepare my students. In the Henry & Staples articles I was reminded that our teaching needs to include authentic and engaging experiences for our students. Not only did Henry provide the small group of girls with interesting and quality pieces of literature to read and discuss, she also helped them relate to who they are while helping them “find their voice” in the classroom. She stated that she realized that she couldn’t truly help them find their voice in such a short amount of time, but it allowed the girls to begin thinking critically for themselves as individuals and as students.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the readings in the Reading Lives text. I found the chapters about Laurie and Jake to be especially interesting and relevant to what I teach. I was again reminded of the all important fact that we need to get to know our students and understand how they learn best. Our methods of instruction need to be varied and we need to be sensitive to different learning styles so that we make a conscious effort to mix up that ways we present lessons. Laurie and Jake both had difficulties in school related to the lives at home and opinions of family members. Laurie found more success in second grade when her teacher took a workshop approach to reading and writing. This approach allowed for Laurie to make more progress than she did in first grade. Later she was placed in a special reading program which further individualized her instruction. She still suffered from a deficit in both of these two areas. Jake was having difficulties in school as well and his was also related to his home life. His father’s negative attitude towards school because of his past experiences affected the way Jake felt about school and made him feel as though school is not important. Jake liked the freedom to move from activity to activity and as he got older and this was taken away he started tuning out things he wasn’t interested in. He needed more hands-on lessons. Both Jake and Laurie were considered “good” kids who were not behavior problems, but had developed coping mechanisms to use when the material got too hard. Jake chose to tune out of the lesson and fiddle with things in his desk. Laurie developed a similar strategy. She chose to answer only when she felt confident. Through all of this I have learned most of all that teaching is NOT one size fits all, nor should it be. We need to learn about our students’ backgrounds and cultures and celebrate them! As teachers we need to find what works best for our students and when something doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change it!
Reshawna Greene

Summative Self-Critique.

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

As I read this quote it made me think of when I was completing the National Boards process. As I completed the process I was consistently reflecting on my teaching practices. I think this quote means that in order to look at our teaching practices and reflect on what we are incorporating in our classrooms, we need to be prepared to think about our teaching strategies differently and look at what is happening in our room in a different perspective.

This takes me right to the last couple of chapter we read in Reading Lives. As I read about Laurie and Jake I realized the importance of seeing “school” from a child’s perspective that is of different genders, class, race, and ethnicity. I know I have been aware of this before, but not the extent of the difference it could make in my room. I am seeing the look of my classroom from a different perspective. Instead of seeing high, middle, and low students, I am seeing different genders, class, race, and ethnicities that I need to make sure I am taking into consideration when I create my lesson plans. I think this has been one of the first years that I have served my students well as far as providing material that is on their independent and instructional level for the majority of their reading. I used guided reading groups to facilitate this instruction. I am now thinking of these flexible reading groups in a different manner. In the Henry and Staples article we read about how making literature relevant to our students gets them more interested and motivated, and how there are gender differences in literature interests. So, as I am picturing my flexible reading groups broken up by gender! What an idea! I would have never thought to do this before reading this article.

In this same Henry and Staples article they also mentioned using dialogue journals which is something I have been hearing about in graduate classes, but I have never used in my class before, so I am also thinking of ways to incorporate this into my classroom. I want my students to be able to dialogue about the literature that we are reading and discussing in class. I think this is a great way to see what is in the heads of those students that don’t like to speak out in class, and gives those higher students a chance to dig deeper into the conversation. Again I think this is what the quote above means. We need to continue to reflect on the strategies we use and make sure we are willing to change if what we are doing isn’t working, or could be better.

Perry’s article also helped me see an area that I need to improve in my teaching. I really struggle with telling appealing stories to my children. I don’t feel that I have been “told” stories as much as my parents “read” stories. I see how much storytelling could really help my students get across hardships that they have faced, even if this storytelling end up in written form. If I don’t give my students this outlet by providing them with a strong model, than I feel that I am cheating them of getting out the many, many stories they must have to tell. I used to begin all my math lessons with a story to help my students see how the skill relates to real life. After reading this article, I definitely plan on incorporating that strategy back into my schedule.

As I go through the graduate process I continue to look and reflect at my teaching. I am finding with every class new and amazing strategies to use in my room. One of these strategies came from the last couple of chapters from Reading Lives. Our school uses the writing program Empowering Writers, so I have been forced to follow this program to teach writing. After reading about the Writer’s Workshop that was used with Jake, I was extremely intrigued by how much he enjoyed getting to write about what he wanted to write about. As I think about what I have done in the past, I hope to come up with a compromise between the writing program required at school, and a strong Writer’s Workshop that will give my students the skills needed to write well, but still give them the choice of topic that will hopefully keep motivated to write.

Reading Lives also reminded me of students in my class that are from working class families. I know there are some that bring their home lives to school, but every day I am amazed that some of these students can come to school and put aside everything that is going on at home and have fun, laugh, and work their hardest. I know adults that can’t do that with their personal lives. As I read each article it reminds me that we need to give our students an outlet for all the “stuff” going on at home. Whether it is engaging them in literature to forget, writing about their lives, or even dramatizing about the things going on at home. Through my journals, guided reading groups, and stations I hope to give my students more outlets for dealing with their world at home.

As I continue to reflect about my teaching strategies and think and look at things differently, the one thing I’m not sure I can see changing is the fact that I expect my students to use Standard English when it is appropriate. As I wrote in my blog, I understand having informal conversations with our students. This is definitely when I believe I really begin to build relationships with my students, but I expect them to use correct English in their writing and when we are discussing academics. I understand that we all come from different backgrounds, but in order for my students to be successful in America, I believe, this is an essential.

Through all the articles and research we read, the one thing that stuck with me the most is the Noll article. I think sometimes I get lost in the curriculum that needs to be taught, and I forget to make it relevant to students. Like I mentioned above with my math lessons, I definitely see that I also need to improve this area when I plan my reading instruction. I use guided reading groups, so I definitely have the means to choose literature that is relevant to my students in that group. As I look into next year, I hope to give my students more choices in the literature that is used in their groups and provide them with choices that will be interesting and relevant to each of them. I also realize that we do not read enough literature about the different cultures in my room. I think my students would be motivated and interested if they knew it was a culture of a student in my room. I also think this will help foster respect for all the different cultures. I know find literature that is relevant to each group is going to be a difficult task, but as I think of the quote above I need to be able to perceive things differently than I see!
-Angie Sigmon

Looking back over the semester and reflecting on my current teaching endeavors leads me to choose the following quote by Michel Foucault. It reads like this: “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” This quote describes the way I felt this semester while reading our readings and continually reflecting upon them and my current teaching practices and experiences.
Taking this course this summer semester has provided me with a lot of knowledge I found within the texts we read and while communicating with my classmates. I am happy that I took this course during the summer because it has provided me with the leisure of reading deeply and self critiquing at my own pace. I think if I would have taken this course during the fall or spring semester I would have been entirely too busy with work, class, and homework to really sit back and ponder how the reading texts connects me with my own classroom.
While reading the texts this semester I tried to continually question myself on the different topics I read about from my readings. I also continually changed the ways I thought about things. I started to think differently. I also perceived things differently as well. These things were made possible because I would think about what I read and reflect on it and how it related to me as a teacher.
Being able to think differently and to be able to pull yourself out of the box per se is something educators should all be capable of doing. I myself have had to work hard at this but it is essential in the education world. Being able to pull yourself out of the box and look around at how things are while forgetting about who you are and where you have come from are very important attributes that I think teachers should have and I try to have. What I mean is that you are willing to examine your surroundings open-mindedly without judging and placing a stigma upon anything while you are observing it.
The quote says that to be able to think differently and perceive differently requires a person who is also willing to go on looking and reflecting. Thus as a teacher I should continually reflect upon my own practices and how they affect my own students. I should be considerate of their feelings, emotions, and backgrounds. I should also be willing to try new things in my classroom if they will improve or benefit my students’ learning abilities.
Several of the readings suggested flexibility in teaching methods. I believe almost all of the children in our readings like the following for example: the Lost Boys of the Sudan, Laurie, Jake, Tamisha, Kay, Alice, Zonnie, and Daniel all benefited from instructors who could alter their teaching to address their personal needs. As diverse as these students were so were their needs. That is why it is important to be able to look at your students individually and assess their wants and deprivations. Then to form a relationship that can safely fulfill what they are lacking in their lives. By replacing this void you should be able to then move on to addressing their academic needs and hopefully be able to succeed in improving them.
One way a teacher can be flexible with lessons while reaching out to underprivileged students is by using storytelling. In the Perry text, “From Storytelling to Writing: Transforming Literacy Practices among Sudanese Refugees,” 3 young men use storytelling to transform themselves. They were in need of connecting their troubled past with their present life that was so different.
Sometimes underprivileged students are overlooked. They are ignored at home and then even at school. In some cases these children are withdrawn in school and kept to. This may be in part because they are accustomed to being quiet and not being allowed to be a part of a conversation while they are at home. Therefore when they are at school they continue to keep the persona of being the introverted withdrawn person. This can be damaging for a student. They lose self consciousness. They think that their voice, ideas, and opinions are not worth any value. Therefore it is a teacher’s responsibility to reach out to these particular students. By allowing them to express themselves and use their voice in the classroom via storytelling can work a world of wonders for these students.
In Henry’s article “Speaking up” and “Speaking Out”: Examining “Voice” in a Reading/ Writing Program With Adolescent African Caribbean Girls,” three young girls who live underprivileged lives are taught to use their voice. Through reading and writing their lives are transformed. They begin to understand themselves better and thus gain more self-esteem. This even overflows into their schooling. They begin to do better in their class performance due to the improvement of their “voice.”
There are other ways that educators can be flexible and yet reach out to their students’ various needs. If a teacher has students who have some type of problem with fitting in to school or facing dilemmas at home they can use a literacy connection between school and home to satisfy their need for feeling accepted. Noll’s article “Experiencing Literacy In and Out of School: Case Studies of Two American Indian Youths,” contains two American Indian students who use writing to bridge their school and home life together. These two students seemed to feel like they were outcasts in school. Their writing of poetry and comic strips helped them to face their troubles. It also improved their writing and thus their literacy performance in school. Therefore using a literacy connection in the classroom can benefit students. I plan to continue doing this.
Another way educators can help their students is to listen to their students. Like the quote said looking on and reflecting is what we should do. Educators that continue to look back at what they are doing and how it affects their students are quite capable of insuring that they meet the diverse needs of their diverse needy students.
Our classrooms our made up of many students. Some come from wealthy families. Some come from poor families. Others come from families that are middle class. No matter what type of finances a child comes from they can still be in need.
Children and/or students can come from families that are privileged
and have all the things the child and/or student needs to live a comfortable life but they can still be missing some things. They may be missing a voice, self-esteem, creativity, support, etc. These are some things that a good educator can help to instill in these less fortunate students.
This leads me back to the quote by Michel Foucault, “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” In my own classroom I try to make sure I continually look back and reflect on my teaching styles and methods and how my students respond to them. I also try to be sure to get to know my students. Sometimes I do this by reading their journals that they turn into me or just working one on one with them. If I cannot work one on one with them then sometimes I even eat lunch with them. These are ways I get to know them and their lifestyles. It also enables me with the opportunity to see what lessons they like and what is working best for them in the classroom. These are examples of looking back and reflecting. Having an open mind and being able change the ways that you do things is what I try to do and how I feel all educators should operate. The readings from this semester helped me to see the importance of reflecting, looking back, and changing the way I perceive things and do things within my classroom.

Maria Blevins

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall that wants it down…” I have always liked that poem. I remember reading it in high school and thinking how much I liked the guy who thought the wall was stupid and how much I hated the guy who could not think of anything better to say than “Good fences make good neighbors.” I even remember sneering in superiority, sure that I would never get stuck behind one thought or one belief. I did not make it and I am a hopeless hypocrite in thinking of myself as an open-minded person, but I cannot escape the feeling that the guy who does not care about fences is smarter than the other one. I like the idea so much that I am in the business of tearing down walls.
Everyday this school year, there has been a quote at the top of my whiteboard. I know each of you read it on a daily basis. I never asked you to read it; we rarely discussed it or drew attention to it. Sometimes you knew exactly what it meant, other times you asked questions. But everyday a new quote was on the board for you, for your life story. I want you to learn one basic thing. Some of you may never know, and some may not know until years after you pass through my class. I want you to know you are a person of value. I want you to know you are fresh and bright, talented in a way that no other human being is talented. I want you to know you are new and experimental and no one has ever tried to be you before. You are endless possibilities and mind-boggling achievements within yourself. Like literature, you will have many stories: a family story, a personal story, an educational story, a fantastical story, a tragic story. You will have loves, hates, sorrows, joys. And from your wealth of experiences, a life of possibilities that is more beautiful than the greatest poem and vaster in purpose than the entire Milky Way will emerge.
I often asked my English teachers, “How is this going to help me in later life?” I learned literature is for the tearing down of walls. It is a place where a salesman is all the more heroic for having failed. It is the place where a brave mouse can save a princess. It is the place where an orphaned boy can find solace, hope, and peace in his sister’s Bible. It is a place where friendships grow, then die; where enemies fight to the death. It is the place where you are. It is the place where the miracle of the individual is exalted and rejoiced over. You are each your own miracle within yourself, and I rejoice in your learning.
There is one valuable skill that I have learned throughout my life, and I want you to learn this same thing. It is this. When we look at the person sitting next to us, we realize and see the talent, the beauty and the possibility behind each face. That we enjoy the unique qualities that make the snob, the jock, the brain, the loser, the hood, the geek, and the prima-donna all worth knowing, worth loving. Ignorance is refusing to see and knowledge is merely opening your eyes to what was already there.
I want you to get out there and tear down those walls. Don’t get stuck in the Doldrums. Dare to travel beyond the Land of Expectations. Dare to love the unlovable. Dare to love yourself.

This was the letter I gave to my students last year. Little did I know how much it would relate to our readings and learning this summer. I always wish the best for my students. Sometimes I think I have too many “life” lessons and not enough “school” lessons, but oftentimes my kids need somebody to talk to about life. I choose the literature we read in class with care. My purpose is to choose books that my students can relate to on several different levels. Not only do I want them to learn the Language Arts skills that are necessary to pass that darn test, but I want them to learn that literature relates to them. They can read a book and learn so much about the world and themselves. All they have to do is take the time to think about it.
I think the quote that best describes my learning this semester is by Michel Foucault. “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” I think it is impossible to move forward without looking back. Past experiences shape your future directions.

We saw plenty of evidence this semester of how the past shapes the future. Sometimes it hits us smack in the face. For me, reading about Jake and LeAnn fighting in the yard was one of those times. It demonstrates that children learn what they are taught, both verbally and by example. In Jake’s case, he learned a lot through his family’s example. I think as Jake went on into kindergarten, he tried to bring his familial discourse with him. He tried to incorporate his past experiences and what he knew through his family into his schoolwork – especially his writing and storytelling. Without realizing it, Jake was looking back in an effort to move forward.

The first set of articles we read, Dowdy and Delpit, are examples of how the past dictates and molds the future. The mothers in the articles wanted their daughters to speak properly, yet the girls wanted to speak in a manner that fit in with their peers. The mothers had to look back and reflect on their ideals before they could accept their daughters ideals and move forward. We all have to test the waters and use the safety net of our family and what they’ve taught us before we can move forward. As I said many times in previous posts, children have to try on different personalities before they decide who they want to be. Sometimes they are a different person every day, and I believe we saw this in our reading. Whether they were expressing themselves through music, writing, discussions, or actions, we saw the students in the research finding their spot in the world. They were marrying their family discourse with their school discourse. They were choosing which path to accept and which to reject.

Through this course I have become more aware of how my actions impact each student. I need to incorporate each child’s individuality into my classroom. I need to take my own advice from the letter above, and help each child see the beauty, talent, and possibility behind their own face.

Jennifer Wagoner

Peanut Butter Cookies
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 ¼ cup self-rising flour
Mix moist ingredients
Mix in dry ingredients
Roll into balls
Place on cookie sheet
Press with fork to flatten
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

This is one of the easiest cookie recipes that I have found and it was an all time favorite with my daughters. They were able to measure and mix with little difficulty due to the repeated measuring requirements. You may be wondering ‘What does this have to do with an online course in race, gender and class’? Well, as I reflect on the reading and the blogging and the comments I am constantly reminded that life is not always so easy. There is not a perfect recipe for being a good teacher, parent or student. Only through constant questioning, learning and changing have I been able to change the recipe to fit my needs and the needs of my students. In order to encourage and encompass every student’s learning style I must continue to challenge the traditional status of ‘the way things are done’ and seek out a new recipe for success or at least embellish the one that I have. One way that I have chosen to seek for success is through graduate studies. Each research article has offered a new ingredient for future teaching opportunities.

Annette Henry offers a good example for establishing voice. Allowing the Caribbean girls to work in small groups and share stories of personal meaning empowered them to build a stronger voice in school. Many students believe that they are expected to sit down, shut up and learn. Without interaction and personal meaning they are disconnected from learning and may sit in fear of breaking the rules. Students must be given the chance to speak. My goal is to find ways to encourage student’s voice. Small group instruction has been helpful in obtaining this goal, but I must be more flexible with grouping. The most common factor, in my class, is ability when assigning small groups. I do incorporate student interest when choosing read aloud material, but I must do more interest grouping for small group activities. I must stop organizing solely by the numbers and begin utilizing student grouping. By consciously and actively giving students a voice and a choice in grouping I will be better able to meet their individual needs.

Kristen H. Perry provides insight to the art of storytelling. By following the chronicles of the lives of the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ we are able to experiences the pain and sadness of losing a family and an entire way of life. Through this research I have learned that it is possible to change and recreate ones reading and writing culture. The ‘Boys’ were forced to make changes because their world had been torn apart by war and there way no way to return to their land and traditions. Fortunately, they were provided with the opportunity to rebuild a new culture by preserving parts of their past in a new way. This research has forced me to see that the causalities of the education war are in my care. Will I be able to stop looking at the numbers and begin to provide an environment that will help re-establish a culture of learning? Will I be the one who will give the students a chance to redefine their world through story telling? My plan for future generations of education casualties is to provide a safe haven in which students from all cultural backgrounds can find respect, hope and the safe environment in which to speak and share. As this course comes to an end I find that I am still planning to make changes in my class. I miss the show and tell activities from days gone by. My plan is to revise and revamp the old time tradition to meet the needs of the future students. I will try to incorporate a variety of times, setting and props to encourage students to share what they deem important.

The ‘Reading Lives’ of Laurie and Jake add the ingredient of surprise. In this rollercoaster ride, into the education of working class children, the children are viewed and treated differently each year based on the focus and philosophy of their teachers. Through their eyes and experiences I can clearly see that how I approach the education of working class children matters. The road to success for working class children has its ups and downs and the twists and turns depend on how the student is perceived at home and at school. By using this as the focus I understand that it is up to me to provide activities based on student interest. One way to implement this is to use an interest survey that encompasses interest from school and from home. I worked with this medium briefly last year for an inquiry project and had positive results. By continuing to expand my thinking and utilize the information that is available I am able to understand that I don’t have to be a NASCAR fan to include this topic in my class. Sometimes children from non-traditional families are labeled ‘from a broken home’. Laurie did not have a father present and this was a source of discourse. Many children have parents that are single and single parents, with children, have issues that are not common with the traditional family. This does not equate a broken family in by opinion. One plan to merge the home discourse with the school discourse is to use read aloud novels that feature different types of families. Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet is a survival adventure with undercurrents of divorce and dating parents. Another book to share could be Jack Ganto’s Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key in which a kid with ADHD struggles to fit in at home and at school. A new book called Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee features a single father who is dating and neglects his son in the process. Other social issues included in this book are common among the geographic region in which I teach and include gambling and dog fighting. To be a dedicated teacher I must have knowledge of a special population. I want my students to remember me as a caring, concerned teacher. Can I make this happen? By continuing to read children’s literature and find time to learn about the interest and lives of my students I belive so. I must continue to read and reflect on research, thank goodness for grad school.

To sum it all up I take you back to the simple cookie recipe. I ask you to look a little closer and question its simplicity. Do I use natural or processed sugar? Do I use light or dark brown sugar? Can I use margarine instead of butter? Which peanut butter will work best? Have you seen the choices available lately? Just to name a few I have seen smooth, crunchy, extra crunchy, organic, brand name as well as store brand? The simple recipe has changed based on the choice of the ingredients and yes you can mix it up to suit your taste. My goal is to step away from the simple teaching recipe and look for more interesting ingredients to meet the needs of my future students. I’m sure that there are new ingredients in the mounds of research. By adjusting teaching styles I know that student needs will be met. The kitchen is calling, what new recipe will I create today?

Elizabeth Achor

In Conclusion

I took this course not really knowing what to expect from the reading material. I did not have any preconceived ideas about what to gain from the class. The material that we have read over the course of several weeks has made me really think about the students that I teach and the best way to meet their individual needs. The course has opened up many questions about my techniques as a teacher. The quote that best describes my learning with the course material is the quote by Michel Foucault on the syllabus. The quote states “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
For me this quote means that sometimes we have to change the way that we think about something in order to grow as a teacher. As educators we must constantly think about what we are doing for our students and reflect on our practices. This only makes us better. We do this by reading, studying, and taking classes. We then can apply what we have read and studied to our classrooms. As we apply the new ideas to our classroom it is important to reflect and ask questions about effectiveness and what we would do to make changes or make it work for us and the students we teach. I know that there are many new ideas out there, some that I have heard and some that are not known to me yet. As I learn new things I must decide whether to apply them to my teaching style or just use them as information. Sometimes we have to think differently than we ever have before. When we do we have to have the courage to try new things and be open to change.
I have learned quite a lot during the past four weeks. I have learned that there is so much more to literacy than I had ever thought possible. Through the reading of the Indian boys I have learned the value of oral traditions in storytelling. Their oral traditions would have been a dying style to literacy if they had not been able to tell their story. I have learned that it is important for students to tell their stories orally to their classmates, teachers, and family. The stories they tell give us a glimpse into their family traditions and values. The stories they tell or write about help us to see into their lives and the lives of their family members.
In the Delpit and Dowdy chapters I became aware of how some dialects are perceived superior to other dialects. As a child and student in high school and college I had never paid much attention to dialect. After beginning graduate school I have seen how dialect can affect a person’s value in society. From a previous class and this reading from Delpit and Dowdy I have realized that we should not evaluate a student on the basis of his/her dialect. With that said it is sometimes hard not to judge a person’s intellect based on his/her dialect. Society determines what is acceptable and not acceptable. That is proven in the chapters when they talked about code switching and learning to “speak white”.
The students in the Delpit and Dowdy chapters felt inferior speaking their dialect or they would not have tried to change the way they spoke. We as educators need to think differently than society does when it comes to a person’s dialect and not judge that person based on the way they speak.
There is so much more to literacy than I had ever thought in the past. This class has opened many doors of thought for me and I am sure there are doors of thought that will be opened in the future. My ideas of literacy are much wider now and they include more diverse ways of thinking for me and for my students. The differences that arise between my students and me when it comes to reading and writing should not be viewed as negative, but positive. As I teacher I need to be willing to be more understanding of a student’s family and where they are coming from. As I have reflected on this past year I have learned where I could have been more understanding of some of the student’s family situations and how they have related to our classroom. I believe that our job as a teacher is to deliver our instruction in whole groups, small groups, and individually. Differentiated instruction is a thing of the present and it must be done to meet the needs of the students in our classroom. Students should be reading at their instructional level no matter what that level is. Guided reading groups should be set up to meet the needs of the students in our classroom. Students should be allowed to write about things that are important to them. When a student writes a personal narrative they are writing about something that has happened to them and they will write more because it is relevant to them. They should be allowed to tell their stories into tape players, to their friends, and to the teacher before they write it down. This helps them to orally get their thoughts together before writing. As teachers we should have the freedom to step outside the curriculum of the school and use other means to meet the needs of the students if necessary. County texts can be used for whole group instruction, but when small groups are done we should whatever text that we can find that is interesting to the students and on their instructional level. As a teacher we need to see that every child does not fit the same mold. They are all unique and hold a special set of characteristics that define them. While it is impossible to meet all the individual needs it is our job to do our best to leave no child behind.
Throughout these readings I have found that we all have a voice that needs to be heard. That voice should not be discriminated against based on gender, race, or class. The middle class voice should be heard as well as the working class voice. The voices of all races and genders should be heard in the classroom. That voice is unique and important to each person that it represents. If we allow all voices to be heard then we will leave no child behind. I saw something on the internet the other day that said “No Teacher Left Behind”. I had never really thought about that statement, but as I reflected on what it meant I though that it was so true. Just as we do everything possible to leave no student behind I think it is just as important for no teacher to be left behind. We as teachers must stay on the cutting edge of research in education. If we sit back and let thoughts pass us by then we as teachers are being left behind. As a teacher I do not want to be the one that sits back and watches. I want to be the one that is reading, taking classes, and rallying for change in educational practices. I want to be the one that is making a difference in the lives of the students that I teach.

Michelle Moffitt

At the beginning of this course as I sat and thought about Foucault’s quote, There are times in life when the questions of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all, I did not really have a clear picture of what the underlying mean was, but after reading many articles, stories, posts, and comments I feel I have a better understanding of what the quote means for me. Like children, no one child thinks the same; therefore my thoughts on Foucault’s quote may be completely opposite of the meaning Foucault had for others. Foucault is saying that for every situation a person is involved in, they must take the time to take a step back before, during, and after to find out what works and does not work for them, and then make appropriate changes for the betterment of all.
I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher from the readings this semester. I have learned how to look at things from the outside looking in, instead of the inside looking out. This idea has made my personal bias of situations, people, and periods a lot more real. Meaning, that I looked at life, with blinders on, not really wanting to believe that others may have a difficult time. I know that I have to take my blinders off and look at the picture in real time, because children’s lives are not cookie cutter perfect.
At first I didn’t understand the point in reading all these articles about other people, they way they speak, the lives they live, where they come from, etc…but now I have a better understanding. I was taken from a person who had a hard time reflecting on readings and wanting to only summarize what I have read; because I was comfortable knowing what I was doing was correct. Then I was turned into a person that now takes everything into account and begins to look at my life and my situations and use what I have learned to begin to change my thinking. I would not have done this had it not been for this course. Throughout the semester these readings have ignited memories in my life, memories of my past that were good and some that were bad; memories that have made me who I am. These memories have helped me to realize that I was just like the children that I teach and that I learned from everything I experienced in life. When I began this semester I knew that children came from different backgrounds and needed my support as a solid foundation in their lives.
As I read through Delpit and Dowdy’s article I felt a major connection between Maya as she spoke about getting plastic surgery because she was not quite like the world thinks she should be. I felt this in my life, as I grew up. I was not the way I wanted to be, and I constantly put myself down because I was not like my older sister, the one who everyone thought was a beauty queen and everyone spoke so highly of. As I read this article I thought about how I could be the teacher who made everyone feel as if they were the best person in the world, and prove to them that no one is perfect. “It doesn’t matter what other people think about you, you have to be who you are. It’s their problem if they can’t appreciate how wonderful you are.” This quote was completely eye opening for me; it was the turning point of my thinking in life. I had heard that comment in one shape or form before in my life, but it never really hit home until I used it to reflect on my life and teachings.
Noll’s work reminded me that students struggle to make sense of their lives and a place they have in the world; they have two completely different lives they lead, their home life and their school life. As I have taught the past few years, I never really thought to take into considerations what life my children were living outside of my classroom. My teaching style was based upon my upbringing and how I viewed life, but now that I am aware that I need to become more in tune with my students and what their lives consist of, I think I will have a better understanding of how to meet their needs. Knowing my students will allow me to help them become better learners using their interests and lives to help guide instruction. Coming from a school with mostly white, Hispanic, and Hmong children I know some things about their life, but I need research these nationalities in order to fairly instruct them.
Relating to my students on their social level can be a very dangerous, but at the same time it can also be very beneficial. After reading Staples article, Hustle and Flow, it helped me support my decision to interact with my children. Having a connection between myself and my students through language choice, music, and sports has helped me to understand some of the choices students in my classroom and throughout the school are making. Knowing and understanding what these students are going through allows me to help each student when they are experiencing peer pressure and different situations. Having this relationship with students gives them an outlet (an adult) to talk to and get proper advice from in order to help those who may not have someone at home to talk to.
In Perry’s article I was reminded of how much the world has changed from generation to generation, and as a teacher I have to change from day to day in order to be the best person I can be for each of my students. I must learn as much as I can about where they come from and what they have to offer. Knowing this information and what they are knowledgeable of can make for a better classroom, and a better chance at survival for everyone. Perry stated that we have to import and export experiences from different contexts, and to me this means that everything has to be taken into account in my life and my student’s lives in order to give them what is best for them.
Overall from this course I have learned that my way of life is not always the right way, and that I cannot base what I do in my classroom around who I am and what I’m being told to do, but instead I must make myself a better teacher for all students. I thought that I gave my children choices in their learning, but the choices I have given them were based around what I thought was correct. Through a lot of self reflection I know that I can be a better teacher and provide more choices for my student’s based upon their various discourses. Each year when students are given a new class, with a new teacher, they feel like strangers in a new place. I have a goal to make these students feel comfortable and trust in me as Hick’s was able to do with Laurie and Jake. I have decided that I am going to begin this coming school year, with two different self made surveys. Both surveys will be used to guide my instruction and learn as much about my students as I can. I have not developed the surveys yet, but my vision for these surveys will be based around the interests of the students from their point of view and the interest of my students from their parent’s point of view. Using these survey’s I will hopefully be able to get an idea about what intrigues my students and what backgrounds they are coming from.
Since critiquing or even reflecting on one’s life is a difficult task to complete, it has been a great learning experience for myself to have to sit back and think about the things in my life I do. Looking at those things from a different perspective has helped me to decipher between what I need to continue to do and what I need to change, not only in my everyday life, but also in my life as a teacher.
Meredith

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

I chose this quote because it says to me that,” Yes, it is necessary to be able to rethink one’s own sense of knowing to continue to grow and live a life worth reflecting on.”

This quote means to me that when looking at life and all that consists of one’s personal knowing, that at times one must rethink their own knowing when confronted with new knowledge, or changes. That if we stop thinking about what we know and refuse to try to be open to change, we will find ourselves in a place of isolation, indifferent to the world around us: a place where no growth or change for the good or bad can happen. This is a dark place to be avoided if one wants to live a productive life that is able to adapt and survive in an ever-changing world.

Reading throughout this semester has been rather overwhelming at times, trying to set aside former thoughts or beliefs and be open to the author’s point of view when it came to the literacy experiences of students seen as marginalized. I found if I would read and reflect as I went through the reading, and try to anchor the reading to something I know or have experienced , that I always got so much more meaning out of the reading. It always helps when a real life example that can be attached to new materials to help make sense of them. When I am able to take what I know and reflect on it, openly, this is when I can really find new modes of knowing.

When I first started reading the articles about the Lost Boys of Sudan, American Indians, and the African Caribbean Girls, I was having a very hard time finding a reference or real connection to the text. Then I thought of the three years I spent living in Germany. I remember trying to communicate with the Germans in the shops, catching a bus or streetcar. I remember how scared and alone I felt. I began to see how hard it was for me as an adult, how I felt inferior because it seemed at the moment I was at their mercy. Would they try to help me understand? Some would and others would snap your head off with, “nein sprechen si English”, and walk away. So thinking of this personal experience I was then able to think of how these children must have felt. New countries, different customs, culture clashes, and no real way out, having to find a way to live hybrid lives blending their discourses to fit into the new discourses they were submerged into. The word hard does not begin to describe the mere survival of these children and young adults.

Looking back over the past four weeks of reading and thinking of all I have learned several parts that have stuck out most to me, first, is that as a teacher, I have to know my students. I must accept that they have discourses that may be very different from mine. They may have different cultures, customs, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and dialects but regardless, they need to be respected and valued as part of who they are; even when they go completely against my core values, it is not my place to take that from them. All this is part of their literacy. It is my responsibility to help educate the child and help them to know who they are and who they will become. That through guiding them, not pushing them into a mold of my choice, but one that is of their own choosing, helping them to acquire the tools necessary to reach their goals. Second, we must acknowledge all the different influences on a child’s literacy so the child can really be known. Knowing whether they have been exposed to books, or any form of story telling, writing, or drawing prior to school. Learning how their families value education. In Hicks’ book, Jake’s parents had two different plans for him. His mom wanted him to go to college and dad said he would take over the family business. Which would be best for Jake? I believe this is were teachers must help their students see the value of education for themselves, separate from what others may have planned out for them. In addition, I believe that having positive role models for our students is necessary. I think when a boy is without a male role model and I as a teacher know this, I should find a volunteer to work with him, to share with him his own literacy story. Sharing favorite books of different genres, and helping them see how being literate had benefited their lives.

Throughout this semester the whole process of knowing what to write, how to say what I felt was important has been very challenging for me. I have never considered myself as a writer of any sort. It is not something I feel very confident in doing or teaching. I have found that just reading and taking time to process the words and the underlying meaning of the articles prior to writing a critique allows the meanings to come together and makes for a much smoother process. Responding to the posts of other’s was much easier for me, most were centered around personal teaching experiences, which are always interesting and provide such rich insight on the topics we have discussed. I honestly learned as much from my peers this semester in their blogs and comment posts as I have reading the articles and the Hicks book. This has been a learning experience like none other for me.

I have also spent a great deal of time reflecting on my own literacy. I love to read, but I honestly do not have in childhood memory of being read to. I do remember having the book For the Love of Benji, and reading it repeatedly. My home did not have books, newspapers, or magazines. It was not until I was older and had a family of my own that I developed a love for reading. I always read to my children and had plenty for them to read in my home. I believe it is hard to become a literate person who reads and writes for pleasure or work in a world that is so consumed with television, videogames, and computers. I believe we should do all that is within us to help our students find literacy as a great source of strength and as an escape from the day to day worries of life that can consume all the joy from you if you fail to find an escape.

Life is a constantly changing force that will become stagnant if we fail to reflect on our knowing and change when we see our knowing needs changing for us to continue to grow as a person in the world today.
Tracy Icenhour

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” – Michel Foucault

When I first read this quote, I thought of myself. Crazy as it may sound, this quote may have been written to apply to children, but then I thought no wait a minute it was written to be applied to learners, which would be me! But this is just my opinion and how I interpreted the quote. Every single human on the planet will grow up a certain way. The person that they become has a lot to do with how they have been sculpted. For instance, as young children you are molded by the environment you grow up in, the people you are around, and the experiences you have. For me, I grew up in a middle-class family with a nice house and all of the children went to college. My parents did not go to college but because of this they made sure we understood how important it was to attend college and to do our best in school! Once I started teaching after I graduated college, it was very hard for me to see that not all people are raised like this. I guess I have been a little naïve about things. I knew that the school I was teaching at would have a lot of “different” children there, or so that is what I was told, but I never thought about how they should be taught differently. I mean come on now – teaching every child differently – that is crazy?! This is the attitude that I had when I first started with this course. Little did I know that to be a good teacher and really get your students to succeed you must cater to THEIR needs! As I started my first year at Lincolnton Middle School, I definitely learned a lot by the kids that were in my room. I teach Special Education, so I did have the kids who struggled with reading and writing. I did have the kids who struggled with behavior. More of the boys more so than girls were labeled as having behavior problems. In fact I had several students who came to me in the seventh grade and did not know how to read. Wow – was I in for a wake-up call??

I would say that I am sort of a people person so I definitely took the time to get to know my kids. I’m sure it is much easier to get to know a small group of students in a class than it is to get to know thirty at a time. I learned some very interesting things and now that I have completed my second year of teaching I have learned even more. In my class I had those kids who thought school was dumb and did not want to be there. Well the problem is that they struggled with the task at hand. They struggled with reading so why wouldn’t they act out. It was easier for them to get into trouble than to get made fun of by peers for not being able to read as well. It was so easy to just write them off as behavior problems, but as I have now learned and am still learning that these kids are doing this for a reason. This goes back to the quote at the beginning of my post. For me to continue teaching and continue trying to improve on what I do with my kids in order to be a better teacher than I must learn to see things differently and think differently. Not all kids, if any, that were in my class come from a good family such as mine and have parents who support education and think it is very important to succeed in life. It took me only two years to figure this out and hopefully this will help me as I continue my teaching journey. In fact there were many times in my first year of teaching and even in my second that my kids would tell me something that went on at home the night before and I would seriously not believe them. In fact I would ask the guidance counselors about it and they would confirm that these things did go on. For instance my kids would come to school and say their parents fought them the night before, which of course I had to report. I had kids tell me so many other things that literally broke my heart, I felt, when I would come home at night and think about it. The point here is that every child that walks into my classroom is different. They have had different experiences in life and sometimes these experiences were not so pleasant for the child. By working at school where there were kids from low-income families and a lot of different ethnic groups, I have learned that I must view things in a different perspective. I must appreciate every student and appreciate what they bring into my classroom. I should have expectations for every students, but at the same time I must meet them halfway and give them expectations that are reasonable for them specifically. I also must make sure that I get to know each and every child that sits in my classroom and understand the type of discourse they live at home because I want them to connect with it as they walk into my classroom because this home discourse is what they are comfortable with and what they are used to. If NASCAR is what they are into then I will somehow find a way to connect to what I am teaching to this. If they like to fantasize then I will find fantasy books for them to read on their instructional level. I will try to make learning fun for them and the best thing about learning when it is fun is that the kids are learning and not even realizing it. Sometimes the word “learn” just makes the kids get a negative attitude, but a lot of this comes from their parents attitudes about school because I have learned in Dr. Gill’s class – if their parents did not like school and did not do well in school then their children are not going to like it either because they will feel the negative vibe their parents have about school if they don’t verbally tell them. It is important that the kids I teach appreciate and appreciate learning, but I will do my best as I continue teaching to get kids to feel this way!

Another thing I learned from this course and the most important thing for me is about how literacy is more than just reading and writing. In fact it is so much more than that! I never thought about this because whenever I would always hear the term “literate” I would always think of a book and being able to read and if you couldn’t read then you were illiterate. But I was wrong. In fact the question that I am struggling with is that is there really anyone out there who is illiterate? People have this term so confused because it is not just about reading and writing. After reading the article by Perry about the Sudanese refugees, I have learned that literacy goes a long way. People become literate from the minute they are born by hearing their parents talk to them. I think about my nephew that was just born last week and I think about how literate he will be within just a few months. My other nephew who just turned two can say words and talk to you and you can tell him to do something and he knows exactly what you mean, even though he is a little hard-headed and does not always do what you say, but I would consider Tucker literate. He cannot read a book, but he knows how to speak and he knows what you mean when you talk to him.

Another important thing I learned in this class was about the different discourses we live. For some students it is very challenging for them to code-switch from discourse to discourse, but they do this without even knowing it. A good example I saw from one of the previous readings was from the Delpit article when she was talking about her daughter Maya and the way she speaks differently when around her family then when she is at school around her friends. Maya lives a discourse as a daughter at home and then as a friend at school. As teachers we must understand that our students are living different courses as well as we are and must be aware of this and be aware of how to connect their discourses. This goes back to the quote from the beginning which talks about seeing different perspectives.

I have learned so many things from this course and I hope that all of this information will stick with me as I continue on my teaching journey so that I can improve as an educator and see my students that I teach succeed! I end my reflection with a quote that I thought was one of the most important quotes from the readings from this course.

“When students’ interests are addressed in school, they are more likely to connect with the school, with the teacher, with the academic knowledge, and with the school’s language form.” – Lisa Delpit from “No Kinda Sense”
Katy Dellinger

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking at reflecting at all.”
-Michel Foucault

This quote really relates to me in my reading, writing, thinking and learning process during this class. I have been doing a lot of reflecting about my teaching and students who I have had that struggled with literacy practices. I feel like I have been one-track minded and have not been able to put myself in the shoes of other cultures, classes and dialects. From the readings, I do think that I look at situations from different angles now. I can’t keep looking at something from the same perspective and expect to gain new insight. I know that everyone is created equal and we should accept people for who they are, which is part of my discourse of growing up with a religious background. But, what does that really mean? I feel that my eyes have been opened. I do have a similar discourse of coming from a working-class family like Laurie, Jake and Hicks. I can relate to them but all of my histories are not exactly the same. The parts that are the same, I can make connections and then transfer these connections to my students who have similar discourses. Having this knowledge helps me to figure out how to connect with my students.
I have also learned how I can “perceive differently than one sees.” I look at this as meaning; things are not always as they appear. There may be something deeper going on, than just the surface level that I see. For example, I had mentioned a student who could appear to have ADD. My gut told me that it wasn’t ADD, but I wasn’t able to put my finger on it. He comes from working-class. From Hicks, I learned how a sense of wanting to belong in a middle-class room was very important. I think he was looking for the “we of me in school”. This really hit home with me professionally. Before learning about this working-class discourse, I would always get frustrated with these students. I would say to myself: Why can’t they just follow directions the first time? Of course, I was only looking from my histories of school. I had learned the school discourse to be a “good girl”. I wanted to please the teacher just like Jake and Laurie started out school wanting to do. But as the work became increasingly harder for them and their home discourses were not meshing with school, they began to fall behind and appear disengaged. This relates to my student in that he would pull out a picture that he had of him with his brother and sister and would just stare at it. Part of his history was being removed from his mom’s house for a period of time and his dad isn’t involved in his life. Now with hindsight, I think he is like Laurie. When he was feeling positive at home, he made greater strides at school. But, if there was trouble then that is when he appeared disengaged and not focused. So, as a teacher it is important for me to create a warm and inviting classroom welcomes and connects to the children’s home life. Next year, I plan to do more surveys for students and parents in order to find out more about the children. If I can make a connection with them, then they will be more apt to follow me, when I try to teach them something new.
Since I teach second grade, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce other cultures through picture books, which I had mentioned in one of my posts. I think this is a way I can open my students’ eyes. But, before I can introduce them to other cultures, they have to know their culture and family discourses are accepted in the classroom. Again my eyes were really opened when I read the Perry article about storytelling. It made me realize I want to know even more about the world around me. I feel I get so caught up in my classroom that I totally block out what is going on around the world. It is as if my classroom is literally a protected box. I think if I opened it up to what is going on in the world and expose my students to other cultures, then they will be able to make connections to their lives like I have been able to make. In the Perry article Ezra, the Sudanese boy, was trying to use his culture of storytelling to relay a message that we need to learn to get along and realize that there is not just one way to live. My goal is to relay this message to my student next year and I think the use of storytelling about their lives would be a way to get it started.
Making a connection between home and school is very important. In the Noll article Daniel and Zonnie did not feel accepted at school and this affected their literacy learning. Both of them kept school and home separate and were very confident when they were not in school. I learned that just like Jake and Laurie’s home discourse with working-class values needs to be connected to school, so does culture. I had a Hispanic girl in my class last year who struggled with literacy practices. Looking back, I now see many of the discourses and culture issues that I have learned about through Hicks and Henry. She was a “good girl” who was dealing with working –class discourse and cultural differences. She reminded me of the African Caribbean girls in Henry article in which “black girls are expected to adopt female roles of passivity and complacency.” In her writing journal, she would always write about her baby brother. Little did I know at the time that her writing was a glimpse inside her home discourse. I learned how Hicks learned more about Jake and Laurie through their writings created at school. I also did not do a lot with her culture in class last year, which I am now learning that I should have.
I also learned from Delpit and Dowdy about how important it is to keep ones “mother tongue”. Dowdy felt like she didn’t fit in her native Trinidadian or the Standard English dialect. We don’t want our students to feel this way. So, we need to make sure students feel accepted by how they speak. If they do then they will be more apt to learn the dialect of Standard English and they can code-switch between the two. I have realized for me personally, I code-switch all the time and I don’t think anything about it. For my students it may not come as easy as it did with Maya, so I may need to model it more. It is important my students learn how, because whether we like it or not being able to code-switch will affect success in the future.
I have been able to look at race, class and gender from different angles through the readings. If something puzzled me, I went back to reread. Then I would think about it and mull it over in my head. I would even jot down notes as ideas popped into my head. I found these ideas would lead to other ideas. By doing this I was able to reflect on my teaching practices. Reflecting is not something that happens quickly and ends. Reflecting is an ongoing process.
Trish Edwards

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking at reflecting at all.”
-Michel Foucault

This quote really relates to me in my reading, writing, thinking and learning process during this class. I have been doing a lot of reflecting about my teaching and students who I have had that struggled with literacy practices. I feel like I have been one-track minded and have not been able to put myself in the shoes of other cultures, classes and dialects. From the readings, I do think that I look at situations from different angles now. I can’t keep looking at something from the same perspective and expect to gain new insight. I know that everyone is created equal and we should accept people for who they are, which is part of my discourse of growing up with a religious background. But, what does that really mean? I feel that my eyes have been opened. I do have a similar discourse of coming from a working-class family like Laurie, Jake and Hicks. I can relate to them but all of my histories are not exactly the same. The parts that are the same, I can make connections and then transfer these connections to my students who have similar discourses. Having this knowledge helps me to figure out how to connect with my students.
I have also learned how I can “perceive differently than one sees.” I look at this as meaning; things are not always as they appear. There may be something deeper going on, than just the surface level that I see. For example, I had mentioned a student who could appear to have ADD. My gut told me that it wasn’t ADD, but I wasn’t able to put my finger on it. He comes from working-class. From Hicks, I learned how a sense of wanting to belong in a middle-class room was very important. I think he was looking for the “we of me in school”. This really hit home with me professionally. Before learning about this working-class discourse, I would always get frustrated with these students. I would say to myself: Why can’t they just follow directions the first time? Of course, I was only looking from my histories of school. I had learned the school discourse to be a “good girl”. I wanted to please the teacher just like Jake and Laurie started out school wanting to do. But as the work became increasingly harder for them and their home discourses were not meshing with school, they began to fall behind and appear disengaged. This relates to my student in that he would pull out a picture that he had of him with his brother and sister and would just stare at it. Part of his history was being removed from his mom’s house for a period of time and his dad isn’t involved in his life. Now with hindsight, I think he is like Laurie. When he was feeling positive at home, he made greater strides at school. But, if there was trouble then that is when he appeared disengaged and not focused. So, as a teacher it is important for me to create a warm and inviting classroom welcomes and connects to the children’s home life. Next year, I plan to do more surveys for students and parents in order to find out more about the children. If I can make a connection with them, then they will be more apt to follow me, when I try to teach them something new.
Since I teach second grade, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce other cultures through picture books, which I had mentioned in one of my posts. I think this is a way I can open my students’ eyes. But, before I can introduce them to other cultures, they have to know their culture and family discourses are accepted in the classroom. Again my eyes were really opened when I read the Perry article about storytelling. It made me realize I want to know even more about the world around me. I feel I get so caught up in my classroom that I totally block out what is going on around the world. It is as if my classroom is literally a protected box. I think if I opened it up to what is going on in the world and expose my students to other cultures, then they will be able to make connections to their lives like I have been able to make. In the Perry article Ezra, the Sudanese boy, was trying to use his culture of storytelling to relay a message that we need to learn to get along and realize that there is not just one way to live. My goal is to relay this message to my student next year and I think the use of storytelling about their lives would be a way to get it started.
Making a connection between home and school is very important. In the Noll article Daniel and Zonnie did not feel accepted at school and this affected their literacy learning. Both of them kept school and home separate and were very confident when they were not in school. I learned that just like Jake and Laurie’s home discourse with working-class values needs to be connected to school, so does culture. I had a Hispanic girl in my class last year who struggled with literacy practices. Looking back, I now see many of the discourses and culture issues that I have learned about through Hicks and Henry. She was a “good girl” who was dealing with working –class discourse and cultural differences. She reminded me of the African Caribbean girls in Henry article in which “black girls are expected to adopt female roles of passivity and complacency.” In her writing journal, she would always write about her baby brother. Little did I know at the time that her writing was a glimpse inside her home discourse. I learned how Hicks learned more about Jake and Laurie through their writings created at school. I also did not do a lot with her culture in class last year, which I am now learning that I should have.
I also learned from Delpit and Dowdy about how important it is to keep ones “mother tongue”. Dowdy felt like she didn’t fit in her native Trinidadian or the Standard English dialect. We don’t want our students to feel this way. So, we need to make sure students feel accepted by how they speak. If they do then they will be more apt to learn the dialect of Standard English and they can code-switch between the two. I have realized for me personally, I code-switch all the time and I don’t think anything about it. For my students it may not come as easy as it did with Maya, so I may need to model it more. It is important my students learn how, because whether we like it or not being able to code-switch will affect success in the future.
I have been able to look at race, class and gender from different angles through the readings. If something puzzled me, I went back to reread. Then I would think about it and mull it over in my head. I would even jot down notes as ideas popped into my head. I found these ideas would lead to other ideas. By doing this I was able to reflect on my teaching practices. Reflecting is not something that happens quickly and ends. Reflecting is an ongoing process.
Trish Edwards

As I reflect back over this course the quote by Michel Foucault truly captivates my learning: “There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” To me this quote means that as a teacher I have to be willing to be flexible, learn from others, and evaluate myself. These things are not easy to accomplish but they are necessary in order for me to become an exemplary teacher and role model.

The readings throughout this course gave me the opportunity to think differently and perceive differently about the students in my classroom and myself as a teacher. The article by Perry about the “Lost Boys” really challenged my view on storytelling. Through the article I was able to think of reasons why storytelling is a “Lost Art” in most schools today and specific ways to incorporate storytelling in my classroom and school. This article made me realize the positive benefits of storytelling and gave me the desire to incorporate storytelling in my classroom next year. Reading this article with an open mind gave me the chance to continue learning and reflecting as an educator.

Another reading that challenged me to be a reflective teacher was Noll’s qualitative research article on the lives of Zonnie and Daniel. Through this article the theme that continued to stick out to me was the importance of “getting to know” my students on a deeper level. I realized that my students need me to know who they are and what they enjoy doing outside of school. After I read the article, I began to think of ways that I could get to know my students outside of school. I think one of the best ways is to attend one of their sporting, church, or music events. This action would show my students that I care about what is important to them. Noll made it very clear that students will trust and respect their teachers more when they feel like their teachers care about who they are. This article allowed me to view my students in a totally different light.

The first articles we read in this course, Dowdy, Delpit, and Obama News Article, made me more aware of the impact language has on my students. I did not realize how much my students use “code switching” until I read these articles. It amazed me to think about how my students talk one way with me and a complete different way with their peers on the playground and on the school bus. I also discovered that sometimes “code switching” is difficult for children who speak a different language or feel like they don’t fit in. These articles made me more aware of the importance of allowing my students to talk and have a voice in their education. It is easy for me to do all the talking. However, I believe that students learn more when they have the chance to talk and express themselves. In my post I talked about how I use “Me Bag” and Language Experience Approach to help my students feel more comfortable and confident in who they are and their language. I plan to continue to do this and try to increase the time my students work in groups and talk with their peers. All of my students have a voice and I need to give them the opportunity to use it and learn from others.

Hicks’ book brought up several topics that allowed me to think and perceive my students and my teaching differently. I was very intrigued by the topic of discourse in her book, specifically in chapters 1 and 2. I learned how discourse plays a major role in my students’ education. Each of my students come to school with a variety to discourses (e.g. home, friends, church, school, sports) and sometimes they struggle with knowing how to fit their home discourse into their school discourse. As a teacher it is important that I know my students and understand where they are coming from so the transition of home discourse and school discourse is not so hard for them. I think this goes back to what I mentioned early about getting to know my students outside of the classroom. When this occurs, I think their home discourse and school discourse will mesh a little easier and may make learning more fun and interesting for them.

Hicks' reports on Laurie and Jake showed how they both enjoyed Writers’ Workshop because they had a voice in their education. As a teacher I have a strong desire to give my students the chance to have a voice in their education. I want them to feel like they are a part of my classroom and their learning. Through reading the results of Writer’s Workshop and reading other comments from my peers about Writer’s Workshop, I am going to incorporate this activity in my classroom next year. I am anxious to see how this affects my students’ learning and my teaching.

I also learned through Hicks' book that family plays the most important role in a child’s education. Her quote on page 123 describes the impact a family has on a child’s education: “The stories voiced about us, by those whom we most love and value, shape our identities in ways more powerful than even the most authoritative institutional systems of social regulation.” As a teacher I it is my job to try to teach my students and make a positive difference in their lives. However; what they see valued at home is what they will value in life and at school. Therefore; Hicks' book has encouraged me even more to think of creative ways to get my students' parents involved in their education. If I can get my students' parents involved, I think the gap between home life and school life will narrow.

Overall, I feel like the theme of the readings and posts in this course are how gender, race, and class impact a child’s education. As a teacher it is my role to evaluate how these characteristics shape my classroom and teaching style. I have to be willing to be flexible, learn from my peers, and evaluate myself if I am going to effectively teach the variety of discourses that make up my classroom. I must get to know my students, allow my students to have a voice in their education, encourage their own language and talk in my room, allow storytelling to be an active part in my classroom, and get parents involved in their child’s education. I cannot view my students as a number or a score on a test, but as an active member in my classroom that I care for and desire the very best for. Michel Foucault’s statement and this course have shown me that I must have an open mind and eyes so I can be a reflective and effective teacher.

Emily Rhoney

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

This quote sums up what I am taking away from this class. As someone who has been teaching for 10 years, I think it is quite easy to become complacent, to feel that as long as you are reaching the majority of your students, you are doing a good job and that you need do nothing more. And, to an extent I think that this is true. You are doing a good job if you are reaching most of your students, but this class has made me delve deeper into what I do and made me truly think about the experiences that each child is bringing to my classroom and how those experiences affect them. It has made me more mindful of the fact that unless I am doing all I can daily to reach every child, I am not doing my job.

There is so much talk nowadays about being a reflective practitioner, and quite often I reflect on my lessons, how they went, and what needs to be changed. However, when I think about each individual student, or the students that aren’t getting what I am teaching, I rarely delve deeply into the “why” of it. I usually look at the surface issue, for instance, perhaps they need more exposure to what was being taught, which certainly is often the case, or that my technique in teaching that lesson didn’t hit the mark with them, which could also be the case, or that they just weren’t paying attention, but I need to think more about the whole child as well.

I have often told parents at conferences, when they tell me about difficulties at home, how much that can affect a child’s growth at school. Sometimes they seem shocked that home life can carry over into what is happening in the classroom. Although I talk with parents about this, I may need to look harder for myself as to what each child is going through at home and how it can affect their day-to-day performance in my class. I may need to take it easier on one who has had a rough day or one who has parents at home that are at odds. I need to take my own advice and help them through whatever it is so that they can concentrate on what needs to be done at school.

In reading the Delpit, Dowdy, and Noll articles, I began to think more about how much culture and background plays into each child’s school experiences. It made me think about how I sometimes jump to conclusions about my ELL students without really knowing them and who they are. I find that when I see a child on my class roster that has a hard to pronounce name, I automatically assume that they will be a below grade level reader. Just as in the Noll article, Indian students were given remedial classes without basis for them. I think that these three articles helped to remind me that we cannot judge a book by its cover, and that we cannot make assumptions about people based on their ethnicity.

While reading the Henry and Staples articles I found myself thinking about how I perceived school growing up, how I loved to read, and had an easy time with school. These articles opened my eyes more to the truth that sometimes teachers are tuned out to the students that do struggle or are not the same as them. It made me think about how I need to make a more concerted effort to personally get to know my student’s interests and try to tailor more instruction to them. It can be difficult especially with all of the other challenges we, as teachers, face, but if you can touch the life of just one more student than you would have otherwise, it will be worth it in immeasurable ways.

The Deborah Hicks’ book Reading Lives made me think about this a great deal as well. The stories of Jake and Laurie made me reflect back on children I have had over the years in my class and how I have dealt with them. It makes me wish that I had a magic wand to wave over each of my students and fix everything that they have playing against them in life. Since this is impossible, I need to work harder at knowing my students personally so that I can better help them. I cannot treat each child the same as the next and expect them to all do equally well.

When reading about Laurie I thought about those children in my room that follow all of the rules and seem to always be doing the right thing, but still struggle academically. I never really thought before about how their proper behavior could be their way of trying to please me since they cannot do so through academics. I think reading about Laurie will make me more cognizant of this in the future. It will also be something that I will talk with parents about more in conferences.

Reading about Jake made me remember that there are all kinds of “smarts.” Some children are smart in areas that aren’t academic in nature. Jake seemed to follow in his father’s footsteps and be good at making things. Some children are very good at video games, while others excel at sports. The chapter about Jake shows us that each child has a talent or something that makes them special and that we should try to find ways to incorporate that into our classrooms. Maybe if we do this and make an effort for a child, they will begin to see that school is a place where they matter and, in turn, they will “buy in” more to what is going on.

All of these readings helped me to become more reflective about what I do each day in my classroom. I hope that they will help me to have a new perspective on what I need to improve upon in order to give each child the best possible first grade year. Each child that enters my classroom door is someone’s most prized possession, the person in the world that they love the most, and that they have done their best to prepare for the world. Just because they may not have prepared them in the same way I would have prepared my own children doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Everyone has their own story to tell, and it starts at home.
-Elizabeth Norwood

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

I selected this quote because with each article and chapter I read I reflected. I reflected on my childhood, my relationship with my family, and my teaching style. I learned about children and situations that I had very limited or no information on. I discovered how brave some children have to be in order to survey. I felt a personal connection to many of the children within these articles. And I discovered that just like many of my fellow classmates, I have many discourses that make me the person I am today.

As I read each article or chapter, I realized I began to follow a pattern. I didn’t intentionally do this, but with each article or chapter I read I began to think about my own childhood. As I read the Ovuh Dyuh article I could relate to the young African American girl. She worked so hard to speak grammatically correct. As long as I can remember I’ve attempted to do the same thing. Not only did I have to train myself not to use the words ain’t, ya’ll, and I reckon, I worked to tone down my natural southern drawl. Just like the young girl in the article I felt as though I was fighting a losing battle. Her friends made fun of her for speaking correctly, but at home she was expected to speak grammatically correct. For me no matter how hard I try, I will always speak with a southern drawl, and I will probably always have in-laws that will make fun of me. The Ovuh Dyuh article for me wasn’t about speaking “white” or “black”. I don’t believe that speaking grammatically correct has anything to do with a person’s race.

After thinking about my own childhood my next step with each article was to make a classroom connection. With the Ovuh Dyuh article I began thinking about my Hispanic students. At the beginning of the school year my Hispanic students struggled with speaking in class. They never wanted to answer questions. My goal as their teacher was to make them feel secure and confident enough to speak in class. I never corrected them for grammatical mistakes and I never told them they were not allowed to speak in Spanish. I was so proud of my Hispanic students. They put 110% into every lesson, and by the end of the year they had blossomed. They were raising their hands and taking part in classroom discussions. I will have to admit though that one of my little girls was really beginning to speak with a southern drawl. After reading this article I was able to see what they were going through, and realize that like me they may feel insecure about their accent.

When reading the Speaking Up and Speaking Out article I was impressed with how this group of young girls had the opportunity to work together within a reading and writing group. As I read this article I felt as though this group was more of a support group for the girls. What a wonderful opportunity it was for these girls to get together and discuss issues, and write about their thoughts and concerns. These girls had been reprimanded for using their first language in the classroom. Having this reading and writing group gave them the support they needed in order to succeed. Again I thought of high school and journal writing. Having the opportunity to express myself by writing in my journal was a great escape from the daily life of a teenager. All students need to be allotted this time. However in the regular classroom with our curriculum demands this often seems impossible. After reading this article I questioned my daughter, who is in 4th grade, to see if she is ever allowed to write about topics of importance to her. I am sad to say she said no. In her class they always had to write from prompts. In my kindergarten class I encourage my students to write about whatever they want to. When the writing lesson is complete I give my students a chance to share with their classmates. You can see the pride on my little one’s faces as they share their thoughts with their classmates.

The Experiencing Literacy In and Out of School article made me really stop and reflect on my lessons. I need to embrace my student’s cultural differences. I need to allot time for my students to share their own personal experiences with the class. In my rush to fit in all of my lessons I forget to stop and reflect on my classes’ personal interest and needs. I am going to do a better job next year to include these types of lessons. I want all of my students to know that they are important to me and my class.

I have learned a lot from the articles. From Storytelling to Writing: Transforming Literacy Practices among Sudanese Refugees was an eye opening article. My heart broke for those young men, but at the same time I felt pride in their ability to overcome all of the obstacles they faced. Reading about storytelling made me realize how much I longed for knowledge about my family. In our society we are so busy trying to get from point A to point B that we forget to talk to each other. After reading this article I started asking my mom to tell me more about her childhood. She showed me pictures of her dad and grandparents. Pictures I had never seen. She shared stories about each of the pictures that I can now share with my daughter. The art of storytelling will now continue in my home. The statement that really stuck out in my mind was written by Johnston, he said, “telling of one’s stories facilitates a philosophy of life and a blueprint for living.” I want to pass this blueprint on to my daughter.

The articles were excellent and I enjoyed each one. For me however, I made the biggest connection with Deborah Hick’s book Reading Lives Working-Class Children and Literacy Learning. I grew up in a working class family and I truly understood how Jake and Laurie felt in school. They brought their home discourse with them to school. They had trouble understanding that what was considered okay at home may not be allowed at school. I was the same way in school and found myself in trouble on a number of occasions for talking. As I read about how each of these children disengaged in class I began thinking about my own classroom. I have seen students do the same thing by talking to their friends or playing in their pencil box. I thought it was because they didn’t want to do the lesson; I never stopped to think it might be because they didn’t understand the lesson or didn’t find the lesson interesting.

I have learned so much about myself and my teaching style while taking this course. I need to take the time to truly get to know all of my students. I need to respect each child’s individuality and structure my lessons to meet each child’s needs. I will include more time in class for reader’s workshops and writer’s workshops. I have also spent a lot of time reflecting on myself as a person during this course. I’ve discovered that I still use reading as a way to escape just like I did as a child. When I need to forget about the stress of being an adult all I have to do is pick up a book. I know now that I want my daughter to know where I came from and through storytelling she will learn about a young girl growing up in a working class family; who loved Bible school, cookies and kool-aid.

I appreciate all of your help and support during this class. Pam Aubuchon

As this course comes to an end, I think about all the information and research that was presented. At first, some of the articles were difficult to understand because I was not too familiar on how research was conducted and what it meant. I've already taken my research class, but it had been a whole year already. This was a good reminder and refresher on how important research can be.

I chose the quote by Michel Foucault reading: There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.

I chose this because I think this pretty much sums up the whole class. All presented to us made us think outside our box, and consider all that was presented. Everyone has the capability to think differently if one chooses, but that doesn't mean that thinking differently will necessarily change someone's point of view. But if you choose to take the information, apply it, and want to change what you are doing, that will take some reflection on your own part in order to see and move forward with the change. In teaching, I think that is a great quote for all to read, because that is what teachers do all the time! Reflect on what has been taught and change things according to the pros and cons! That takes a different point of view, along with self-reflection.

When looking back at the Dowdy, Delpit and Obama assignment, I really looked closely at how that related to me in my teaching world in comparison to my personal world. Learning what code switching was and how I moved down here into another dialect, I had to code switch to understand what was being said. Code switching is something that all teachers see in their students. It’s that new language they learn at school that shapes their educational future. Students learn how grammar and their language from their home life switches or blends when going to school. I know I am in favor of all my kids speaking with proper grammar and English skills, but now knowing where they start in their home life will give me a better understanding of how to teach them without loosing their cultural background of language.

Looking at the Noll article and learning how Daniel and Zonnie were treated because of their Native American culture was an upsetting piece to read and comprehend. I related to these in the way that if I had a chance to teach in a Native American community, I would make time and go to their homes to learn more about their culture, and I am sincere about that! I really have a problem with teachers who know they are role models and the spirit so to speak in a child’s educational career, and don’t see the individuality, but only the wrong, and leave that scar that never goes away. Actions of these teachers made me look at myself and see how much of my students’ lives I really know about. Teaching Kindergarten for the first time next year, switching from third grade will allow me to make home visits to meet the families and see where each child is coming from. I am excited to see how I will use that information in my classroom.

I really saw a different perspective when reading the Henry and Staples piece. I saw these afterschool programs that were allowing students with lower literacy skills to use this time to use media and different tools that weren’t used in the classroom to learn! I read this and this excited me. I would love to be involved in a program like this. Sometimes at the elementary level I feel like these years do develop their self-esteem and self-image in an early way of who they are. That carries into the middle school, which develops even more, forcing them to take what they’ve learned and apply it to new situations, and then even further when entering the high school. But reading this, made me want to be a part of a different stage in children’s lives. I have been involved in elementary for only 6 years, but see there is so much more I could do. I was a coach for middle school once, and felt that need fulfilled because I was also a mediator for those girls. I look at my current situation and have to see how I can fix what I’m doing at this stage of their lives and see what kind of a change I can do now. Always remembering how these kids were treated by their teachers will remind me, before I speak or act. It also allowed me to understand what a voice these kids do have, and how it was suffocated by their cultural expectations. It was shocking to me to see the expectation put on black girls. What they were supposed to be like and appear like to teachers. I took that statement and drilled that into my mind. I will not ever expect black girls or any other race per say to be seen as invisible learners and only looked upon for social responsibilities. I know I do not do that now, but sometimes reminding my self that others have done that will make me more aware of it and know that I will not do that to any student.

Looking at those three pieces specifically really showed me how important knowing that I can think differently and see things differently, because I sure did! Relating these to my personal and professional life influences how I think and how I reflect on myself and my life. I know for next year I will be constantly be reminded of these three specific articles that allowed me to reflect how I am in my classroom. What key issues have I looked at seriously in myself, are voice, cultural background, and code switching. These are major points in my literacy teaching that I think have influenced me and made me reflect on the most. I have learned so many aspects of race, class and gender that I have seen how it impacts students in their literacy learning. These issues are so important to each child, and I know in the past that I have overlooked. But as the quote says, ....."perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all." I have definitely perceived things differently throughout these readings, and have taken that and reflected on what I have done, and how I will use it in the future. Thank you for opening up my eyes to some new aspects in literacy that will benefit my future students!

Abby Boughton

Let Change Begin With Me

“ There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”

When I first signed up for this course, I had no idea what to expect. The very word, “research” sent shivers down my spine. There was no way that I was able to anticipate the changes that would occur within me throughout this class. Beginning with the first reading, “Ovah, Dyuh” and “No Kinda Sense” my mind started the process of going through what I thought I knew versus what I had no clue about. I was raised a middle class white girl. My parents taught me to accept everyone for who they were and that no one was any better than anyone else. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about other cultures, races and gender to accept the various needs of my students. What an eye opener! Accepting these differences and understanding how these differences affect those of other cultures, races and genders as it affects literacy learning are two different animals. Getting involved in the lives of these people through the readings was a very intense process for me. I was able to somewhat feel what they were feeling, walk in their shoes so to speak even if only for a few steps. These readings were powerful, full of hope and dignity. The Lost Boys gained tremendous strides in their literacy journey by simply transforming their storytelling for the purpose of keeping their culture alive and to tell the world about the injustices occurring in their country. Daniel and Zonnie just struggled to be who they were while trying to fit into a society that was strange to them. Jake and Laurie had a wealth of successes where they came from but oh how difficult it was to mesh their home life with the demands of the middle class school setting.

The most important thing I will come away with when this class in finished is the tremendous need to know where the students in my class come from. This involves knowing the parents, finding out about their belief system, what’s important to their culture, their family and especially to them. How can I understand why one child reacts a certain way in a situation at school or why he feels a certain way about something he encounters at school if I’m not willing to take a risk, to dig deep and truly understand everything I possibly can about a child? What a challenge that will be but one I feel will have a huge pay off in the long run. I will be an advocate, a mentor, an understanding and caring individual that will strive to help these sometimes “lost children” to find their way, a means to express themselves .

Having been made aware of the many varying forms of literacy, I will diligently try to find the ones that enable my students to express who they are and what they are feeling, to build on what they know and where they come from and are comfortable with, helping them to feel like they truly belong in school, and are indeed a vital part of the literacy process within them. Did this child come from Roadville or Trackton, a world of princesses or a world of poverty. If we are to make a difference in the literacy learning of our students, everything matters.

Literacy involves so much more than simply reading and writing. Storytelling, Art and music are powerful forms of literacy that might just reach those hard to reach children we meet everyday in our classrooms. Heath states that, “ Conflict occurs, however, when the ways with words of communities and classrooms differ to the point that school language practices are unfamiliar, foreign to children at the margin of middle class instructional structures.” This quote could apply to any of the wonderful people we have met in our readings. We have to help make the conflict “less” by using what we have learned to bridge the gap. As Foucault says we must think and perceive differently to be able to go on looking and reflecting. In the mirror of my life, change must begin with me—to help one child at a time to bridge the gap, to be able to succeed in all the many discourses they will encounter every day, to become all they can be despite any obstacles they may encounter.

Linda Bohland

Text of pleasure: the text that contents, fills, grants euphoria; the text that comes from culture and does not break with it, is linked to a comfortable practice of reading.
Text of bliss: the text that imposes a state of loss, the text that discomforts, unsettles the reader’s historical cultural, psychological assumptions, the consistency of his [sic] tastes, values, memories, brings to a crisis his [sic] relation with language.
Roland Barthes

After reading and reflecting on the three quotes, I believe that Roland Barthes’ quote best represents the conclusion I have drawn based on my learning in this class. Before starting the class, his statement meant little to me; I didn’t understand his point or perspective. Now it offers such clarity into the complex world of literacy learning and the interconnected influences that construct it.

To me, Barthes statement articulates the importance of both kinds of texts, both being good for the reader as he uses the words ‘pleasure’ and ‘bliss.’ The text of pleasure is enjoyable, not deviating from the known and accepted, whereas the text of bliss is more valuable and worthy of being read because it challenges, causing the reader to question values, form opinions, and think in new terms.

Concerning these two types of texts, I feel that this class required me to read texts of bliss. The articles and the studies assigned presented new information and ideas, and cultural values that often differed from my own. For example, the text of bliss that had the most profound impact on me was "No Kinda Sense." Its focus on code-switching really had me thinking about solutions to the discrepancies between home, school, and culture. As a result of the research studies, I had to think, understand, question, and evaluate what I read. I had to adjust my prior knowledge to incorporate new understanding.

As I reflect on my learning, what I find to be most meaningful and influential are the recurring themes of culture, socialization, and literacy learning. The information is especially meaningful in Hicks‘, Dowdy‘s, and Delpit’s work (texts of bliss), as it provided so much evidence that literacy is not just something out there existing apart from other entities. Rather, literacy is learned and shaped from birth by those around us. Knowing this information allows and demands me as a teacher to get to know the students and the families that attend my school. I need to become familiar with their beliefs, values, and expectations. I must form relationships and make connections with them. To do so, fosters the path for students’ success. To ignore, causes barriers of misunderstanding and prejudices.

From beginning to end, this course challenged my assumptions and understandings of literacy learning. Although raised and accustomed to a middle-class discourse, I’ve spent my teaching career in a Title 1, Equity-plus elementary school in which students face difficult financial situations and home lives. I thought I had a respectable amount of insight into their lives. However, I realized how much I didn’t know when reading and discussing issues and trends regarding race, class, and gender in the texts. I didn’t know about different discourses and code-switching. I didn’t know socialization is directly related to literacy learning. I didn’t know literacies besides reading and writing could be so interesting and motivational to students who struggle with traditional forms of literacy. Consequently, I anticipate using my learning to positively impact my students. Frequent interaction-meetings, phone calls-will be a part of my plan at the beginning of the year. I hope to implement reader’s and writer’s workshops in order to meet the students’ needs. I want to engage the students in real conversation through storytelling and/or writing so that I can learn what is interesting and motivating to them. I want expose the students to texts of pleasure as well as text of bliss so that they can be comfortable and relate to material, but also so they can be challenged by material and use methods of critical thinking and problem-solving.

Finally, Barthes quote lends itself to my reading, writing, and thinking processes throughout the entirety of this course. Because I was engaging in texts of bliss, I found myself reading portions of text more than one time, often on different days. I needed time to process what I was reading, to question what I thought verses what the reading was presenting. As a result of texts of bliss, I needed to form an opinion or an argument, something that rarely comes natural to me, but is necessary for higher level thinking. In addition, as a result of daily writing for this class, I’ve become a much more fluent writer. Prior to this course, writing was a slow-going, often painful process. While I’m nowhere near an eloquent writer, the words flow more freely in much more meaningful ways.

Now that I have finished reading the texts of bliss for this class, I will probably spend some time reading texts of pleasure. But I will always remember the distinction and make sure to engage in both in the future.

Laura Corbello

Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.
-Judith Butler

I chose this quote because it reflects my own personal opinions and feelings about differences in individuals. I was taught from an early age to respect other people, no matter their race, culture, gender, social status, age, or anything else. I was taught by wonderful parents to respect other people’s thoughts and opinions, even though they may often be different from my own. Everyone has a history, a story that makes them who they are. I am no different. Therefore to have respect for yourself, you must respect others in the same way. Just as it is important to realize your own history, it is equally as important to realize the history of others.

I grew up knowing a few things about my family’s history. My dad’s earliest known ancestor on his father’s side was an Irish immigrant. My dad’s mother was ¼ Cherokee. I knew very little about the history of my mother’s side, although it was thought that there was a little bit of German and also some American Indian ancestry (an old photo of my great-grandmother looks enough like Sitting Bull you would swear they were siblings!). Sadly, my family didn’t preserve any specific cultural traditions; however, knowing this part of my history was a formative part of who I am. The awareness that my history is so varied, much like many other Americans, I think has made me more accepting of other cultures and backgrounds. How can’t I be? What right, knowing the various cultures that are all contained within me as my history, could I possibly have to think any one culture, language, or ethnicity is any more important than another? What right does anyone have to think that?

The readings in this class just further my views that it is time that we stop worrying about trying to define people and start accepting them. Nowhere is this more true than in a classroom. In our first set of readings, we discussed the fact that people are expected to act and sound a certain way (such as use of proper English) to be seen as successful in society or school. I stated in my reflection that I do not think anyone should have to speak a certain way to gain respect. I still feel that way, but I now also think there should be a mutual willingness on everyone’s part to make whatever effort is needed in order to communicate. Sometimes this may mean altering the way you speak a little bit, but I do not think it should be only the responsibility of the student. Out of mutual respect both persons (student/teacher, white/black, English speaking/ELL, Southerner/Northerner, etc…) or groups represented should be respectful enough of each other’s differences to accept them and work with them instead of trying to change them. In the classroom this means that Delpit hits a key point of effective instruction—the kids have to be able to relate and see purpose in what they are learning. Likewise it is up to the educator and educational system to relate to the individual students and backgrounds they represent, learning to work with those differences instead of against them.

In the article by Noll, it was made clear to me that the differences I spoke of in students’ histories are directly related to their very idea of literacy. The Native American youths Noll discussed were involved in numerous cultural literacy events at home, but not seen as “literate” at school because their was little or no link between the two. They were not given the opportunity or situation to let their talents be seen. I wrote in my reflection of this article that I felt it was a little easier for Zonnie to fit in, maybe because of the connection she seemed to have with her teachers through writing. Now after reading Deborah Hicks’ book, I think it was more than that. I think that Zonnie acted much like other girls Hicks referred to as wanting to be “good girls” in school. She wanted to be successful in school, and tried to do so by doing what she was asked and whatever it took to be “good”, even though she was not excelling in her work. Hick’s book also shed a little more light on Daniel’s situation. Daniel’s problems were more than cultural differences involving his Native American background. He also did not make connections because he was stronger in activities that were 3-dimensional, not paper/pencil type 2-dimensional activities which were being required of him at school. Connections to his cultural and home discourses were missing, as well as connections to more physically involved, hands-on literacy opportunities. Zonnie needed opportunities to write about things which were important to her, and share her writing with others in an environment she felt safe in. Daniel needed the opportunity to share his talents with other students. I can imagine he would have been seen in a different light if he had been encouraged to present stories or history of his culture. If the teachers of these two students had respected their histories…their discourses, and given them opportunities to express their knowledge through means that were relevant to them, Daniel and Zonnie could have felt and been seen as successful in their school environment.

The articles by Henry, Staples, and Perry also reiterated to me the importance of accepting students and the histories and cultures they represent. Students need to be empowered, not taught to defer to the teacher and text as authority, as referred to in the article by Henry. I need to empower my students more. Although I do a pretty good job of encouraging independent writing and reading of the students’ choice, I need to give them more choices about we learn in class. All students need to feel a sense of belonging and respect to become successful learners. Perry really opened my eyes to the cultural gaps for students who have such a close link to cultures so drastically different from our own. The aspect of storytelling as such an integral part of the Sudan culture, had to be transformed into a new literacy by the Sudanese refugees discussed in this article. The ‘Lost Boys’ in Perry’s article knew the importance of literacy, and saw it as a symbol of power. As expressed by Ezra, one of the students of Perry’s study, literacy may be a part of the solution to saving the culture of the people of Sudan. This is a real purpose for, and connection to learning.

In my reflection of the Perry article I stated that everyone has a story which tells who they are and where they come from. They all need the opportunity to share that in a meaningful way, such as for real audiences and purposes. I still feel that is true, even more so now than before. In order to give these opportunities to our students, it is important that we, as Hicks states, shift our thinking and approach. It is “…not just the learning of new pedagogies—genre instruction, whole language, guided reading, skill-and-drill—or even the learning of information about dialects, cultural practices, and injustices. Rather, change also has to entail a moral shift, a willingness to open oneself up to the possibility of seeing those who differ from us. This is very hard work, but work that lies at the heart of teaching.” (Hicks, 2002) The ability to see our students, respect and accept what we see, then work with… not against the differences they all possess, is the key to unlocking each student's success. This is truly what lies at the heart of teaching.

Marcia Smith

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” -Michel Foucault

In August and September of 2004, I was feeling very depressed and I knew something had to change in my life. I had spent much of the past year spending weekends with my mom who had tried to commit suicide in November 2003 after my dad died from cancer a year earlier. Having been thrust back into the same conservative environment and attending the same Southern Baptist church in which I grew up was proving to be extremely stressful for me because I no longer felt that I fit in. I was finally able to get away in June and July of that year, going on trips to China and across the U.S. While I didn’t realize it at the time, spending those two months away from anything and everything that was familiar to me turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me because it gave me lots of time to think about what I wanted to happen in my life.

In September 2004, I finally came out as gay to my first close friend. In the months that followed, I continued on this path of self-revelation to those I was close to. Over the winter break that year, I tasted the first alcoholic beverage of my life. In January 2005, I went on my first date with a guy. Needless to say, I felt that things were changing quickly in my life and I was happy that I felt I was beginning to gain some control.

One guy I went out with in January 2005 introduced me to something called the Landmark Forum. This is a personal development workshop that he said had changed his life because of the way it made him feel empowered about being the person he wanted to be. (Check out www.landmarkeducation.com if you’d like to know more.) One thing he said that really struck home with me was when he said the workshop taught you to really question the “filters” you’ve accumulated during your life (such as your upbringing, values, etc.) through which you make judgments about experiences and what is possible in your life. He said that in some instances, these filters may no longer serve a useful purpose to you and you need to actively examine these filters, keeping the ones that still make sense and discarding the ones that are no longer useful to you.

Not long after having this conversation about the Landmark Forum, I had a dream one night. In this dream, I was leaving my classroom in the afternoon and I was trying to lock the door with my key. I could feel my sunglasses slipping off, but, because my arms were full, I couldn’t catch them. After I locked the door, I bent down to pick them up. It was then that I noticed the entire ground was covered with sunglasses. I tried to be very careful so as not to step on any sunglasses, but, despite my best efforts, I was stepping on them left and right, breaking them under my feet.

Now I’m not usually one for dream analysis, but I was certain that this dream was significant. The sunglasses were the “filters” through which I had been seeing the world and I had already begun the process of getting rid of these filters that I no longer deemed useful – being taught that homosexuality was wrong, all alcohol is bad, etc. Because these filters were no longer covering my eyes, I could see things more clearly . . . AND people could look into my eyes to get a glimpse of my soul, my thoughts, and reflections. People could see the “real” me through my eyes, not just their own reflections as would be the case if I were wearing sunglasses.

I chose Foucault’s quote listed at the top of this post because I felt that just as the experiences listed above had caused me to think and see differently than I had before in a personal regard, the readings in this course have caused me to think and see differently in a professional way. Just as I tried to fit in for all those years, knowing that I was trying to be someone I was not, I began to think more deeply about the children in my own classroom who may differ from me in some way (socioeconomic status, race, language difference, learning style, etc.) and how I am sure they have tried to fit in as well by doing the best that they can to use what they know in my classroom setting. What has remained virtually unconsidered, until now, is how stressful it may have been for some of these children to bridge the disconnect between their own worlds and the world of school as I, the teacher, presented it. Thinking of this has led me to reflect on some of my own practices and how perhaps I can make the journey not so stressful during the time these students are under my guidance.

One of the notions presented in the readings that I thought extensively about was the one concerning “code switching” in Delpit’s article. While realizing that I can do this quite easily depending on the environment in which I find myself (school, the art gallery where I also work, my hometown, a night out with friends, etc.), I also realized that my students at the age of four and five have not had nearly the experience I have had in this area. Because their main form of discourse has been what they have heard modeled at home, it is only logical that they would attempt to use the same “code” at school. This has always been something I have struggled with, as mentioned in the blogs, because I have wanted to write down the students’ dictations in standard English, although, to the children, this does not necessarily sound like what they said. While I still feel I have a responsibility to assist in the students’ use of standard English, I now understand the importance of validating the “code” they use as a legitimate form of communicative discourse.

Secondly, in Henry’s article “‘Speaking Up’ and ‘Speaking Out’” and even in “Hustle and Flow” by Staples, I was particularly interested in how these researchers employed the use of groups to get the students talking with one another about the curriculum and/or issues that were important to them. Personally, I have never enjoyed working in groups and I generally will not say a lot, preferring to listen and keep my ideas and opinions to myself. (Believe me, I have shared a LOT more through this online class via writing than I ever would have in discussions as part of an actual class meeting.) I realize that I have projected my dislike for groups and group discussions into how I run my classroom because I very rarely ask my students to participate in such groups. When I started teaching pre-kindergarten, one of the “hot” ideas was using A-B buddies to have the students discuss things with a partner. I tried the idea a few times, but I think I gave up on it because it didn’t fit in with my own personal preferences for instruction. My excuse, however, was that it was just too difficult to do with four-year-olds. I still maintain that it is difficult, but, upon reflection, I know that I did not provide the practice needed to establish this. What I need to keep in mind for the upcoming school year is that some students need to discuss their ideas with others in a more immediate manner in order to make sense of their thoughts and solidify their own sense of understanding. As Nadia said in Henry’s article, “‘It’s good to work in group….because you get more understanding than if you work by yourself’” (p. 247). Just because this doesn’t fit in with my own preferences for learning does not mean that it doesn’t fit in with my students’ preferences.

Thirdly, as I alluded to in my blog about Chapters 3 and 4 in Reading Lives, I know now that I must make more of a conscious effort to recognize the importance of the activities in which my boys engage, just as I do with my girls. I mentioned in that particular blog entry that I identified more with what Hicks said about Laurie and the literacy learning of girls because what she described was more similar to what I remember. While I do think that being in a pre-kindergarten classroom with all the active learning and movement that goes on has perhaps negated the discomfort I sometimes feel with how the boys display their knowledge of and involvement with literary topics, I now realize how important this is for many of them in maintaining interest in the discourse used at school because it more closely mirrors the home discourse. When I see the little signs of resistance or reluctance, instead of seeing them possibly as behavioral issues, I could see them as opportunities to reflect on what I could do to engage the student further. On a positive note, I do think the opportunity I have to do home visits at the beginning of the school year helps me to be more in-tune with some of the interests my students have. Upon reflection, I think that I could perhaps put information I gather during the home visits to better use in planning activities when those moments of resistance or reluctance appear.

Lastly, I feel somewhat certain that some people in our online class may have been slightly unsettled by my constant references to how I feel my experiences as a gay individual have related to our readings. After all, this class was called “Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research.” The title did not mention sexual orientation. I would argue, however, that, just as Jake relied on three-dimensional tasks to help him make sense of what he was learning, I had to rely on what made sense to me in order to process what others from various distinct groups felt when interacting with a literary world. As has been the case with all the individuals we have read about this semester, interactions within a literary world deeply affect one’s perception of self. As Hicks states in Reading Lives, “Textual shapings of an always-already social world – media images, stories, film, comic books, talk – create fictions that become realities for individuated subjects” (p. 30). As educators, we should all work to have our students – and, indeed, ourselves – critically examine what we see, hear, and read in order to learn from one another and see that what is called “reality” by some in school may, in fact, have no semblance of reality to what those in our midst go through each and every day. To paraphrase Foucault from the introductory quote, it is necessary for us to question our ways of thinking and perceiving and to challenge our “filters” that we have developed that tell us what reality must be. If we are truly honest, each of us has our own reality and we must take that into account, especially as we work with the young ones put under our care.

Clyde Rice

Summative Self Critique

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” Michel Foucault

Reflection, reflection, reflection! That is what I believe this course should have listed under its description. Over the last several weeks I have come to find out so much about myself as an educator and as a learner. While I have been teaching in the classroom for ten years, I am currently finishing up my first year of graduate school. This has been one of the most challenging courses I have taken thus far because of the true reflection that has to go on as part of the learning process. But overall I feel that I have learned a tremendous amount of knowledge that will be applicable in my every day teaching life.

As a teacher, I have been taught countless strategies and methods to use in the education of my students. In this course I have taken away the knowledge that I need to examine each area of topic and see how it relates to my own teaching. This will allow me to truly reflect on my teaching process and to note areas of strength and weakness. I have learned that to maximize my skills as a teacher the art of reflection is crucial. Without being able to reflect we are only left with unawareness while with reflection we have more certainty. Reflection allows us the opportunity to step back and view ourselves in a different perspective. Then if we are able to reflect on our own processes, we can reflect on our students and our instruction for them.

As a learner, I know that it takes some extra time for me to process the information I am given in order to fully understand it. I also need to be more analytical when learning; trying to make the information I’m learning about more applicable to myself. As a learner, this semester I have thoroughly loved the blogging aspect of this course. To discuss the articles and chapters we’ve read as a group has been some of the most enlightening discussions I have been privy to for graduate school. I can take so much more away from others when I’m allowed to hear their perspective on the topic. I’m able to analyze and gain more awareness after obtaining information and other’s interpretations of the material. The blogs have truly given me an opportunity for reflection. If I was ever confused about a reading, I would jump on to the blogs and read some of the comments from other classmates. Once I had a better understanding of the issue at hand I could reflect on myself and my teaching with a little more ease. After working in this course, I now know about how as a reader and writer I must reflect on what I have read in order to allow for a deeper understanding on my part. Making notes and jotting down questions and concerns I have while reading let me reflect upon the topic and myself with more thoroughness. I know that I am an extremely visual learner, and to have Dr. Jackson’s podcasts supplement the material clarified these topics to me in ways that I had struggled with previously.

While I have enjoyed Hicks’ work and reflecting on her qualitative research and my own reflection, the different articles we have read throughout the semester had a more profound effect on my reflection process. The articles by Delphit and Dowdy that we read at the beginning that were referencing how our language and dialect can be an obstacle in the classroom really touched me in how applicable it was to my teaching situation. At a school that is predominantly Hispanic, with several different dialects of Spanish spoken by our students, I believe that we have to meet our students where they are at academically, socially, and culturally. This includes reflecting on our instructional practices with these students to overcome this obstacle. Over the years I have been challenged in learning how to work with these students and in the end it has made me a better teacher.

While I do not speak Spanish myself, I don’t feel that communication between my students and me are a concern. I still could kick myself for taking 4 years of French in high school and wish that I had chosen to learn Spanish. In ten years of teaching I’ve had one French speaking child and hundreds of Hispanic, go figure. Once again, the process of reflection at work! In my classroom, language is a very open and accepting topic. No child is chastised for speaking in their native tongue, they are applauded. Most of my Spanish speaking students are fluently bi-lingual and love to teach me some of their language. So often their culture is looked upon negatively about having few opportunities however these students are maximizing as many as possible. The impact these students will have in the future by being bi-lingual will open up so many doors and tear down boundaries for them.

One of my absolute favorite days of the school year with my children is Cinqo de Mayo. On this day Mexico and the Spanish language are celebrated. We learn about Mexico and their culture, language and other topics of interest based on the students I have that year. The most popular activities that day with my Kindergarteners are when we make quesadillas and play Bingo in Spanish. I will never forget when on one occasion I told the class about how we were going to play number Bingo in Spanish, and a student piped in, “I know how to speak Spanish!” as if I wasn’t aware of this fact. It was just too precious.

In conclusion, the overall underlying theme of this course for me is on how our students are so diverse but part of a unifying group, whether it be race, gender, or culture. Each student needs to be and has the right to be treated as a valued individual and we should celebrate and appreciate the differences of each other. As teachers we need to examine and reevaluate how we work with these differences in our classrooms and let them drive our instructional practices whenever possible. Our students are entitled to instruction that meets their needs as a learner and we need to be sure to actively reflect on our abilities as an educator. Without reflection we will never question what we know and if we can see things from the perspectives of others and that are different from our own views and biases. Without reflection we will never challenge ourselves to meet the needs of our students and learn about our own practices.

Nikki Leggins

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

I chose this quote because I feel that this one really demonstrates my learning in this class. I had to think differently about the article we read and the chapter from the Hicks book. They changed how I looked at different cultures, my teaching practices and working class children. This class has been all about reading and reflecting so this quote really fits with my learning in this class. The reading in this class made me reflect on a personal and professional level.

When I read this quote it makes me think of how as teachers we have to be flexible and willing to change. Teachers are constantly having to change their way of instruction, teaching techniques, curriculum standards and what is expected of them. You have to be willing to look at things differently and step outside the box. You have to be a learner yourself and want to change yourself to better meet the needs of your students. I also think it is saying you should not be judgmental or negative toward people who different from you. You should embrace differences and reflect on them. If you are not willing to embrace and accept differences then what is the point?

Some of the articles that really made me reflect were the Delpit and Dowdy articles. They examined how people talk and are affected by how they speak. I really reflected on my students and parents and how they speak. I teach in a very rural county and a lot of my students and parents have very country accents. I do not want my students to be viewed as unintelligent because of the way they talk. I know first impressions make a big impact and by reflecting on this and the articles I have read I am going to make a conscious effort to help my students understand the different kinds of talk and when we should use them.

Another article that had an impact on me was the Henry article about helping students find their voice in the classroom. This article really moved me and made me reflect on my students, especially my shy little girls and my child of different ethnic background. All students need a voice and an outlet for their voice. I really liked some of the ways the article tried to help children have a voice at school through positive reinforcement, community respect, individual freedom, acceptance of language variations, text value and cooperative authority. I really think doing these things would help students become more involved in their classroom and feel more comfortable letting their voice be heard. I think teachers need to get to know their students and really embrace what their students bring to the table. I also found it interesting in the article how they were saying that the school should have some setting that resembles spaces that the students see after school. I think this article really blends nicely with the book by Hicks. We need to bridge the gap between the world of school and the world of after school.

The parts of this class that really made an impact on me were the chapters on Jake and Laura. This made me really reflect on my teaching practices because I have students that come from working class families. The chapter on Jake really made me think about a couple of students I had this past year. One little boy who came from a working class family really acted out and struggled with having to stay in his seat. The only time he was really happy was at center time. Now I look at him differently after reading the chapter on Jake. He saw a discourse from his home life to school. At times, it was hard for me to relate to him and understand the way he acted. I must admit that if I had him again I would try to make his two worlds more closely align. I at times thought “Well he is just being a boy,” but now I see that his home life and school life were so different.

I also found it interesting that so many teachers struggle with getting students, especially boys, to like writing and want to write. I struggle with this every year and it was helpful to read other people’s blogs and posts to see what things they are trying and share things that I have tried. I think I may try Writer’s Workshop and see if it would help kids like Jake who need the freedom to write about things they know about such as Nascar, family and trips. I do give my students some choice but maybe not often enough. Maybe this would help build a bridge from their home life and school life. This is a time where I am definitely thinking differently.

The material in the class has been interesting and insightful. This class has really made me reflect on some of my teaching practices and has made me consider doing some things differently next school year. Reflection is a good thing and should be done from time to time. I am perceiving gender, race and class differently thanks to this class.

Ashley Caldwell

When I reflect on the learning that has taken place through this course, I most identify with Michel Foucault who said, “ There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” This quote applies in two ways, to us as teachers striving to become better practitioners of our craft and to the students who enter our classrooms seeking knowledge.

To meet the learning needs of our students we must always be searching for ways to make learning relevant and meaningful. As the needs of our student’s change, so must our approaches and responses to learning. If what has worked in the past is no longer effective, we must be willing to abandon it to forage into new territory. For me, studying and seeking to understand the lives of working class children has been just that, unfamiliar terrain. Throughout the duration of this class I have reflected on my own practices as an educator. What has been most revelatory is research like Hick’s that explores the sometimes subtle but fundamental differences in home and school ways of being. Looking back on the behavior of former students I can see how the dissonance between home and school discourses left them lost and floundering in the classroom. Student’s reactions may be different, escaping into fantasy worlds, striving for good behavior, or even acting out, but the result is the same, an inability to connect with, be motivated by, and invested in classroom learning. For students like Daniel in Noll’s research and Jake from Hick’s who had the support of loving families and success in other arenas this inability to connect with school values may not be as detrimental. Most of my students, however, come from homes more like Laurie’s in Hick’s research, where successes are few, resources are scarce, and the trajectory of their lives uncertain. They cannot afford to disengage from institutionalized learning when it provides them with what is possibly their only opportunity to escape their circumstances and provide a better life for themselves. Thus we are left with the question at the heart Staple’s, Hick’s, and Noll’s research, Why do students fail to connect with the discourses of school and what can we as educators do about it? In essence we must “perceive differently.” We must let go of stereotypes and preconceived notions to see students for who they really are and why they behave as they do. The more that we know about students’ home discourses, the better able we are to help them navigate the transition to the discourses of school. Delpit’s exploration of the language students’ bring to school from the discourse of home was particularly interesting to me because the population I work with uses nonstandard English. I have found myself constantly correcting student’s grammar to no avail. They continued to use the same speech patterns throughout the year. I have come to understand that my student’s language is not incorrect but rather an assimilated pattern of speech, learned through interactions with loved ones, that is integral to their identity as a part of their community. They speak the way they do because it is the way the people they love and admire most speak. If we seek to have that level of influence over our students we must first seek to know and care about them. What Hick’s further demonstrated in her research with Laurie and Jake, is that even when speech patterns are similar, the discourses of home and of school can be incongruent. Jake’s father’s attitudes towards college and formal school in general, seemed to undermine Jake’s teacher’s, mother’s and Hick’s efforts to help him succeed in school. He responded by tuning out, playing, and otherwise disengaging, behaviors which I previously would have attributed to rebellion, that now have a different shade of meaning when viewed in the context of these students home discourse. I think back to previous students and can see so clearly the same patterns of behavior as in Jake. They came from homes that did not place an emphasis on education or herald their academic achievements and just as Jake did, found refuge in their own occupations. Before students arrive at school to learn math and reading, they have already learned a way to be, a way of seeing the world and responding to its demands. Our job then becomes to find ways to connect learning to student’s home discourse, to help them to see the value in learning and to help them move from one discourse to the other with ease. This is not an easy task, but we can begin by recognizing the discourses that students bring to school and by making a place for them to be expressed and valued in the classroom. Just as Jake brought his interest in Nascar to his writing, we should be tapping into those interests and passions that motivate our students. We should be searching for ways to ignite excitement that students not only feel in the classroom, but also carry home to share with loved ones. Hick’s last chapter reinforced for me the idea that parents are the greatest influences in a child’s life. If we want student’s buy-in into the discourse of education, I think we must start by getting parents’ approval, cooperation, engagement, involvement. Inviting parents into the classroom and school where students can show off what they have learned, in the company of those who value such achievements, seems like a good start. Just like our students, parents need to know that they are valued and respected. We are not trying to take their children from them, emotionally or mentally, but rather to provide them with opportunities to make a better life. We must rethink viewing students as individuals and see them as part of a culture and community, valuing the whole of who they are.

So too, must our students be willing to think and perceive differently. Each child comes to school with their own set of experiences, beliefs, expectations and values. For some students their discourse is complimentary to that of institutional education, for others success in school will mean learning a new way of thinking and living. We can provide the safe environment where children feel secure in taking risks, but they must also be willing to step out of their comfort zone to “think and perceive differently” about the world around them. This process is neither easy, nor simple and students will face many roadblocks as they attempt to transition to the discourse of school. Prejudice like what Dowdy faced when trying to learn and use Standard English in her homeland of Trinidad, is still rampant. Students may fear giving up their pattern of speech because it separates them from those they love and opens them up to condemnation for not fitting in. They may be afraid of the stigma of being smart or attaining higher education than that of their parents. I watch my ESL students surpass their parents in English ability and see what an effect this has as the dynamic of their relationship shifts and the parent takes the role of the child and the child the parent. And yet despite these difficulties we must forge ahead to create a future for our students. We must recognize the barriers students face when adopting a new discourse and be willing to listen to and support them as they assimilate to a new way of being.

What this class has brought into focus for me is that ultimately our goal as educators is not to make students into perfect reflections of our own discourse, but to give them choices for their future, so that they can be and do whatever they dream. That may mean that we have to change how we view students, and be willing to open our doors to new ideas about who students are. We are all a product of a myriad of influences. This is our opportunity to be one of those influences that shape our student’s lives.

-Rebecca Ashby

Carol Sherrill

"There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all." Michael Foucault

When I read the three quotes, this one jumped out at me because it is about me. It means that if you want to continue to grow and develop as a person you have to keep your eyes open to new possibilities and keep your mind open to new ideas. You have to stop and look at yourself and decide if what you think you know is right.

I love to learn. I am constantly taking classes, seminars and training. I have taken basket weaving, grilling class and violin lessons. If there is staff development offered and it fits my schedule, I am taking it. I like to know stuff! (All of that learning also helps to make me a pretty good Trivial Pursuit player.) To be a good teacher, you need to be a life-long learner. To me being a life-long learner means you realize you don't know everything and part of what you think you know is incorrect. So, we have to always be prepared to questions ourselves, our thoughts and our perceptions. We can't just be teachers, we have to be students too.

When we started our reading Dowdy and Delpit, I was not sure what to expect. I enjoyed the articles but I also felt a sense of detachment because I was looking at things in black and white. It was almost like a competition. I felt like telling kids to sound white was sending a bad message. In reality, I was the one getting the bad message. I had to open my mind and turn the colors off. When I started thinking of all kids and not just racially things starting making better sense to me. I was provided with an opportunity to perceive things differently. It was also good for me to see that sometimes what I think is wrong.

Noll's article made me ask a lot of questions. Why do we let test scores define children? Wat can I do to help elimainate racism in our schools? This article also helped me to realize that all children have some kind of talent. We all hunger for validation. I can provide children with that validation if I work hard enough to learn about the children I teach. So much of what I have learned in this class starts with me. I can't change children, their parents or policy makers but I can make changes in the way I do things.

While reading Henry and Staples, I had to work hard to keep an open mind. As much as I didn't think I would I learned from them. What I learned was all children no matter what race or gender need common things. They need positive reinforcement. They need to develop a respect for their communities. They need individual freedom to learn and grow. They need to understand and value text. Lastly, they need to learn to cooperate with authority. Actually, all people need to learn those lessons not just children. I also found "coming to voice" an interesting concept. To me that menas, finding your confidence and ability to communicate. It's like the quote. Coming to voice means you learn that yo can think differently. This articles were the first time I realized the importance of finding connections. I need to make connections with my students and my students need to make connections with their literacy.

Perry's article was my favorite both personally and professionally. It made me reflect on my history with storytelling. It also made me realize that I have done my children a disservice by not immersing them in stories. I need to fix that. Professionally, I understand that every culture has a story to tell. I am going to attempt to focus on stories our different cultures share. I am thinking that will help form bonds between the different cultures in my classroom.

Ending with Hicks, reinforced the importance of connections. I made the comment on one of my blogs that every moment with a child has the potential to be a teachable moment. I need to find a way to help my students invent themselves. Making sure they are literate assures me they will have more opportunities to invent themselves. Hicks also touched on the importance of storytelling and getting to know your students better. I may not like everything Hicks said but she was on the mark with those ideas.

What I have learned from this class is that I have a lot to learn. As long as I keep an open mind and a positive attitude my opportunities will be endless. From this class, I realize there are changes I need to make:
* I am going to focus on the strentgths of my students to build a positive rapport and make them want to learn more.
* I am going to help students feel a sense of pride in their heritage. In my classroom, we are going to celebrate the ways different cultures are alike.
* Having a big classroom library is not enough. I am going to look for text and other media that celebrates diversity.
* When school starts back in hte fall, I am going to be a better story teller.
* I am going to stop expecting differnt cultures to conform to my ideas. The "white" way is not necessarily the right way.
The quote means I can't assume what I know is correct. I can't stop investigating to try to uncover new truths and ideas. This old dog is open to learning lots of new tricks!
Carol Sherrill

Carol Sherrill

"There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all." Michael Foucault

When I read the three quotes, this one jumped out at me because it is about me. It means that if you want to continue to grow and develop as a person you have to keep your eyes open to new possibilities and keep your mind open to new ideas. You have to stop and look at yourself and decide if what you think you know is right.

I love to learn. I am constantly taking classes, seminars and training. I have taken basket weaving, grilling class and violin lessons. If there is staff development offered and it fits my schedule, I am taking it. I like to know stuff! (All of that learning also helps to make me a pretty good Trivial Pursuit player.) To be a good teacher, you need to be a life-long learner. To me being a life-long learner means you realize you don't know everything and part of what you think you know is incorrect. So, we have to always be prepared to questions ourselves, our thoughts and our perceptions. We can't just be teachers, we have to be students too.

When we started our reading Dowdy and Delpit, I was not sure what to expect. I enjoyed the articles but I also felt a sense of detachment because I was looking at things in black and white. It was almost like a competition. I felt like telling kids to sound white was sending a bad message. In reality, I was the one getting the bad message. I had to open my mind and turn the colors off. When I started thinking of all kids and not just racially things starting making better sense to me. I was provided with an opportunity to perceive things differently. It was also good for me to see that sometimes what I think is wrong.

Noll's article made me ask a lot of questions. Why do we let test scores define children? Wat can I do to help elimainate racism in our schools? This article also helped me to realize that all children have some kind of talent. We all hunger for validation. I can provide children with that validation if I work hard enough to learn about the children I teach. So much of what I have learned in this class starts with me. I can't change children, their parents or policy makers but I can make changes in the way I do things.

While reading Henry and Staples, I had to work hard to keep an open mind. As much as I didn't think I would I learned from them. What I learned was all children no matter what race or gender need common things. They need positive reinforcement. They need to develop a respect for their communities. They need individual freedom to learn and grow. They need to understand and value text. Lastly, they need to learn to cooperate with authority. Actually, all people need to learn those lessons not just children. I also found "coming to voice" an interesting concept. To me that menas, finding your confidence and ability to communicate. It's like the quote. Coming to voice means you learn that yo can think differently. This articles were the first time I realized the importance of finding connections. I need to make connections with my students and my students need to make connections with their literacy.

Perry's article was my favorite both personally and professionally. It made me reflect on my history with storytelling. It also made me realize that I have done my children a disservice by not immersing them in stories. I need to fix that. Professionally, I understand that every culture has a story to tell. I am going to attempt to focus on stories our different cultures share. I am thinking that will help form bonds between the different cultures in my classroom.

Ending with Hicks, reinforced the importance of connections. I made the comment on one of my blogs that every moment with a child has the potential to be a teachable moment. I need to find a way to help my students invent themselves. Making sure they are literate assures me they will have more opportunities to invent themselves. Hicks also touched on the importance of storytelling and getting to know your students better. I may not like everything Hicks said but she was on the mark with those ideas.

What I have learned from this class is that I have a lot to learn. As long as I keep an open mind and a positive attitude my opportunities will be endless. From this class, I realize there are changes I need to make:
* I am going to focus on the strentgths of my students to build a positive rapport and make them want to learn more.
* I am going to help students feel a sense of pride in their heritage. In my classroom, we are going to celebrate the ways different cultures are alike.
* Having a big classroom library is not enough. I am going to look for text and other media that celebrates diversity.
* When school starts back in hte fall, I am going to be a better story teller.
* I am going to stop expecting differnt cultures to conform to my ideas. The "white" way is not necessarily the right way.
The quote means I can't assume what I know is correct. I can't stop investigating to try to uncover new truths and ideas. This old dog is open to learning lots of new tricks!
Carol Sherrill

Teachers Are Lifelong Learners- Final Reflection

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

When I began my teaching career, a popular cliché’ heard within the culture of education was to, “strive to teach children to become lifelong learners”. I strive to instill this in my children. As I reflected upon the impact that this course has had on me as a teacher, I realized that I am a lifelong learner. It is imperative that teachers remember that they are not just educators, but also learners. We ask ourselves: what is a learner? A learner can be defined as someone who gains knowledge, comprehension, or mastery through experience or study. Connecting to the definition of a learner, Michel Foucault’s, quote reminded me of the importance of learning, where we must think and see, and ultimately interpret, differently. During this course, I have been challenged to think out of the box and perceive things uniquely, in order to succeed and flourish in my learning. When I started reading the required articles and writing for the class, I was caught off guard by the magnitude of challenging readings and the way in which my traditional educational theories were suddenly confronted; I was out of my comfort zone. I was encouraged to look at students and their unique discourses from a different view point - it was as if I had to change the lens of my camera and my views were transformed. I was apprehensive to read each new article and to read colleagues views, however at the conclusion of the course, I feel the opportunity to think differently has made a significant impact on me as a lifelong learner. I learned through the literature, my colleagues, and my own discourses which helped me further build upon my original ideals.

“I couldn’t help but reflect upon common themes that keep popping up as I read each assignment and posts, taking time to truly know your students, discovering their culture, and allowing them to have a voice in the classroom through reading, writing, and sharing their stories. After reading Hick’s work, I believe it is also important to add the understanding that students have different discourses helps to truly know your students”.

This quote, borrowed from a previous post of mine, consistently came to mind as I completed additional readings throughout the course. The common themes dictated above, must be part of the proverbial “pot” that is mixed together to provoke quality learning in the classroom. The importance of the common themes in the course which will be kept in mind as I continue to strive to be a lifelong can be summed up by three simple words: voice, connection, and perseverance.
Voice was a vital tool that I was required to use as I engaged in learning in this online course. Voice is often thought of as what is expressed through verbal communication, but it is also communicated through textual writing. I considered that perhaps voice could be defined as a medium of literacy. Voice is an essential tool when learning in this course because as students read the texts, they are asked to post their thoughts in a critique form. Great insight was obtained through literacy by reading what other students had posted. Students who are normally timid or shy and may rarely have the opportunity to share with others their thoughts about an article in the classroom were given the chance to do so through writing. I discovered the powerful influence that voice has had on me as a learner. The impression of allowing students to have a voice not only enriched me as a learner in the course, but also as an educator. I also gained a new perspective as a teacher by allowing my own students to have a voice in our classroom as I gained a different perspective from articles. Readings included multiple illustrations in which “voice” was a major part of a students’ literacy experience. Henry and Staples worked to overcome struggles in literacy by giving students a “voice” in their classrooms. It was also apparent in reading of the “Lost Boys”, that voice allowed them to share adventures through storytelling. I believe Perry sums up the value found in voice when she says, “Human beings narrate to remember, instill cultural knowledge, grapple with a problem, rethink the status quo, soothe, empathize, inspire, speculate, justify a position, dispute, tattle, evaluate one’s and others’ identities, shame, tease, laud, entertain, among other ends” (Perry, pg. 321). I would like to include ‘learning’ in Perry’s list of the many ways in which humans share their voice. Through the inspiration of looking on and reflecting, from Michel Foucault, we can gather that one of the many powers of learning is allowing the exchange of voice.
Connections are made every day, many unforeseen and most unpredictable. Before taking this course, I thought of connections as the following: friends may make a connection by having the same favorite sports team, a reader may connect to literature through a past or present experience, and today, technology allows individuals the ability to make ‘virtual’, yet emotional, connections without geographical boundaries. I have taken on a new perspective when I think of connections. In order to learn, I must be willing to constantly make new connections. It is imperative to not only teach children, but also learn from children by connecting to their histories and cultures. Reading about Jack and Laurie, I learned about the importance of finding out about children, their discourses, and connecting to those discourses. I was impressed by the change in both children when the teacher made a connection using literature, whether it was writing about magical castles, or reading about NASCAR. I appreciated Hicks including Rose’s thoughts about teaching: “Teaching I was coming to understand, was a kind of romance. You didn’t just work with words or a chronicle of dates or facts about the suspension of milk. You wooed kids with these things invited a relationship of sorts, the terms of connection being the narrative, the historical event, the balance of casein and water” (Hicks, 144). Reflecting over the course and in my own learning, it was when I was able to make connections to the students in the articles that I was most interested and when I benefited the most. For example, when reading, I often pictured the literacy events in my own classroom or made the connection that I had students that shared the same characteristics as Zonnie, Daniel, Jack and Laurie. It is my goal as a learner to search out new ways to make connections with those who share the same discourses, as well as those who share different discourses. It is my goal as a teacher to strive to learn from my students and do my best to create opportunities in which their discourses may be connected within the classroom.
Perseverance is a word that encourages me as I continue my mission of being a lifelong learner. In reading the “Lost Boys”, and understanding the children in the passages, I was inspired by the perseverance that they displayed. In particular, the “Lost Boys” who did not give up their history were able to use their voice to overcome obstacles that were presented as they became part of a new culture. Zonnie, Daniel, Jack and Laurie persevered in their own individual ways, whether it was using literature to overcome challenges due to their histories or by persisting to be literate despite lack of acceptance by others. In the course of being a lifelong learner, I have found that there are challenges and obstacles that will inevitably occur.
It is vital for us to not give up on learning, and we can do that by communicating with our voice, making daily connections, and continually persevering in our lives. If we are unable to utilize these characteristics effectively, then is there even a reason for us to think and reflect differently as lifelong learners in the field of education.


Katie Johnson

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all ~ Michel Foucault

At the beginning of the semester when I read this quote I did not connect to it. It did not have meaning for me as a teacher or a student. I am the type of person that does! I don’t often sit back and reflect. I am the type A personality that looks at others and says let me do that! Either I can do it faster or better. I am like this in my home life and teaching life. This course as made me stop and read and think and reflect on what I do and how I do it. After reading the articles and thinking about the way that someone’s race, gender or class affects their learning discourse this quote by Michel Foucault takes on meaning for me. I am now that teacher and student that needs to step back and reflect to see if I need to think differently. I am now that teacher that understands that not all children have the same background and discourse for education. In my heart I know that all children are not the same and do not come from the same family discourse therefore their educational goals may look different. In my mind I was not doing my best to reflect on what that means for the children in my classroom. As a teacher I believe that it is absolutely necessary to take time to reflect and change ideas and perceptions to benefit your students. Sometimes I think teachers get caught in the trap of doing things like they have always done. As a teacher if I do not take the time to reflect on my teaching practices, my students and their families then I am not providing my students with the best education that they can receive. The readings this semester gave me reason to reflect on how my students enter school. What do they know, what is their family discourse, how have experiences in their life effected their learning to now?

The Dowdy and Deplit pieces made me reflect on students of different ethnic cultures and backgrounds in our school systems. During my teaching career I have taught many students with different ethnic backgrounds. In my classroom I have had students from India, Korea, Israel, Mexico as well as African American and Caucasian students. Dowdy discusses that she had to play a part to fit into society that she could not be herself through speech. She always had to speak using proper English. This notion of not being able to be yourself and having to play roles to fit in to society is very difficult. When a child has to play that role they never really find who they are. Reflecting back on some of my students in my class of different ethnic cultures I can see that they had trouble with this same idea. Several years ago I had a little girl from Korea. This child had a difficult time expressing her self through speech. She understood the English language fully but seemed very unsure when speaking it. She often avoided eye contact in class when questions were asked. I knew that she was able to answer the questions she was just very unsure of how the phrase the answers in English. Instead of answering out loud she would write her answers. After reading Dowdy article I immediately thought of this student. It was obvious to me that this child did not want to speak out loud because she did not sound like the other students in class. So instead of “playing the part” with English she chose not to talk.

Deborah Hicks research with working class boys and girls affected me in a profound way this semester. In Foucault quote he states that perceptions of individuals have to change in order for people to move forward and reflect again. After reading Hick research with Laurie and Jake my perceptions and ideas about working class children have changed in a great way. Prior to reading Hicks research I had not thought about how a child’s family discourse effects their perception of literacy and literacy learning. The students in my classroom are of higher economic status and their family discourses are very different from a working class family. As a teacher I have always made a point to know about my students and their families. I had never thought about how their family history and discourse may affect their school discourse. Most of the time my students home discourse matches with the formal school discourse. Jakes family discourse did not match his school discourse. His family was very involved with him and valued literacy. They valued reading for a purpose. Jake was not able to find his purpose for reading in the classroom. I have had times when the home discourse exceeds the expectations of the school discourse. I have had parents that pressure and teach their children to be the very best. In some cases the parents think their child is doing better in literacy then they actually are. There is this pressure to exceed school expectations in everything that they do. In reflecting on Hicks research I see that parents that go to the extreme with exceeding school expectations are not providing the literacy model that their children need at home. Everything is a competition to be the best. They have taken the pleasure and fun out of literacy. Reading then becomes a job for the children instead of gaining from the literacy and learning they look at learning as a job. In reflecting on Hicks research and my classroom practices with literacy I understand that their needs to be a balance between home and school discourses.

This semester has opened my eyes and given me the tools to reflect on my teaching and the perceptions that I have about my students and literacy. In my past teaching I thought that I did a good job knowing my students and providing appropriate instruction in literacy from what they know and understand. I now know that I need to take into consideration their family discourse on literacy and learning. This strongly effects how students interact with literacy and learning. This next school year I am going to put into practice my reflection from this semester. I am also going to take the time to listen more carefully to students’ stories because that gives me and understanding of their family discourse. To reflect and change perceptions is to become a better teacher and student. We can also learn something new but to do that sometimes as teachers we have to think differently and perceive differently. This self-reflection will allow me to grow and become a better teacher.

Angie Somers

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”
Michael Foucault

This quote spoke to me automatically when I read it. For me it means that in order to change our outlook on anything whether it is literacy, life, or people we must choose to step out of our comfort zone. We can all decide to stay with the same thinking and views or we can choose to see another perspective and as we do this then will we truly be able to become reflective thinkers.
I felt that this quote sums up how I have felt during this course. I came into this class thinking that I would not be able to complete these critiques and read all these articles. As I sat down to read the first article I looked at it as a task that I didn’t want to do, which automatically put me in mind of my students. I could feel what they felt when I presented them with something that wasn’t exactly their first choice for an assignment. As that thought entered into my head I made a conscious decision to put all my effort into reading the assigned material and writing good critiques. I must say it helped me to become more reflective as a reader. I found that I felt accountable for what I was reading which made me read carefully and actually process it. My mind was focused on the task at hand.
As I read the articles during this class there were times when I did get confused. However, there were several that spoke volumes to me and made me reflect upon my own teachings and ways of thinking. While reading Dowdy’s “Ovuh Dyuh” and Delpit’s “No Kinda Sense” I began to reflect upon my own way of speaking and my corrections of my students’ way of speaking. I remember specifically the code switching mentioned in Delpit’s article. I started to think about how I have done this several times without even thinking about it. I have often changed the way I speak in front of my college friends trying to sound less “country” and then when I would come home I would get the deepest southern drawl ever. It was a powerful moment for me, because I learned that even I felt the need to change the person that I am in order to please others.
These two articles also made me think of how I correct my students in class. I have often wondered if I was doing the right thing by correcting them when they speak. I am aware that “ain’t” and “ya’ll” aren’t acceptable for some people, but this is the language they have been brought up speaking. So, my thinking began to change after reading these articles. I now feel that my students are who they are and I shouldn’t try to stifle it so much. I want them to speak correctly when giving a speech or writing a formal paper, but why am I going to correct them when they are talking to one another just having a friendly conversation.
I also started to reflect upon how I can change the way my struggling or less motivated students feel about literacy. I think the two articles that started this thinking process were “Speaking up’ and ‘speaking out” and “Hustle and Flow”. I liked how each person tried new methods to get these students engaged in literacy. As an educator we have to continuously embrace some type of change and often some of our students get left oblivious to what is going on. I find that it is hard to tap into something that will work for the disengaged students, but we have to try any and everything until something clicks. These articles refreshed that idea for me. I have to remember that I am there for the students and no matter what I have to try I am going to reach as many of them as I can. I have to tap into their interests and work tirelessly to get results.
I think Reading Lives also helped me see a new perspective on literacy as well. I have never thought about how class affects my students. As I read about Laurie and Jake I began to see how this too can change a child’s learning process. Being from a working class family myself I could relate to these students. I never struggled in school, but I had the same family values. The school I teach at is mainly working class families. I can see how some of these students want to be able to relate to what they know. They are used to working on the farm, watching NASCAR races, or helping with household chores. They want to be able to talk, write and read about the things that they are used to in every day life. I have to remember this as I start a new school year. These students have interest outside of these four walls. How can I get to know them and use that to change their learning experience?
This class has definitely opened up a whole new way of thinking for me. There were several things I had never thought of before that I can take back into my classroom and become a better teacher. I want to be able to use ideas from these articles and the thoughts of my classmates to help change the way my students look at literacy. It may be a bumpy rode, but at least I am willing to see that I need to change and hopefully so will my students.

Odessa Scales

Summative Self-Critique-Candace Barnes

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault
When reading over the quotes at the beginning of the semester, even before knowing I had to choose one to write about, this one by Michel Foucault spoke to me. Through this course I have been made me realize how important it is to continuously consider different views, beliefs, and values of others and to steer clear of close-minded thinking. The goal in life is to always strive to learn something new and enjoy what may come along with it.

Throughout this class I have grown and am on my way to becoming the woman I want to become. My eyes have been opened to the way different cultures are viewed in schools, along with the communities that they are a part of, down to viewing my own life as it is now. As a teacher I need to know the issues that cultures or minorities face on a daily basis. Most importantly, how it will affect them as people who are experiencing life like everyone else. More times than not, it seems as if they have to carry more “baggage” than the rest. The readings that opened my eyes most were those that I read by Noll, “Experiencing literacy in and out of school: Case studies of two American Indian youth,” Perry, “From storytelling to writing: Transforming literacy practices among Sudanese Refugees” and Reading Lives: Working-Class Children and Literacy Learning by Deborah Hicks.

Briefly, I will highlight why these selections spoke to me as they did. Beginning with Noll, “Experiencing literacy in and out of school: Case studies of two American Indian youth,” I learned much about the American Indian community and how they view school or others view them at school. What I remember most of this text is how teachers did not interact with these students as they did with the majority population. As a teacher I just cannot understand how another teacher could allow their own student to slip away through the cracks of their own hands! I am always trying to be in my students “business.” I want to know everything about them. What makes them happy, what makes them sad or extremely ticked off (this is good to know working in the middle schools), what their interests and hobbies are, etc. Without knowing such things how can I expect them to succeed? The last thing I hope for are my students thinking school is a job that they go to five days out of a week, where they do mindless and senseless work. Those teachers should have seen what they do outside of school and then they would have seen their students as anything BUT lazy American Indian youth. I would call the teacher lazy for not taking the time to care. Also, while reading I continually reflected back to the book, Curely, my professor, James Bryant, wrote of his own Native American family. Going to his class was like not going to class at all. Through his class I began to value the learned and unlearned things of life.

Second, I want to discuss Perry, “From storytelling to writing: Transforming literacy practices among Sudanese Refugees.” Throughout this entire reading my heart ached for this group of people. I know they do not want us feeling sorry for them, intead they want us fight for change. I cannot imagine having my heritage and everything I am stripped from me, yet alone my people’s assistance. Reading this made me think of how I always want to me that kid sitting at grandpa’s feet listening to stories that have been passed down throughout generations, along with the new ones. I still chuckle when hearing of my grandpa’s moon-shinning business, even though I have heard it a million times. But, I also cherish the ones that tell of life’s struggles and over comings. For the Sudanese people they have had to change who they are and how they tell stories which were only told among the communities/culture in which they lived. By being separated from family and elders they now have no way of passing stories down, except through a way that is still foreign to them—writing. I am not sure of others, but this makes me value family and stories that are passed down even more.

Lastly, I want to touch on Reading Lives: Working-Class Children and Literacy Learning. In a way I am comparing my life to Hick’s. Reading how she grew up singing Jesus loves me, coloring pictures scenes depicted out of the Bible, attending Vacation Bible School, growing up in a small town, and how you have to be a “good” girl or else, sounds a lot like my own life. Many times throughout life I have questioned what is right and wrong? Are the things my parents told about really the only right or wrong way? Until college and the man I am married today, I never really questioned things. I just did whatever made them happy. But why live if you are not going to figure things out for yourself? Is it really worth going through the motions to make others happy? No, it is definitely anything but that. What many parents do not realize in these small southern towns is that you cannot mold your children to be little mini-me’s. They have to allow for risk to be taken, along with failure so that children can become who they are supposed to be. They have to find their “discourse” in this world.

I have realized that sometimes the closest you ever get to the absolute truth is by considering the things that you have learned in seeking that truth. I have truly enjoyed reading text that are typically out of my comfort zone, forcing me to view things as a “certain” other does. Without that we would never know how others think and feel about anything.

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991”
Anyone who knows me will say that I value books. My children also have this love of literacy in them. I think it would have been hard for them to escape it. I have a passion for written texts. I find some of my greatest joys behind the cover of a book. Books are a dear friend. They are always there for you and never deceive you. Books can take you places you will never otherwise go in life…
I entered this class as a reader. I exit this class as a reader, with a larger perception of how differences in gender, race, and class can and do affect the reading styles of virtually everyone who picks up a book.
I have been given a lot to think about over the past few weeks, most of which I will be reflecting on for some time to come. I have been forced to think outside of my box, outside of my family, even outside of my classroom. In doing so, I have a new understanding of how reading can change lives and how lives can change reading.
Every student brings into your classroom new experiences, new ideas, and different understandings of each and every subject. The ways that these ideas are used is solely up to the teacher. She can let them slide out of grasp or seize each opportunity to allow her students to grow and understand others. I think I will choose to let my students grow. Learn all they can from each other. They need to understand at a very early age that their peers will be their greatest resource in school as well as in life.
Differences make us all unique. Differences create challenges. I like challenges. Maybe that is why I chose to teach. I think the best any of us can do as an educator is to seek out those differences, in ourselves and in others. Use them to the best for yourself and your students. Never stop learning all you can about your students and their families. Because it is when we stop learning and assume that we know it all, we find we really know very little.
While reading and reflecting on the articles presented in this class, I began to realize that not all parents place as much of an emphasis on reading and education as mine parents did, or as I do as a parent. Being an educator changes the way you think about your own children’s education immensely.
As I read about Laurie and Jake, I realized that sometimes teachers will encounter those kids that you have to reach for. Some are not raised as kids, but as adults. They need to be taught a simple love of learning. Sometimes you have to grab them with things of interest, in order to get the educational aspects across. These students need to reflect on their experiences, so that they can move forward and use their skills to their advantages.
The past of our students molds who they are and who they are to become. Whether it is the story of their culture, or the story of their family life and home, every student has a story to tell, and every story molds a different type of learner. Learning who we are and where we come from helps us identify ourselves in a society and even in a classroom.
I think the quote that best defines my learning experience is …“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” Michel Foucault.
As a teacher, it is my job to be a life long learner, never assume I know it all, and expect the unexpected. Teachers must always look back, reflect, and make changes. What works, what does not…improving themselves as they go. Being able to see the differences in each student and helping them to achieve a positive educational experience in the classroom should be the main goal of teaching in a diverse population.

Sarah Hutson

“Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.”- Judith Butler

This quote, in my opinion, best summarizes what I am taking away from this course. If we are to be true educators then we must open up our classrooms and allow all of our students to find a place where they feel comfortable and can find their voice. We cannot continue to critique or students, their families, or their intellect based on the narrow confines and constraints of a formal education system. We cannot allow our schools to become places for only a select few who manage to “fit the mold”. Schools must meet the needs of all students.

When I began this class I was definitely aware of the differences among the students I teach, however, I don’t think I ever really thought about the effects it had on their education. I must admit that at times, I was guilty of critiquing my students. I have been that teacher who thought the working-class children should welcome education with open arms and be grateful for the opportunity public school was affording them. I still think education is important, but I now see that it means different things for different people and it is not our job to decide the course of our students’ lives. It’s our job to make sure we offer an inclusive and responsive learning environment so they can decide that for themselves. When I read the articles by Dowdy, Henry, Staples, and Delpit, I began to realize that many students don’t feel comfortable in the school environment. The personal stories that were recounted in the research gave me a perspective that I had never really considered. For example, in Noll’s article, she discusses a Native American boy named Daniel. Daniel seemed to be living in two different realities; school and home. In school he struggled both academically and socially while at home he was a competent and thriving member of his family and Native community. Noll states that Daniel lacked a sense of belonging at school. His disconnect caused Daniel to be an unsuccessful student who did not particularly care for school. This made me think about the students I teach and the behaviors and attitudes they express while at school. The majority of my students come from working-class homes and some of them (if they finish) will be the first to graduate high school. Most say they want to graduate from high school and several even talk about going to college. Unfortunately, their work and attitudes towards school do not reflect their sentiments. Until now, I assumed it was due to a lack of maturity and possibly puberty. Now I realize it is much more and it is something that I may be able to impact and change. My students, like Daniel, don’t feel they belong in school. They haven’t found their voice or their purpose for being there. They don’t define themselves as successful and competent learners. Case in point, I had a student last year named “Kayla”. Kayla was habitually absent, did little homework or make-up work, and began the year reading at a fourth grade level. She commented several times about how frustrated she was with school and her lack of progress. Kayla comes from a working-class family. Her parents and older siblings all dropped out of high school. Kayla is very social and spends much of her school time focused on her friends and boys. When Kayla first entered my class she was a reluctant student who rarely participated. As the year went on she began to feel more comfortable and started joining in class discussions. She even began volunteering answers. Her lexile level began to rise and so did her grades. By the end of the year her end-of-grade test scores improved and so did her attitude towards school. Kayla finally started to see herself as a successful student. She found her voice and she started to feel like she belonged. This is exactly what I think the research we read is talking about. Whether the barriers are cultural, social, linguistic, or economic, we have to make our schools inclusive to all.

Another key idea I will take from this class is the idea that literacy and intelligence comes in many different forms. The most powerful and memorable reading to me was Deborah Hicks, Reading Lives. Hick’s case study of Jake really made me take a hard look at how I teach. The information she presented concerning Jake and the dynamics between his life at home and his life at school were compelling. It made me realize that our educational system has a very narrow view of literacy and intelligence. Jake, according to Hicks, is a capable and skillful apprentice to his father, yet, at school, he is failing. Jake’s knowledge and skills are not valued in a classroom setting. In contrast, what the school is trying to teach is often not valued by Jake. In order for Jake to be able to find a place in his school, his teachers will need to understand and respect who Jake is as an individual. Then, as Jake’s dad commented on page 134, they can begin to connect his interests to his academic tasks. Again, as I read about Jake I started to think about the students I teach. I, too, judge my students and their literacy skills through the eyes of a formal educator. I don’t give my students credit for being skilled mechanics, musicians, artists, athletes, farmers, etc. In the classroom, I don’t give them many opportunities to show me what areas they are experts in, yet I expect them to engage in difficult and challenging tasks on a daily basis. I don’t always explain the relevance the skill has in their lives nor do I always pick activities that are relevant to who they are as individuals. I teach them what the state deems important and I expect them to do what is asked of them without question. I now know this has to change and next year I will take a different approach to what I teach and how I teach it.

Deborah Hicks, at the end of her book, discusses excerpts from Mike Rose’s book, Lives On The Boundary. This was some of the most powerful and thought provoking material I have read in quite some time and I plan to read his entire book in the near future. I was particularly drawn to the section where he shares his reflections of life in South L.A. on pages 142-143. For many years I have often wondered why my students had never really dreamed of a life outside of the projects of East Winston or the rental houses of Stokes Co. Why didn’t they want more? Why didn’t they aspire for careers, financial security, nice homes, etc.? After reading Rose, it has started to become clearer. He states that growing up he never met anyone who was passionate about a career or a cause. He only saw people who worked as a means of survival. He witnessed how hard life was and the toll it took on people. He had no role models for what could be. That’s exactly what my students experience. They don’t necessarily see me or people like me as role models. To them, we live in completely different worlds. This is why it is so critical that we bridge the gap between home and school for our students. They need to see that education can be a part of their realistic part of their future. They need to realize that they can thrive in an academic setting.

In conclusion, I have found myself thinking a lot about the ideas presented in this class. I now catch myself being cognoscente of my pre-conceived ideas and notions about people. I cannot place my value system on them nor judge them for theirs. I have also spent a great deal of time reflecting on the students I teach and how I want to do some things differently next year. I know first-hand that understanding who your students are and respecting where they come from can have a tremendous impact on their success at school. The trick is to continue with this idea and reach all students; not just a few. Our schools should not be a place where students are judged and made to assimilate or fail; rather, our schools should be a place where all students are included, valued, and celebrated for who they are.

Sally Elliott

Imagine a utopia. A world that exists without problems or conflicts. All creatures, no matter how great or small thrive together in peace and success. All is well in the world. All is quiet and balanced.
Now, imagine this life. Days and nights of stress, usually derived from problems and conflicts. You cannot please each and every person you come into contact with. The world is a bit rocky, teetering on its thin edge. All is noisy and unbalanced.
Which world do you prefer? Which world do you live in? When I think about this class, and what I have taken away from these few short weeks in discussion I have learned that no matter what background you come from, we must all learn to open up to the possibility of change and to appreciate the differences in one another. I felt that the quote by Judith Butler spoke to me personally when summarizing my experience in my career, thus far, in my life and in this RES5535 class. “Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living; in other words, not to celebrate difference as such but to establish more inclusive conditions for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.”
Thinking back to the first two articles from Dowdy and Delpit, I recall thinking about how one must be open to change when it comes to dialects and speech. From the dialect shared in “Ovuh Dyuh” and “No Kinda Sense” I began to relate those experiences to my experiences as a 2nd year teacher, teaching at a school with a high African American population. I knew from the start that I would be experiencing some changes within my population of students taking this position, but at the same time, did not know how drastic those changes would be for me. I share the same shocked feeling that Delpit did as she first listened to her preteen daughter say: She be all like, what ch’all talkin’ bout?” like she ain’t had no kinda sense.” I was in a cloud of daze at times listening to some of my students say some of the same things. In time, I learned to decipher what was being said, and to really appreciate the origin of this dialect. I knew to fight this was going to be a burden on myself, so quickly, I realized that these children’s’ backgrounds were what shaped them as young people, and their dialects as well as their patterns of speech were a part of who they were, not for me to judge.
As I read on through our course, I came upon Noll’s work that described another aspect of culture weaved through the reading and writing process: Native Americans. I took a great liking to this article particularly. I shared in my blog posting that I had this preconceived notion of Native Americans. I can recall thinking they were scantily clad, painted for war and ready to fight savagely if provoked. Of course, as an adult, and after a slue of history classes, I came to more appropriate conclusions about this population, but what I had not thought of was their literacy habits. Noll opened my eyes to how Native Americans view reading and writing. Again, I approached this reading with an open mind, because I am always eager to learn more about a culture and to obtain background knowledge about a particular subject. Through the case studies of Daniel and Zonnie, I came to find out that these Native American students did not seem to be much different than American students. Daniel was a husky child that had the traditional long, dark hair with darker skin and dark eyes. He enjoyed history, mostly of his culture and enjoyed hearing stories about his past. I felt that Zonnie was even more “Americanized” than Daniel. She was a “typical” pre-teen that enjoyed being social with friends and worried about having a social life rather than a school life. Again, just like the African American population that I learned about with Dowdy and Delpit, I found another culture that I could learn a bit about and make necessary changes in my views of their upbringing in order to better serve them academically.
I felt that Staples’s article, “Hustle and Flow” spoke volumes to the message that was being conveyed by Judith Butler. After reading about Staples’ group of African American teenage men, and their struggles to get to where they are today, I could not agree more with Staples’ choices to coach her struggling readers. Staples invited her students to become more fluent and overall better readers through a series of approaches. She focused her students on “re-authoring” various types of texts and to allow the students to put themselves in charge of those texts. Her students were asked to become “culture critics” of what they read and understood. I feel that Staples began to share the idea of appreciating and accepting differences in cultures and in backgrounds in order to understand and enjoy various texts.
As I had the opportunity to read through Perry’s piece, “From storytelling to writing: Transforming literacy practices among Sudanese refugees” I focused my post on how the practice of storytelling orally has been lost from generation to generation. I looked at how we as a society really rely on technology to keep us up to date with stories of one another. Telling oral stories have become “outdated” so to speak, and therefore, I felt that I had a great chance to learn a bit about the Sudanese refugees to come to the United States and share their love of storytelling. Again, I feel that this piece of research parallels with Butler’s quote because to understand where the refugees come from, we must appreciate their backgrounds and must be open to their experiences. I feel that we as a nation need to re-connect with our own backgrounds and our own knowledge and become more intone with ourselves in order to really carry on our family names and traditions.
In the final reading assignments, I read from Hicks’ Reading Lives. I learned a good bit about research based writing and how case studies are beneficial for most to diagnose and clarify problems during a child’s intellectual and academic development. I feel that I took the most from the study of Jake. Jake is the child who is the mover and the shaker, usually dubbed the “problem child” in the classroom and has many interests outside of the classroom. When I read about Jake and his love for NASCAR, his love for Sega, his respect for his father and his dialogues with Hicks, I commented about how children are “labeled” so very often today. I feel that Jake has a very important background and he should be appreciated, not labeled for his differences. At the same time, I posted about Jake’s love for video games. I shared stories on how I have a brother who was and still is so very involved in gaming, that his social and to somewhat of a degree, his academic identity was shaped by technology. Again, I try to think about children that I have come into contact with and imagine what home life might be like. Referring to the idea of being open to different possibilities of living allows oneself to be free of a stereotype and to appreciate differences in each and every person one meets.
Now imagine that utopian world again. Would everything be serene and peaceful? Would you have no worries, no problems, and no conflicts? Would you choose to be surrounded by friends? By family? I don’t think I would personally choose this “perfect’ world. I like the chaos. I like the confusion. I like the idea of an ever-changing society built on a rocky cliff. It’s the chances that one takes that shapes one’s experiences. It’s the ability to be open to a new world, and to take on the role of a different person. It’s the “I’ll walk a mile in his shoes to understand where he is coming from.” It’s not easy, but I do it 180 days out of the year. Its life, it’s the experiences I have taken from RES5535, and its teaching.

Renee Hennings July 1 2010

This class has been an eye-opener for me. I am a very literal person who does not like to “look for meaning” when reading. For this reason, this class has been very challenging for me, but at the same time, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed reading the different articles because they’ve told stories from different perspectives than my own. I’ve also enjoyed reading other people’s blog entries. I think it’s so amazing that so many people can read the exact same thing, and yet get so many different things out of the reading.

I have chosen the quote from Michael Foucault that best represents my learning from this course material: There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all. First of all, I did question myself at the beginning of the semester as to whether or not I would be able to see the different perspectives of the people whom we read about. I was born and raised in a small rural town, where most people are very, and think very, similar to each other. I now teach in the same county in which I grew up, in a different small rural town, with basically the same population. When you’ve grown up around a certain culture, it’s hard to “put yourself in others’ shoes” and “feel” what people from other cultures feel.

After reading the syllabus for this class, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make connections between myself and my experiences and the articles we read. I was so surprised when reading the articles to find myself making connections to each article in some way or another. Sometimes, I would make a connection between a person in an article and a student whom I had taught, such as in Hicks’ book with Jake and Laurie. Sometimes, I would make a connection between my childhood and the experience a person was having in the article, such as in Perry’s article concerning storytelling. Sometimes, I would just have strong feelings towards statements/ideas the authors made in various articles, such as Henry’s article on finding one’s voice. These connections I made were very exciting for me because I was unsure at first if I was going to be able to make any connections at all.

I always reflect on myself as a teacher after each lesson and especially at the end of each year. I think about what I could have done differently in order to better help my students. I feel that I will be able to do a better job of reflecting after lessons because of what I have learned throughout this course. There are so many things I haven’t taken into account when reflecting in the past: students’ discourses, home lives, gender, ethnicity, race, etc. I never knew how much of a difference these things make in relation to a student’s literacy learning. I feel I do a really good job of teaching children on their instructional level and also of learning about the interests of my students outside school. Now, I think I will be able to do an even better job of this.
Marsha Warren

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

In closing out this course and the reading program, I found this quote to be most meaningful. During my time in the reading program, I have learned to look at reading in a way that I never had. As much as I loved to read and share this love with my students, I was weak when it came to teaching reading. I attribute some of this to the personal ease and enjoyment I received from reading and the rest I would attribute to a weak undergrad education program in the area of reading. Being a part of this program has allowed to me think and look at the world of reading (and the way I teach reading) in a new light.

I feel this class has also opened my eyes to some of the issues that I thought little about when teaching reading to my students. I have always been a teacher that reflected on what works for my students and what I could do to make my students become more successful in the classroom. I would try many different approaches to teaching and instruction until I found what worked best for my students. I believe that because I started teaching in a school where many of the students lived “rough” lives, I have always taken into account the home environment when planning lessons and grading/assigning homework. Although I was aware of my students home lives, I never really thought about how that played into how they learned to read successfully (well with the exception of students that spoke other languages at home).
In the beginning of this course we were presented with several articles that addressed various issues in regards to teaching reading to different “types” of students. My experience working with children from poverty and low income homes taught me to distinguish between school language and home language. The Dowdy and Delpit articles discussed how different groups of children used language at home that were different from the language that was used and accepted at school.

The Noll article discussed how American Indians (Daniel and Zonnie) struggled in school because their teacher did not use their strengths to support their classroom learning. They were viewed as under achievers when they excelled in areas that were not considered to be school related. As I think back to the students that I have taught, I feel that I have always tried to use their strengths (regardless of what those strengths may be) in order to help them be successful in the classroom. I will definitely think more about helping to connect the areas where my students excel into my classroom.

I think that I made the best connection with the Perry article. It reminded me of The Lost Boys movie that was popular when I was growing up. The Sudanese children were living in an area of war and danger. They lost their homes and families, forced to travel to a refugee camp and later to America. These students had to learn to bridge their cultures and ways of living with the new culture they had to adapt. The part of their culture that survived and provided that connection was their ability to use storytelling in their daily lives. I believe that we can use storytelling in our classroom to get our students involved in reading and writing. Allowing the students to share a story from their lives and then write that story down as a way to help others connect with them is very beneficial to all students. I have always encouraged my students to write about things they are familiar or have a connection, but allowing them to first share their story orally and then write it down seems to give them a chance to build that story before expecting them to write things. I am excited to begin school the fall so that I can try this out and see how successful students can become with writing.

I think that I was most impacted by the Deborah Hicks book, Reading Lives: Working-Class Children and Literacy Learning. This book really caused a stir inside me. When reading this book, I began to reflect on my teaching, wondering if I had over looked some of the issues my students might have been having at home that could have impacted their learning. I have always been mindful of the things my students might be lacking in their home such as good books or quiet settings where learning can best occur. As mindful as I have been about things that might be occurring in the home, I never took into account the values and expectations that my students developed from their family. Thinking about the year ahead, I want to really factor in my students family influence into their learning. Why they are the way they are, so that they can be most successful in the classroom environment. I believe that I will take this book and keep it in my classroom so that I can quickly reference it when issues come up that could relate to class and gender.

Over all, I think that this class has caused me to think more about what my students bring to my classroom and how I can use these issues, values, and ways of thinking to help them become successful students that have a love of learning.

Going into this semester I asked myself what more I could I ascertain about reading, writing, and the thinking process of children in the classroom? I have explored these topics in other graduate classes and have worked with many children over the years from diverse backgrounds and have taken note of many differences. After the first reading I became aware that I had only scratched the surface of this topic. There was a statement in the first article we read from Dowdy that lead into the importance of considering how a student’s history affects their academics.

“I think that I survived my high school years by assuming the best mask ever fabricated: the mask of language. I invented a character who wanted to please her teachers and her dead mother.”

I have used this statement as the cornerstone of my learning this semester and reflected on it with each of the articles. I had never thought of language as a mask and the more discourses one has the greater a person’s ability to slide into a new role with confidence, which will empower a person in their own life and make them comfortable. Ironically my final class links directly to my first class, Culturally Diverse Children’s Literature, in this class we were asked to reflect on our own lives through poetry and then make connections to other cultures as we explored literature. It was at this point that I realized the short comings of my classroom library. Children were seeking out characters that they could relate to where they could see a mirror image of who they were. Using this type of literature also allows students to explore other cultures and ideas freely. After this course I see that although that was a nice start there is so much more that I must put in place to make my school and classroom accessible to everyone. This realization led me to choose the quote by Michel Foucault.

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.”
Michel Foucault

To me this statement means that I should always look carefully at who and what I am teaching and I should strive to grow and change to meet the needs of myself and others. I must be willing to change.
This statement hits at the heart of the research articles we read during our course work. We wish to understand more fully so that we can be most effective in the classroom. In Hick’s article I am reminded that there is a distinct difference between the way middle class and working class students address the classroom. They come with different expectations and they must be supported as they make a “shift” in their thinking. It is my responsibility to make sure that the texts are approachable to the students. In other words in my own classroom it is my responsibility to show students all of the possibilities and how new knowledge can lead to different venues.

Noll’s article points out the importance of valuing what is important to an individual if you want to truly make the classroom a place where the student feels comfortable. Both Daniel and Zonnie had a great divide between their academic discourse and what they felt truly connected to. They were wonderful at “re-authoring” themselves outside of school. They were dancers, poets, and musicians. In these roles they displayed great confidence. If only the teachers had been more aware of what was going on with these students maybe this knowledge could have been used to draw the students into the classroom. I believe that an approach similar to Writer’s Workshop would be one way to make this happen. By giving students an opportunity to write and share what is important in their lives it will give others a greater appreciation of a student’s expertise outside of school. Through this appreciation of knowledge I would be hopeful that the attitude of the other students would be more accepting of Daniel and Zonnie’s differences and that they would find a comfortable place in the academic world.

Voice is power as stated by Annette Henry and I must strive to make sure that my students’ voices are being heard. I cannot be so driven in my school day that I miss the opportunity for a student to make a connection between home and school. I must be willing to see the world as they see it in order to help them develop fully. The more the students feel empowered the more risk they will be willing to take when approaching a new discourse.

This class has also made me more aware of gender in the classroom. Up to this point I have only sorted books by genre so that I can direct girls to literature that may be of interest and that know seems like a pitiful attempt. There is so much more that needs to be addressed in the classroom. I understand know why sometimes my girls are less likely to share responses in whole group and why my small teams don’t always work out for my girls. Like Laurie sometimes they are busy being little mothers to get to what they need to accomplish. I am also reminded by chapters 3 and 4 that I shouldn’t assume that a student knows what I expect. Laurie had figured out what it took to be a good girl in three years but I have to wonder if this would have all been an easier transition if the teach had been more clear in their expectations of each component in the classroom while taking into consideration her need to interact as a caretaker and providing that time as well. Next year I plan to have literacy centers in my first grade class and I plan to use what I have learned through Hick’s research to make sure that each student feels successful.

This leads back to Michel Foucault statement that we must “think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees…” We must work to create a hybrid classroom where the students are comfortable and able to transition from one discourse to the other. We must work to have a greater understanding of what is important to our students and true to see more clearly what they hope to gain in the classroom. Through my course work my approach to my students next year will be dramatically different. I plan to spend more time talking with parents to gain a better understanding of my students outside of school and I want to incorporate what I learn into writing and author’s chair time. I also hope to include parents as guest speakers in social studies or science whenever there is a connection.

Candy Mooney

Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained
in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living;
in other words, not to celebrate difference as such
but to establish more inclusive conditions
for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.
Judith Butler

For me this quote means that realizing and learning about differences in thinking and living is important not just because we are different, but because we can’t all be the same. Looking critically at life and the why and how of what we do helps us to determine ways that we are unique. Throughout this course, the readings and blog discussions have challenged the way that I think about life and teaching, as well as, what I think about what other people think and feel.

Before this course, I knew that students were different and that the experiences and lives lived before entering my classroom gave them all a different take on things. However, I am not sure that I really thought much about the complete impact of these differences as I taught. I came into my classroom, taught my heart out, and expected that my students give the same 100% plus back. I expected that they shared the same values I held for education. I expected the learning curve in my classroom to be a straight line drawn by me in my educated way of thinking. In my mind, I had made allowances (I thought) for the struggles faced by my students from less than affluent families. After all, I grew up that way, and I made it through. The connection that I had with students who lived similar lives was strong most of the time, and I truly believed that this help me “understand.”

Sadly, the point that I failed to consider was that my discourse has changed. As much as I try to identify with the students raised in families like I was, my life is different now. I have different expectations, because education is what helped me “get through.” I often forget that there are still people who feel differently about education and what defines one’s successes than I do. I do not feel that there is only one method of success, but the middle-class belief that success must in some way be comprised of formal education has been very prevalent in my mind for years. As a teacher through and through, education just is. It is my life. I want it not only for myself, but for my students, my colleagues, my family and friends. I have realized though through the readings in this class that not all of my students (and their families) can be expected to “assimilate” to my way of thinking.

From the beginning of the course with “Ovuh Dyuh” and “No Kinda Sense,” I began to have a new understanding of how difficult attaining education can be for some people. There are so many battles and conflicting messages that students must work through. Throughout the course, I have been surprised at my own thought processes and to some degree my biases about education. Reading the articles about children from different countries and cultures helped me to see ways to connect students who are different from each other and teach them to value differences, as well as, similarities. I will use the ideas and situations discussed in the Noll and Perry articles to reflect on practices that will best help my students connect to who they are and to play on the strengths that these students bring. It is important that students feel valued and are empowered to express who they are in our classrooms. Seeing how this could work for students that may have otherwise been overlooked is major part of what I will take from this class.

Even though my growth has come from all of the readings, I have felt the deepest connection to Reading Lives. Through Hicks’ research and the reflection on her own learning, my eyes and my heart have been opened to the impact that “other influences” can have on a child. I thought that I was strong in this area already. However, after reading about Laurie and Jake, I have a new appreciation for how much a child is impacted by her perception of herself as a learner. As teachers, we play a large part in building these thoughts and feelings. Jake taught me that a child can be very bright and still struggle with the institution and the concept of school.

This book was important to me, because it has helped me to see that there are students that I am potentially overlooking. It has helped me to understand that trying to “assimilate” all of my students into the same academic way of living and thinking is not necessarily what is best for the education of all of my students. One of the greatest impacts that this course has had on my life is to open my eyes. I think sometimes we forget the look carefully at our students. We can get so caught up in doing what we know, and teaching what is required, that we forget to look into the eyes of kids like Laurie and Jake (and all of the others) and see them—who they are as not just students but people. I see the faces of a couple of my students even as I type this and have throughout the course. My mind goes back to the experiences that they have encountered in my classroom. This course has helped me to see the importance of “seeing” those faces as I look at strategies and practices that are best for my all students as individuals. I hope that never changes!

Christy Laws

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
Michel Foucault

I don't think I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this class. I had no idea that my way of thinking would be so altered. When we began reading the text, I admit that I felt a little lost. The language was so foriegn to me. But in retrospect, I think that made me more empathetic for the subject matter. It leveled the playing field and allowed me to feel how these children sometimes feel in the classroom.

I also feel, as Erin Whisnant said, that when I get to a place where I don't think I can learn something new, do something better, or need to reflect then I need to have my sanity checked. Through all aspects of life, reflection and learning are necessities.

When Hicks said, "Schooling in the primary grades should ideally become a set of opportunities for children to experience new identities connected with textual practices," it made me think that children also need opportunities to reflect on their learning experiences. One way for them to do this is to talk about what they read and write. To talk to their peers and their teacher about the content and about what it means to them. They need lots of opportunity to explore on their own terms like Jake needed. Through many varied opportunities of learning all students can be successful in school.

I grew up in a working class family. I understood and perceived much of what Hicks was describing in an experiential way. I could empathize with Hicks and the way she described her mother and her "being a good girl" at school. I think so many of our students are hiding what they are dealing with at home by being "good" in school. The wallflowers, so to speak, are the ones I worry about the most. They don't express what they want or need; they don't want to be seen. I was one of those.

I agree with Hicks when she says that working class children are viewed negatively without cultural sensitivity. None of us would tell or let be told a racist joke within our classroom and probably our presence. But we so often let jokes about rednecks go by. I think this book has changed my view of that. I want be able to listen to those jokes or TV comments without thinking about Jake and Laurie and having a different oppinion of how they make people feel.

As we read the articles, each of them left me with the sense of respecting students and their cultures. The Noll article described how Daniel and Zonnie wanted to be able to combine their school life and the culture. Daniel also reminded me of Jake. He wanted to do activities that made sense for him and not "useless" homework and projects. If he could find some ways to do his schoolwork in a way that seemed purposeful, he could be successful in school. The Lost Boys found a way to alter their cultural storytelling into a form that could be useful to themselves and their homeland. As teachers, we need to find ways to help students bridge these gaps and help them be more successful in school. Staples in particular seemed to find a way to help her students bridge the gap. By using relevant movies and books, she was able to get students to feel their activities were purposeful. She also gave them decision making powers that allowed them to feel in control.

Overall, I think I became more familiar with this way of thinking and percieving and I was able to reflect and comment with knowledge in my post and comments. I know my way of thinking has been changed.

Christy Findley

There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
~Michael Foucault

In order to grow as a teacher and a person, you have to look at a person or situation from several dimensions. Also, you have to challenge personal prejudices and beliefs. You need to become proactive and seek the reason behind the prejudices and beliefs. Do they come from something you heard? Do they come from your childhood teachings? As you are searching and reflecting on teaching practices, beliefs, ethnic groups or situation, you have to focus on changing your mindset. Change is frightening. Change is uncomfortable.
Questioning who you are is frightening and uncomfortable because you are not always certain what you are going to discover.

As I read the articles, I was reminded of my journey of accepting my students for who they. I do not have trouble accepting or appreciating people of different ethnic groups. Yet, I am an education snob. I believe everyone should push their children to earn good grades, parents should attend all conferences and college should be encouraged from the day the students step into the kindergarten classroom. When I first heard the Ebonics debate in California a few years, I went on a fifteen minute rant. I was standing behind Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson and Maya Angelou. After reading Delpit and Dowdy articles, I learned the purpose behind Ebonics. I still did not agree with the use of it in the classroom but I understood it as a way to create a comfort level for the students. In my opinion, teachers learning Ebonics is comparable to learning conversational Spanish. It was just another way to effectively communicate with your students. Ebonics is example of my mind being closed to a new idea meant to help students and teachers.

My family is composed of various ethnic groups. We learn to accept people as they are. Our philosophy is skin color is so overrated. There are good people and bad people in every race. Of course, I bring my core beliefs with me into the classroom. As I read the articles and the books for class, I began to reflect on my classroom and my interactions with my students. Are my students comfortable and secure in our class community? Have I made an effort to connect their real life with school? Do I treat differently students based on gender?

First, I thought about the gender of students. I enjoy male students more than female students. I do not enjoy the female banter or the dramatic behavior they exhibit. I admire the way Henry taught the young ladies to find their voice. She took their dramatic behavior and channeled it to a positive behavior. At the same time, she did not take away who they were. I connected this with Laurie in Hicks’ case study. Laurie was imaginative and had the ability to express herself throw writing. The girls were getting lost in the classroom because of their home environment. The role of a teacher is to find a balance between home and school. Teachers play various roles with teaching landing at the bottom more times than not. In my beginning years as a teacher the first I spent time getting to know my students on a personal level as well as on an academic level. As my roles increased I spent less and less time getting to my students. Zonnie and Daniel are perfect examples of what happens when do not take time to get to know your students. Zonnie and Daniel are creative students but the assignments places limits on their ability. I believe it is better to discover a student’s strengths and use the strengths to build the weaknesses.

Secondly, as I reflected on my classroom community, I have left students behind. I did not appreciate their talents or gifts. I went from poverty level school to a middle class school this past year. I formed a social class prejudice. I complained about how spoiled the kids were and unappreciative they were. I did not like their smart mouth attitudes. I formed bonds with a select few and kept the other students at arms length. At the poverty level school, I had spoiled students with smart mouth attitudes. I dealt with it by saying they are the product of their environment and it is my job to create a safe different environment within the classroom. I walked into my new middle class school with different expectations. I expected the students to behave as proper little adults and their parents to attend conferences without me having to call and send five different notes. In short, I expected my job to become easier. I expected to go into my class and teach while not worrying about their home environment. Wrong. They brought their discourse to school every day. I was challenged in a different way. Parents had different expectations. They were in my classroom business questioning my methods. The students questioned me. I did not have parents questioning me or students in my other school. I had to change my mindset in order to be successful. I had to see with different eyes.

I walk away from this class feeling renewed. I rediscovered that children bring their home and personal beliefs with them to class everyday. In order for students to participate in the learning community they have to find a connection or some from of acceptance. It is the job of the teacher to make sure students feel accepted. The acceptance begins with the open mind of the teacher who has the courage to change his/her mindset.

Zandra Hunt

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting on it all.” -Michel Foucault

My whole life I have felt empowered by seeing various perspectives. I often feel enlightened by learning about other’s life experiences and felt that has made me a better teacher. Seeing more than meets the eye is a key part of the complexities of this world. Looking deeper and reflecting are necessary instruments for my teacher brain. When I think of this quote, it reminds me of the way my mind has opened up to how my students’ educational experiences are impacted by their background, socio-economics, race, gender, and lifestyle. Within this class I recognize there is more to reading than just fluency, rate, word recognition, and comprehension. While I knew there was more to it, this class has provided me with examples to put a voice to my thought. I have grown in my concepts of how my students learn best and how unique my students are.
The Skin We Speak resonated with me in a way that I really never thought. Delpit’s provided with me a new perspective of how dialect is looked upon by the outside world. In my own southern speech, I realize that are judged by how we speak at times in a horrible way. “We must listen beyond language form.” I found it profoundly significant to find a word for how our language changes with our environments-code switching. I realized that it was a major part of my life in moving from different roles as sister, teacher, friend, and girlfriend. My boyfriends’ mom calls me a chameleon since my dialect changes with my environment. This made me reflect on how my students might feel in doing this same thing. I learned how significant it is to recognize that about my students and use their language within the classroom. I love her idea of “inviting children into the language of school by making school inviting to them.” This resonated with the other articles in that fact that from the start our readings conveyed the value of making the school environment interesting. I also found the same idea in Hicks’ chapters as she discusses making connections to students, for this it confirmed something that I have known from the start. To teach students, you must know them, make connections with them, and engage their interests.
In Noll’s cases study Experiencing Literacy: In and Out of School, I was enlightened by the different literacies that Zonnie and Daniel experienced at home. Daniel especially made me consider more about recognizing student’s strengths and praising them. I feel that I may have been guilty in the past of neglecting some of those strengths. While I always tried to pride myself in developing a connection with my students, I realize that it is often hit or miss. When thinking about students like Daniel who feel let down that they aren’t showcased in class, it made me sad. Sad because I know there have been times when I could only share a few poems or stories and there was a Daniel in my classroom. This article reminded me that it is absolutely essential to validate students’ accomplishments and make time. That little bit of time that may seem wasted can be invaluable to that students classroom success. It also reinforced the idea that test scores don’t give us the full picture of the child. We must teach the whole child and allow them to express themselves through songs, music, dance, skits, and art. Those experiences can provide teachers lots of insights into a child as well as allow them to experience success.
In reading Hick’s chapters I found myself more aware of gender differences in the classroom which made me question how I can apply that knowledge into my classroom. The insight she provided us in Laurie’s and Jake’s stories allowed me to recognize the unique nuances of each child. Each child has a struggle and we need to be supportive and kind as possible at school. We never know what they deal with at home. Getting to know the child’s interest and their background is essential in providing students with motivation and instruction that scaffolds their language experiences. I realized, but never had heard it articulated how much we as individuals are impacted by the experiences we have and how those experiences help us connect with others. Our identities are essential in understanding who we are as people and how we develop language. Our identities provide us with the opportunities to make connections and explore ourselves. As a teacher, I feel that I understand my role in how to support my students’ identities and allow my classroom to work to meet their needs in both reading and writing.
I want my students to use their own voice and feel as if they are heard. This class has made me recognize the bigger picture in which we navigate our students’ minds to read, write, think, and speak. In Henry’s study she defines voice as “a student’s desire to express ideas in a clear, coherent way, because that student understands that his or her thoughts are important.” It is essential that I promote those voices in my classroom and expose them to literature that allows them to develop their ideas and thoughts to make connections.
I intend on taking a deeper look at my instruction prior to the school year and considering how I can differentiate my instruction to appeal to each student’s needs. By using interest inventories to find literature and continuing to integrate the idea of Questioning the Author (Much like re-authoring), I recognize the value of taking a step back and allowing my students to take a lead in discussions. Now more than ever, I feel that developing a connection and a relationship with my students is essential to promote their literacy growth. My eyes are opened and I see a bigger picture about literacy development. I think now that I will look beyond what meets the eye when I consider the challenges my students are having in my classroom. I will continue to let them know I love them and care. I have been told by a fellow teacher recently that allowing them to know me and me getting to know them more personally is dangerous. I was angered and irritated by this because those connections are the same tools I use to show compassion and understanding. By connecting with them and sharing my life a bit with them, I build trust. By telling them I love them and praising them, I build their confidence. Each of my students forever live in my heart, and I feel like now I’m better equipped to relate and understand the challenges they face.

Amy Hardister

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting on it all.” -Michel Foucault

My whole life I have felt empowered by seeing various perspectives. I often feel enlightened by learning about other’s life experiences and felt that has made me a better teacher. Seeing more than meets the eye is a key part of the complexities of this world. Looking deeper and reflecting are necessary instruments for my teacher brain. When I think of this quote, it reminds me of the way my mind has opened up to how my students’ educational experiences are impacted by their background, socio-economics, race, gender, and lifestyle. Within this class I recognize there is more to reading than just fluency, rate, word recognition, and comprehension. While I knew there was more to it, this class has provided me with examples to put a voice to my thought. I have grown in my concepts of how my students learn best and how unique my students are.
The Skin We Speak resonated with me in a way that I really never thought. Delpit’s provided with me a new perspective of how dialect is looked upon by the outside world. In my own southern speech, I realize that are judged by how we speak at times in a horrible way. “We must listen beyond language form.” I found it profoundly significant to find a word for how our language changes with our environments-code switching. I realized that it was a major part of my life in moving from different roles as sister, teacher, friend, and girlfriend. My boyfriends’ mom calls me a chameleon since my dialect changes with my environment. This made me reflect on how my students might feel in doing this same thing. I learned how significant it is to recognize that about my students and use their language within the classroom. I love her idea of “inviting children into the language of school by making school inviting to them.” This resonated with the other articles in that fact that from the start our readings conveyed the value of making the school environment interesting. I also found the same idea in Hicks’ chapters as she discusses making connections to students, for this it confirmed something that I have known from the start. To teach students, you must know them, make connections with them, and engage their interests.
In Noll’s cases study Experiencing Literacy: In and Out of School, I was enlightened by the different literacies that Zonnie and Daniel experienced at home. Daniel especially made me consider more about recognizing student’s strengths and praising them. I feel that I may have been guilty in the past of neglecting some of those strengths. While I always tried to pride myself in developing a connection with my students, I realize that it is often hit or miss. When thinking about students like Daniel who feel let down that they aren’t showcased in class, it made me sad. Sad because I know there have been times when I could only share a few poems or stories and there was a Daniel in my classroom. This article reminded me that it is absolutely essential to validate students’ accomplishments and make time. That little bit of time that may seem wasted can be invaluable to that students classroom success. It also reinforced the idea that test scores don’t give us the full picture of the child. We must teach the whole child and allow them to express themselves through songs, music, dance, skits, and art. Those experiences can provide teachers lots of insights into a child as well as allow them to experience success.
In reading Hick’s chapters I found myself more aware of gender differences in the classroom which made me question how I can apply that knowledge into my classroom. The insight she provided us in Laurie’s and Jake’s stories allowed me to recognize the unique nuances of each child. Each child has a struggle and we need to be supportive and kind as possible at school. We never know what they deal with at home. Getting to know the child’s interest and their background is essential in providing students with motivation and instruction that scaffolds their language experiences. I realized, but never had heard it articulated how much we as individuals are impacted by the experiences we have and how those experiences help us connect with others. Our identities are essential in understanding who we are as people and how we develop language. Our identities provide us with the opportunities to make connections and explore ourselves. As a teacher, I feel that I understand my role in how to support my students’ identities and allow my classroom to work to meet their needs in both reading and writing.
I want my students to use their own voice and feel as if they are heard. This class has made me recognize the bigger picture in which we navigate our students’ minds to read, write, think, and speak. In Henry’s study she defines voice as “a student’s desire to express ideas in a clear, coherent way, because that student understands that his or her thoughts are important.” It is essential that I promote those voices in my classroom and expose them to literature that allows them to develop their ideas and thoughts to make connections.
I intend on taking a deeper look at my instruction prior to the school year and considering how I can differentiate my instruction to appeal to each student’s needs. By using interest inventories to find literature and continuing to integrate the idea of Questioning the Author (Much like re-authoring), I recognize the value of taking a step back and allowing my students to take a lead in discussions. Now more than ever, I feel that developing a connection and a relationship with my students is essential to promote their literacy growth. My eyes are opened and I see a bigger picture about literacy development. I think now that I will look beyond what meets the eye when I consider the challenges my students are having in my classroom. I will continue to let them know I love them and care. I have been told by a fellow teacher recently that allowing them to know me and me getting to know them more personally is dangerous. I was angered and irritated by this because those connections are the same tools I use to show compassion and understanding. By connecting with them and sharing my life a bit with them, I build trust. By telling them I love them and praising them, I build their confidence. Each of my students forever live in my heart, and I feel like now I’m better equipped to relate and understand the challenges they face.

Amy Hardister

“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting on it all.” -Michel Foucault

My whole life I have felt empowered by seeing various perspectives. I often feel enlightened by learning about other’s life experiences and felt that has made me a better teacher. Seeing more than meets the eye is a key part of the complexities of this world. Looking deeper and reflecting are necessary instruments for my teacher brain. When I think of this quote, it reminds me of the way my mind has opened up to how my students’ educational experiences are impacted by their background, socio-economics, race, gender, and lifestyle. Within this class I recognize there is more to reading than just fluency, rate, word recognition, and comprehension. While I knew there was more to it, this class has provided me with examples to put a voice to my thought. I have grown in my concepts of how my students learn best and how unique my students are.
The Skin We Speak resonated with me in a way that I really never thought. Delpit’s provided with me a new perspective of how dialect is looked upon by the outside world. In my own southern speech, I realize that are judged by how we speak at times in a horrible way. “We must listen beyond language form.” I found it profoundly significant to find a word for how our language changes with our environments-code switching. I realized that it was a major part of my life in moving from different roles as sister, teacher, friend, and girlfriend. My boyfriends’ mom calls me a chameleon since my dialect changes with my environment. This made me reflect on how my students might feel in doing this same thing. I learned how significant it is to recognize that about my students and use their language within the classroom. I love her idea of “inviting children into the language of school by making school inviting to them.” This resonated with the other articles in that fact that from the start our readings conveyed the value of making the school environment interesting. I also found the same idea in Hicks’ chapters as she discusses making connections to students, for this it confirmed something that I have known from the start. To teach students, you must know them, make connections with them, and engage their interests.
In Noll’s cases study Experiencing Literacy: In and Out of School, I was enlightened by the different literacies that Zonnie and Daniel experienced at home. Daniel especially made me consider more about recognizing student’s strengths and praising them. I feel that I may have been guilty in the past of neglecting some of those strengths. While I always tried to pride myself in developing a connection with my students, I realize that it is often hit or miss. When thinking about students like Daniel who feel let down that they aren’t showcased in class, it made me sad. Sad because I know there have been times when I could only share a few poems or stories and there was a Daniel in my classroom. This article reminded me that it is absolutely essential to validate students’ accomplishments and make time. That little bit of time that may seem wasted can be invaluable to that students classroom success. It also reinforced the idea that test scores don’t give us the full picture of the child. We must teach the whole child and allow them to express themselves through songs, music, dance, skits, and art. Those experiences can provide teachers lots of insights into a child as well as allow them to experience success.
In reading Hick’s chapters I found myself more aware of gender differences in the classroom which made me question how I can apply that knowledge into my classroom. The insight she provided us in Laurie’s and Jake’s stories allowed me to recognize the unique nuances of each child. Each child has a struggle and we need to be supportive and kind as possible at school. We never know what they deal with at home. Getting to know the child’s interest and their background is essential in providing students with motivation and instruction that scaffolds their language experiences. I realized, but never had heard it articulated how much we as individuals are impacted by the experiences we have and how those experiences help us connect with others. Our identities are essential in understanding who we are as people and how we develop language. Our identities provide us with the opportunities to make connections and explore ourselves. As a teacher, I feel that I understand my role in how to support my students’ identities and allow my classroom to work to meet their needs in both reading and writing.
I want my students to use their own voice and feel as if they are heard. This class has made me recognize the bigger picture in which we navigate our students’ minds to read, write, think, and speak. In Henry’s study she defines voice as “a student’s desire to express ideas in a clear, coherent way, because that student understands that his or her thoughts are important.” It is essential that I promote those voices in my classroom and expose them to literature that allows them to develop their ideas and thoughts to make connections.
I intend on taking a deeper look at my instruction prior to the school year and considering how I can differentiate my instruction to appeal to each student’s needs. By using interest inventories to find literature and continuing to integrate the idea of Questioning the Author (Much like re-authoring), I recognize the value of taking a step back and allowing my students to take a lead in discussions. Now more than ever, I feel that developing a connection and a relationship with my students is essential to promote their literacy growth. My eyes are opened and I see a bigger picture about literacy development. I think now that I will look beyond what meets the eye when I consider the challenges my students are having in my classroom. I will continue to let them know I love them and care. I have been told by a fellow teacher recently that allowing them to know me and me getting to know them more personally is dangerous. I was angered and irritated by this because those connections are the same tools I use to show compassion and understanding. By connecting with them and sharing my life a bit with them, I build trust. By telling them I love them and praising them, I build their confidence. Each of my students forever live in my heart, and I feel like now I’m better equipped to relate and understand the challenges they face.

Amy Hardister