"This achievement would not have happened without this teacher and her absolute belief that, yes, life was hard for these kids, but they were learners, they would learn, and it was her job to see that they did, in ways that worked for them." (Gates, 2002)
I have always wanted to work with at-risk students whether in an impoverish country or in a low socioeconomic area here in the United States. That being said, this example really resonated with me. When I began reading about this teacher I questioned where Gates was going with the example. I was unsure if she would agree with the strict, hard approach or if she would condem it. I questioned how harsh this teacher was on the young girl that could not stay awake in class. I asked myself how I would handle the situation and immediately decided that if it were me I would I allow her to put her head down. As I continued to read I was surprised to find her teacher took a different approach, an approach I ultimately agreed with.
I remember learning about the self-fulfilling prophesy or the idea that students will achieve the expectations you place on them. This teacher obviously understood this and placed very high expectations (but not unattainable) on her students. She knew that they had the ability to learn, they just needed that extra push of motivation in order to excel academically.
Literacy knowledge includes a student's background and experiences with reading, writing, and listening. This includes signs they have seen, occupations they may have pretended to have while playing, and a child's first scribblings. Some examples of print literacy includes books, newspapers, and road/restaurant signs. Some examples of non print literacy include listening to a conversation and watching television.
Stereotypes can interfere with literacy instruction when students are forced to speak differently than they are accustomed to at home. When a student speaks in a certain fashion with their family members and friends but then are expected to change that, they become confused and struggle with how to correctly form sentences. Teachers may also form preconceived judgements about their students based on their speech.
When teachers form stereotypes about their students before they know their true abilities that teacher's instruction may be set at a level that is too low. An example of how schools contribute to poor literacy instruction is their materials may not be relatable for their students. Students are more interested in reading if the reading applies to their experiences. If there is no concrete experience for the student they are less likely to understand.
Language, social class, and the denial of educational opportunity relate in that, if a student is from a low socioeconomic status, many times their guardians are not going to speak with "Proper English" and because that is the language the child is around that is how they will begin to speak. Students from low socioeconomic areas also attend schools that are lacking when it comes to funding and good educational tools. All of these factors can lead to a student being considered "at-risk".
A misconception about the relationship between language and literacy is that we write how we speak. This is not the case. When we speak we do not use complete sentences and sometimes we don't even use complete words. Students can become very confused about this when they begin forming sentences on paper.
Schools and teachers can improve their literacy instruction by choosing a variety of high quality literacy engagements that will target all learners. Not only should it target all learners but it should also interest the students and coincide with their background experiences.
When I think about the term "Proper English", I have mixed feelings. I believe their is a proper way to write. However, how do you define "proper" when it comes to speech. If someone speaks with a thick southern accent and that's how everyone speaks where they are from then that is how to properly speak English in that "culture", so to speak. If I were to go to England, although I think I speak proper English, they would probably disagree with me. I feel that there are different views when it comes to defining "Proper English".
"My own father spent his life backing up, apologizing for the space he took up in the world. He took the hillbilly stereotype to heart and all of his life believed that he was backward and inferior -- a despair I, too, have been trying to escape all of my life." (O'Brien, 2003)
I selected this quote because I was shocked! I can't believe that this man was so ashamed and felt so disturbed from the hillbilly stereotype. Most people I come in contact with are proud to be from West Virginia. I'm sure it is harder for me to relate to just because it is a more tolerant time in America. However, I can relate it to in some degree. I can remember when my family would visit my dad's extended side of the family in Ohio. They are all from Ohio and we just ended up in West Virginia because this is where my mother grew up. When I was very young I can remember my cousins teasing me about being born in West Virginia. I remember getting so mad that one time I blurted out, "I wasn't even born in West Virginia! I was born in Ohio so that doesn't apply to me!" I look back now and I'm ashamed I even said that. It was true, I was born in Ohio but I will always be a West Virginian. I have gone on group mission trips with young people from all over the United States and Canada and I always have at least one negative comment about being from West Virginia. I think this is sad. I think West Virginia is one of the greatest places on earth and it's unfortunate that some people are so blinded by their stereotypes.
When I searched for "WV Stereotypes" this was the very first image. (Keeling, 2007)
O'Brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html
Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.), In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power (Print: Anthology)
When I searched for "WV Stereotypes" this was the very first image. (Keeling, 2007)
Citations
Keeling, J. (2007). West virginia stereotypes: Don't believe the hype. Retrieved from http://www.abetterwestvirginia.com/2007/12/04/west-virginia-stereotypes-dont-believe-the-hype/
Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.), In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power (Print: Anthology)
No comments:
Post a Comment