Double Journal Entry #2 Part 1

Quote

“If we assume that Phil’s problem is due to a deficit, it is easier to write him off…if we assume…that Phil’s difficulties stem from a lack of actual experience…we can set about providing that experience.

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I chose this quote from the As Soon As She Opened Her Mouth article because I believe this happens a lot between teachers and struggling students.  A student has a difficulty because they lack the necessary experience, and instead of recognizing that and providing the experience, the teacher just writes them off as being unable to be successful.  I had this happen to me in a chemistry class in high school.  I wasn’t able to understand, and after explaining it a few times to me, the teacher just got frustrated and gave up.  I had to get help elsewhere.  That is why I think it is important that as teachers we recognize that students will struggle if they don’t have the experience, but we need to remember that they are capable of learning.

 Literacy knowledge is the basic concepts that children have about reading and writing before they come to school.  They may not know specifics, but they have an idea of what it means to read and write, and that words have meaning.  Some examples of print would be books their parents read to them or the back of a cereal box.  An example of non print would be a web page.

 Stereotypes interfere with literacy instruction because some teachers may assume that if a child comes from a poor family that that child will have difficulty reading and writing.  They assume that poorer families don’t have books or take the time to read to their children.  I believe this is completely false.  I have known many mothers who come from lower class who read to their children often, and their children excel at reading.

Schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy by stereotyping these children.  They have already judged how they will perform before they even get to know them. 

 There are also misconceptions between language and literacy.  If a student talks a different way, such as with an Appalachian accent, they are thought to be slower or less educated.   I’ve noticed this anytime I’ve traveled anywhere outside of West Virginia.  People have made rude comments about my accent and intelligence.  They assume I’m uneducated because of where I’m from and how I talk.  I don’t like the term “Proper English” because I believe there is no such thing.  Everyone in the world talks different depending on where they are from.  There is no “right” way to talk.

 Schools and teachers can improve literacy instruction by being non-judgmental and treating every student the same, regardless of their experience and language. They need to have the attitude that every child can learn.

 Reference

 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.

 Other Resource

 

Reference

thefilmarchive. (Producer). (2010). Educating the children of appalachia documentary: The children must learn. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?