Race, Class and Gender

The question is not,—how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education—but how much does he care?"- Charlotte Mason

Everyday I hear the words "research based". Most of the research that we use in school is quantitative research. This is also what I used for my research course at ASU. I never thought about the implications that qualitative research could bring about. Right now, there is a huge issue with the grades of second grade students and their performance the following year on the third grade pretest. There is a discrepancy. And a rather large one at that. Our principal asked us in a meeting, why we thought this was happening. And this isn't anything new. K2 typically performs better than 3-5. Wouldn't it be great to jump in and do a qualitative research project to find out some answers? Is there a problem with the test? Is there something happening to boys and girls at this age? I wonder what the students are thinking. And I wonder what the parents are thinking. What happens from second grade to third grade? Or, can we select a small number of students, give them an intervention and see what happens? In the meeting, I mentioned tutoring second grade students over the summer. What if we selected a small group of students to do this with? We could follow them from the beginning of second grade to the beginning of third grade. We could give them the extra support, tutor them, monitor them. I bet we would find out something interesting things that can happen to an 8 or 9 year old over the summer that would have an effect on their performance.

I think we are always trying to get students to fit into these perfect square pegs. I think it is important to really take the time to get to know students. I would like to see more qualitative research done in schools. I am not seeing enough of it. Especially with No Child Left Behind. What are some implications of this? And how are students really being helped? Are we ready for yet another shift in education?
Sarah Feinman

Race, Class and Gender

Well behaved women rarely make history" - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

As I was reading this article, the gender aspect kept pulling at my heart. I have always wrestled with the idea of gender based curricula. The idea of separating the boy from the girls was a difficult one for me to understand. This is probably because I was raised by an independent single woman. I loved being in competition with boys in school. And I loved it when I was "smarter" then them.

There are schools in this nation that do have gender specific classrooms. I think that is an extreme measure to meet the needs of students. This article opened my eyes to the possibilities of creating "workshops" that are gender specific. I loved how these girls were able to open up, and "speak out" in these sessions.

One of Henry's research perspectives says, "Black girls are expected to adopt “female” roles of passivity and complacency; they are invisible to teachers as serious learners; they receive less encouragement and rewards; they are assessed for their social skills rather than academic achievement; they are evaluated by their physical characteristics such as hair texture and skin color; they are considered sex objects as they mature (Evans, 1992; Grant, 1984; Okazawa-Rey, Robinson, & Ward, 1987). This makes me think about some of the girls that I have in my class now. Typically they are very reserved and quiet. I never have discipline problems with them, and they always "comply". During whole group activities I rarely get responses from them. However, this quarter they are all in the same reading group, with no boys. I noticed a few weeks ago that I could not get them to stop talking, in order for me to ask comprehension questions. I quickly realized that I didn't need to ask questions, as they were proposing them on their own and discussing and understanding the text. I am not sure if it is because they were in a small group, or a small group with no boys, or just around each other that made them open up. Or even if it is the texts that I am supplying. I am glad that they have opened up. It is been very rewarding. This is something that I want to take a closer look at. Maybe in the next few weeks I can bring in texts that are more relevant to them. I would like to have a moment with this group, like Henry did with Tamisha; "turn that thing off!"

Sarah Feinman

Race, Class and Gender

Closing the gap....between home and school...

I enjoyed reading this article. It was very straightforward...and I only had to pull out the dictionary once..."phenomenological interviewing". Took me a few minutes to wrap my brain around that one. However, I was struck by the fact that Native American's do not do as well as White students on performance tests, when there is clearly an abundance of literacy at home. And it also appeared, in the case of Daniel and Zonnie, that their families were committed to their education. I quickly discovered the reason for this, which I want to address later.

I was disappointed in Zonnie's parents. They are happy with C's and B's? WHY?! If they say they are committed to her education, shouldn't they be pushing her more? The same with Daniel's parent's...D's? Hello?! It seems to me that this wonderful father who teaches his children so much would jump in and do something about it. But again...I quickly realize the fault is not on the parents or the students.

It seemed that for Daniel's school experience, there were NO connections to his cultural background. Oh wait, there was that report from a Native American perspective. That seems lazy to me. I know that I dig deep to find things that can connect to my students' lives. And not just one assignment, it is something that I strive for DAILY. And the same goes for Zonnie's experience. Yes, she had teachers that she could bond with over poetry, but where was the connection to her personal life? How was this school making anything relevant for these students?

And now I come to my point. One teacher of Daniel's said that Daniel left school at school. He wasn't bringing school to his home. But isn't it true that the school wasn't bringing school to his home? A bridge is needed for these students. The school has to put forth an effort to pull the parents in and the parents should put forth an effort to pull the school in. What about a monthly attendance to a powwow...involving staff and students? I can't even begin to list the possible literacy activities that could come out of that. Even if the Native American students are only 5% of their school....it shouldn't matter. NO Child Left Behind, right? There should be a bridge, a nice, strong, clean, sturdy bridge between school and home.

-Sarah Feinman

PS. I recently purchased multiple copies of "I Love My Hair"- Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (Author), E.B. Lewis for my group of girls. I am waiting (somewhat) patiently for it to arrive. I will keep every updated about the discussions this brings about. Can anyone recommend any other books? 1st-2nd grade level? I could even do a read aloud with them...

Race, Class and Gender

Story is far older than the art of science and psychology, and will always be the elder in the equation no matter how much time passes. -Clarissa Pinkola Estes

As I was reading this article, I was intrigued by the shift these young men had to make with storytelling. In their home community, storytelling was an oral form. As they shifted to the camp and on to America, they were "forced" to become literate. I say forced because they knew being literate meant power. And power for these young men was incredibly important. It meant freedom. Also, the example of the message board board indicates why becoming literate was essential.

It seems as though they thought they had no choice but to become literate. One said that it was important for the oral stories to be written down so that others could find them and read them if they were from the same community. Tradition and history are important to them as it identified who they were and what they came from.

After reading an article, I always think of ways I can use it in my classroom. This article confirmed what I already believe to be true. Students lives must be a part of their literacy. Without connections learning is meaningless. Oral story telling is also incredibly important. So often we get wrapped up in the whole writing process that we forget the beauty of telling stories orally. Today I listened to one of my students use a voice for a stuffed polar bear I have in my room. Her imaginative play was a way of storytelling. It was nice to hear her talk about why he wasn't cold (because of his fur and thick skin) and why he was brave. She may have just been "playing" but that was her way of connecting her knowledge.

In another course, we talked about creating "camp fires" for classes to sit around and tell stories. I think this social interaction is essential. Students need to learn how to speak to one another, in addition to learning how to write an amazing piece of work in 45 minutes.

Sarah Feinman

Race, Class and Gender

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." - Albert Einstein

There are a majority of working class children in the school that I teach at. My student teaching took place in a school with a population of upper-middle class children. There is a clear distinction between these two schools in my mind. I don't feel as though I need to go into those differences, but they are there, and always present. I get the feeling that many things that happen in this school district are governed by the things that happen in the upper-middle class schools. I watch the news everyday, morning and night. My school has been mentioned once in the three years that I have lived here. Other schools are mentioned many times. There are a variety of reasons for this. But clearly the other schools get more media attention. And I think this effects many things that happen in our school district.

Where am I going with all of this?

I suppose my frustration is coming from the district or government or politics in education in general. Clearly (as this class has presented), children come from different cultures. Many times these cultures are different from teachers', administrators', and superintendents' cultures. And because of that, some children are at an advantage and some are at a disadvantage. If we know that, then why aren't we being more supportive of these struggling schools? (Don't you want the best teachers and the best administrators working not and day to ensure these students get an education?) You can send me to 10 workshops about reading strategies and math strategies. But how do I teach it to these working class children? How do I make it meaningful for them? How do I convince them that sequence is more important than mom not having a job? It is really frustrating. We know where these kids are coming from and yet, as a school, we get no support from the district. "You need to expect this. You need to have high expectations." Then why are you giving me a classroom library with no female protagonists, no Latino characters, no working class families, and no minorities (and if they are minorities, it is a joke)? Why do you allow our school to be inaccessible by wheel chair? How do you expect me to reach these children that have so many needs?

I could go on my rant forever. But I think you understand where I am coming from. :) I am excited to be reading about working-class children and literacy learning. This topic hits home for me. I hope to gain even more insight in the lives of children that I am trying to reach.

The idea of discourse being not just print and oral literacy was not lost on me. I immediately think of the story Beloved by Toni Morrison. The theme of identity runs rampant through this novel. By connecting discourse to this novel, I am able to think about how learning and growing happen in every facet of one's life.
Sarah Feinman

Race, Class and Gender

“Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing”

(I love doctors, don't get me wrong. But this seemed like a good quote for this post....)

This chapter was difficult for me to read. I struggled with two issues.

One issue that really stood out for me was the difference in Laurie's academic progress from kindergarten to first grade. She was doing well in kindergarten, and then faltered in first grade. Hicks talks a lot about the use of center time in kindergarten. In fact, there are several episodes in which students are working together in small groups. And yet, when she is in first grade, there is no mention of small groups. Most of Laurie's academic schooling in whole group or independent. How can this be? And it seems as though there was no mention of differentiated instruction, until she moved onto second grade where she was "placed" in a program. In my experience a balanced literacy program MUST have differentiated instruction. You need to teach kids where they are at, not where they SHOULD be. And just because this first grade teacher was experienced does not mean she was meeting the needs the of Laurie. I don't think she was. Most of the activities I do with my students are differentiated. I have small groups for everything. The only teaching that I do that is whole class is TDR, which is mandated by the district. Spelling, math, reading, writing, science and social studies are all small group. I really struggled with this. Of course Laurie was able to look like she was understanding. How could the teacher really know with a whole class to watch?

The other issue was the diagnosis of Laurie's ADD. As teachers, we all know. We know that kids act differently while on meds. In my experience I have met ONE student that truly had ADD. And, granted, I know I am not a doctor. But misbehavior does not mean they have a hard time paying attention or that they have a disorder. I had one student who I jokingly called Mr. Hyde. He was rotten when he wasn't on meds. But he was bright. His creativity and problem solving skills were astounding. But that only happened on the days mom forgot to give him his meds. When he had his meds, he was a zombie. I didn't recognize him. I could always tell if he had taken his meds by the look in his eyes. If he had taken them, his eyes were typically half closed. He rarely spoke and tired out easily. He didn't care about school work or friends. It was horrible watching it. I even told mom that I thought he was being over medicated. And her response was that she couldn't handle him when he wasn't on meds. (!) This whole ADD, ADHD thing has gotten out of control. During a SAT meeting I watched as a social worker told a parent which doctor to go to because that doctor was sure to diagnose ADD. WHAT?! I don't feel that Laurie had ADD. I think she had a difficult upbringing and it put extra stress on her. I do not see that as a disorder.
Sarah Feinman

race, class and gender

Home/School Connection

I envy Deborah Hicks’ role. She is able to see the home life and the school life. As the educator, I am often blinded by why happens at home. When I am able, I try to make home visits. But I will admit, this rarely happens in reality. When it does, I am shocked by what I see at home. I once visited a home in which the child was one of ten in the household of 5 adults. There were 2 bedrooms and one bathroom. There were no beds. There was one beat up couch and odd pieces of junk lying around. But to my amazement there was huge big screen TV in the living room. It was larger than the wall space and blocked part of the front door. I had many problems with this student. It wasn’t until I visited the home that I began to understand the issue he was having at school. As teachers, we can only rely on what the students and parents say part of the time. We really do not know until we step foot in their lives. For this reason, I envy Hicks. She is able to see where the issues are. She is able to make recommendations for school change. I only wish our system could see the power in this. Our school has lost 3 positions for next year. One of which is the home school coordinator. This position is one that the teachers greatly respect. We rely on this man to go to homes and speak with parents when we are unable to. He comes to us and tells us what he has seen in the home. He is a huge help in the home to school connection. I really do not know what we are going to do without him next year. How can a school system cut this position? We all know the research. We all know how important this connection is. Why is it being cut off?

Sarah Feinman