Paint a picture of yourself with words

I have chosen to respond to these 2 questions to describe myself.

• What social justice issue(s) are you most passionate about?
• What cultural issue(s) are you most passionate about?

When I was younger I didn’t think much about growing up in an area that was extremely  racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse. My friends and peers for as long as I could remember were from all over the world–growing up my best friend was Armenian and I ate the most delicious home cooked meals with her family. Sadly, I don’t know what the names of any of the dishes were, I wish I could turn back time and take copious notes about the delectable meals I consumed there. Then in middle school some of my fondest memories were riding the bus with my friends, in particular, one of my closest friends, Regina, taught me all about her hair and skin. She is African-American and shared with me with about how she did her hair and what kind of lotion she loved. I would go home and try to experiment with my hair and tell my mom I needed various skin products. I share these childhood memories because in hindsight I see how these and many more experiences have shaped me to be an alley and advocate for all people–especially people of color, people who are marginalized, and people who don’t have a voice in larger society. I believe our past experiences shape our present selves, and continue to expand our future perspectives and selves as well. However, I also see how we are always changing, our minds and ideas are continuing to be reformed, which in turn reshapes our actions. I continue to have a very diverse pool of friendships and believe this is very important for my own kids as well. I hope they will see the amazing value and beauty in differences and how we can only be bettered from being surrounded by people who are very different than us. So, with all of this said, I believe in diverse schools and do my best to advocate for quality schools for all kids–all backgrounds, all languages, and all socio-economic statuses can have have access to. I also think this is better not only for the poor, the marginalized, the colored populations, but for EVERYONE–we are better when we are socially conscious, aware, and intentional about our choices and decisions. I try not only to speak about this as a professor, but live it out in my everyday choices with my own children and family. A theory is just a theory, but a theory becomes practice and means something when we live it out and it impacts the personal aspects of who we are.

Response to Negotiating Critical Literacies with Young Children

Negotiating Critical Literacies with Young Children by Vivian M. Vasquez

In the wise words of a student from this classroom, “YOU CAN BE STRONG FROM YOUR BRAIN!”

This book basically enacts a lot of the lofty ideas that Mike Rose writes about in Why School?  It talks about how we must include students’ voices, cultures, and backgrounds in our curriculum.  Students have a voice and they are encouraged to share their own thoughts, beliefs, and values with the group and then they are created into artifacts, which in turn will end up on the audit trail.  Students meet in class meetings where they discuss topics that all start off with the central theme and then based on their discussions, it informs what they are going to study and investigate next.  They not only have ideas, yet they have opportunities to act on their questions and make a difference in their contexts.  They create surveys, write petitions, write letters to companies, and tape their conversations in the speaker’s corner to make sure their voices are heard.

She suggests that we offer students critical challenges to their questions.  When a student asked why he couldn’t attend a French Café, she answered with a critical challenge, which treated his question as an opportunity for taking social action and disrupting inequity.  Similar to how Dyson (1993) writes about the social worlds of children learning to write and how children nudge the bounds of the official imaginative universe that prevails in schools.  Vasquez’s student challenged current theoretical and pedagogical thinking, and he did this while participating in the complicated world of school.

She even brought up notions of cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1993) that were appropriate and valued in school—her students were aware that print carried meaning and the kinds of language that was more conducive for eliciting a response.

Overall, I thought this book offered a unique perspective on critical literacy.  She notes in the introduction that her desire is to construct spaces where social justice issues can be raised and critical curriculum could be negotiated with children.  After reading the book, I do feel that she accomplished this and I hope to incorporate many of these ideas in my classroom.  I will end with this quote which appropriately summarizes the book, “Chidren who learn using curriculum that is based on what matters to them are more likely to feel that what they are learning is important to their lives” (p. 141).

E-anthology

1. Which piece of writing produced thus far (either text- or video-based) do you anticipate submitting to e-Anthology 2.0 (http://connect.nwp.org/e-anthology)?

I’m not sure yet…but thanks for reminding me, Dave! I think I may submit something I’ve been working on from the personal writing time or the second video since you suggested that. I’m glad you said something, otherwise I wouldn’t have even thought about submitting it.

       2.  Why are you considering that particular piece for submission?

I like both pieces because I feel that they represent a lot about me and the writing that I produced at UIWP.

So close, but not really…

1. What have you learned during production of Video #2?
I have learned that the littlest thing in editing takes an GINORMOUS amount of time. I have learned never to think I’ll be done in 5 minutes.

2. What are the major challenges you encountered?
I had some challenges with sound. I initially recorded on a flip cam and imovie didn’t really like that. So, I reverted back to recording directly into imovie, which was a better option.  I also simply ran out of time, so the quality of all components was not where I wanted it to be.

3. What are your plans for the evening?

Well, I’m writing this at 8:37 am, so last evening I put the kids down and I pretty much worked on the video =)

Thumbs up for “Why School?”

Rose truly has a gift. I am enamored by his gift of writing and also by him as a person. There were multiple times throughout the text that I had the urge to write down various quotes because I wanted to hold onto his words for a bit longer and I had to sit back for a few moments to think about his thoughts and ideas about schooling.  These are some of the big ideas:

• He offers a model for an educational program that of necessity meets educational, psychological and social needs in an integrated and comprehensive way.
• The kinds of opportunity we make available are profoundly affected by what we think education is for.
• What is the idea of opportunity?  We cannot have this mentality that we all have access to the same opportunities when in reality our values and beliefs are passed down from our family.  The social class of one’s parents is affected by a whole range of factors.
• We are trapped in a language of schooling that stresses economics, accountability, and compliance.  This language is not one that inspires.
• One of the contemporary forces shaping the way we think and talk about school has been the proliferation of high-stakes, standardized testing, exemplified in our day by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  What kind of education does a program of testing foster?  That question resonates with an even more basic one: what kind of education befits a democratic society?  Rose’s hope is that we debate the merits and flaws of programs like NCLB and develop more fitting ways to talk about children and the schools that shape their lives.  The current drive to enact and enforce standards by statistical measures dominates schooling. But what effects do such measure have on instruction—standardized measures can limit the development of competence by driving curricula toward the narrow demands of test prep instead of allowing teachers to immerse students in complex problem solving and rich use of language.

Overall, I felt that this book of essays was a charge to educators, parents, and students alike to be more reflective about our thoughts, attitudes, and assumptions on education.  He writes, “Reflection will enable us to reframe the discussion of standards, moving it away from the either-or polarities of equality versus excellence.”  I also am challenged to think about my own students as I plan and teach.  We cannot leave out their histories and cultures as we plan our lessons and units, they must be a part of it. 

Response to Writing to learn vs. Writing for assessment

Anytime we can add thoughtfulness, voice, and creativity to a standard five paragraph essay it’s something to hold onto.  I agree that it’s essential to give kids meaningful opportunities to go back to their writing and to provide tools in the revision process.  The chart provides a scaffold for kids to be reflective and to clearly organize their thoughts.  I also think this would be a neat activity to do with a peer– possibly having a peer work on the front part and if they are able to pick out the subtopics and supports/details for each and then coming back together and swapping papers. This would also provide students with an understanding if someone else got the message that was trying to be conveyed.

I did an activity similar to this when my fifth graders were preparing for the writing portion of the ISATs. After I assessed their papers using the ISAT rubric, they would go through it and highlight their topic sentence, subtopics and support/details for each in different colors. Through this they were able to reflect if the essay had all the “necessary parts,” if it was cohesive, and if there was enough support. And then there was a reflective piece they would work on with a peer.  The students found this to be meaningful and helpful because they were able to have another look at their essays and they also liked getting different perspectives from their peers.

For the second video I’m thinking about…

Growing up in an immigrant family, I did not have access to many of the same resources that my peers did.  I envied the opportunities and experiences that they had readily available to them: going to Brownies with their moms, sharing the highs and lows of their day in English at family dinners, and having bedtime stories read to them.  A bedtime story may seem to be a literacy event that most families practice.  However, this was not the case in my home.  My parents deeply valued education and they emulated many of the characteristics described in “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.”  How could parents value education, yet not read to their children? This is one of the main points I will make in this video, as well as how my own values, beliefs, and experiences with literacy have shaped the way I raise my own children.

Response to Why School?

A few things that resonate with me:

• I appreciate Rose’s perspective. He writes, “Because education became such a source of meaning in my own life—saved it really—I’ve been attuned to the different ways children give expression to the sense that a particular teacher’s classroom is a good place for them”…(p. 33).  He speaks from his own schooling experience and is able to pair it with his own research. He comes with a particular lens and he offers a different way to see education today.
• He paints pictures through vignettes that make you feel like you are there and stirs a mix of emotions.  He writes, “Schooling like this is a powerful thing to witness.  And a powerful thing to go through. Over time, you see, you feel something: it’s the experience of democracy itself.  The free play of inquiry.  The affirmation of human ability” (p. 41). 
• Refers to an appeal for “binocular vision” when regarding poor kids in school, a vision that affords both damage and promise, that enables one to be mindful of the barriers to achievement and still nurture the possible.
• He also discusses NCLB and does not simply attack the standardized testing and this high-stakes era, yet he poignantly asks to consider NCLB in broader terms and posits a larger question: “what kind of education befits a democratic society?”  Rose’s hope is that we can learn to debate the merits and flaws of programs like NCLB and develop more fitting ways to talk about children and the schools that shape their lives.
• So far, so good =) 

Reflection of The 9 Rights of Every Writer-Race, language, and culture matter

Race, language, and culture matter

After our book discussion today I brainstormed other rights that I would possibly add to The 9 Rights of Every Writer.  I am not sure if I would make this a 10th right, but I do think it’s important to address aspects of race, language, and culture.  Although, this is a text on writing and not a policy text, I still think these topics are essential within writing because these issues may determine what we write about.  Overall, I agreed with Spandel’s stance and I found it to be quite similar to other books about writer’s workshop.  I am the first to admit that Donald Graves, Nancy Atwell, Ralph Fletcher, and Lucy Calkins have changed the face of writing instruction in the elementary and middle school classrooms.  During my beginning years teaching, I actually placed Nancy Atwell and Ralph Fletcher on a pedestal and I basically worshiped them.  They inspired me to approach the way I taught writing as a dynamic process and I also learned to engage in writing with my students.  However, at times I found myself thinking about summer vacations to a lakehouse or experiences in the woods like they so often wrote about.  As I tried to brainstorm topics like these, I realized that I did not share these common experiences and I almost thought I should make them up.  Later, I came to realize that we should foster an environment where all experiences are welcomed and that many of the examples provided are extremely cultural.

That said, I think that a lot of what is written in this text as well as other texts that write about writer’s workshop are suited for the white middle to upper class majority.  She does not address writing for English language learners and the examples provided seem geared toward the larger majority.  We see in Because Writing Matters (National Writing Project & Nagin, 2003) that it is apparent that classrooms in America are becoming extremely diverse and teachers need to do whatever they can to meet the literacy needs of all their learners.  Garcia (2000) also shares that ELLs will represent 25% of the total student population in 2026.  Additionally, there is the issue of class, if one does not have access to certain experiences does that mean they have less to write about?  I wonder what her thoughts would be on this and if she would still approach writing the same way with a wide array of diverse learners.

I guess more than anything it’s important to consider perspective. Vicki Spandel comes with a certain perspective.  An example of this is her notion of what it means to be reflective (“at the Boundary Waters, a country of pristine wilderness”) is one that is cultural.  I am sure that many students that we teach may not have had nor may ever have an experience like this to relate to.  Not only is this a cultural image of what it means to be reflective that may resonate with some people, it’s also connected what we have access to.  I agree with Kaia’s comment in our discussion that all of these rights are free and I appreciate this notion that anyone can be a writer.  However, although these rights are free, the experiences that are valued in our dominant society do not come free of charge and require more access and cost.  I would hope as educators that we would not place more value on certain experiences over others.

Reflection of Week 1-All sorts of fun

UIWP has been an enlightening experience–it is basically a writing intensive boot camp, but it’s definitely been a valuable experience for me.  I’ve enjoyed how the projects are varied, yet how they are all centered around writing.  The 9 Rights of Every Writer was a perfect place to begin and to springboard our notions of writing.  I also have benefited from the demonstrations this week and I have taken away things that I know I would like to investigate further.  Writing group was also a meaningful time to look deeply into our own “writerly lives” and take risks in sharing our own writing with others.   Initially this was a frightening experience, but my writing group members were quite gracious 😉 and I’m looking forward to sharing more writing with them and reading their work as well.

The experience I found to be most meaningful was interviewing our partners about their literacy practices.  I had the privileged of interviewing Katie and it was a eye-opening experience to think about our own literacy values and practices and how they were influenced or not influenced from our parent’s values and beliefs concerning literacy.  My parents immigrated from Korea and they were assimilating into American culture, trying to make a living, and raising 3 children.  Their impetus for immigrating was to provide a better life for their children.  Education was and is of paramount importance to my parents.  However, from an outsider’s perspective it may not have seemed that way.  This notion of being read to and the “bedtime story” came up in our interviews and I was rarely read to from my parents.  Actually, I don’t even recall a time when they read a bedtime story to me.

However, it’s interesting because I read to my kids all throughout the day and we close our night time with a few good books.  I wondered why even though my own family experiences did not revolve around the cultural phenomenon of a bedtime story, I still choose to practice it with my own children.  It made me think about a few things: I am extremely thankful for my parents and the ways they sacrificed so that I could have opportunities that were not available to them and it became even more evident to me that within each culture there are a myriad of literacy practices– where one is not better or more valuable than another.

I am looking forward to what the next 3 weeks have in store.