Supporting Readers of All Abilities

All of the readings state that representation is important, whether it be in the texts they engage with or the teachers that they see. People need to see people of similar race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or any other type of identity definer in positions of respect. I was talking with my friend about it and I realized I have my own bias. Before I thought representation was important and as a white female, I knew that I don’t necessarily meet those standards of representing un-represented peoples and I really took to heart about what my ED 210 teacher said, “anyone can teach anyone, I don’t have to change myself to try to relate to my students.” She then made a joke about how she wasn’t going to start rapping to African American students, and while it may have been an inappropriate comment, I understand what she is saying. You have to be yourself, while also making sure your students needs are being met. Obviously in teaching, you can show your personality and be yourself, but you must meet the needs of your students. This means being culturally competent and understanding your students. They need to see themselves in your classroom. A big debate in current education is allowing students to use certain “language.” This is seen in the Books like Clothes reading when the students have a conversation with one another. When do you tell students they’re not allowed to use certain language. Are you not taking away from their identities? I have been taught to tell students there is school language and language they use at home. I think this may take away from the validity of students identities and from who they are as people. I personally have a hard time finding a line with telling students what they can and can’t say. The reading suggests that taking language away from the students takes away from their ability to engage with each other and the text. “despite having controversial lineages— operated in an intimate cultural-linguistic tradition not uncommon to young Black male interlocutors who frequently and playfully alter word meanings and spellings (Smitherman, 1999). As such, the terms residing in their readings deserve some discussion. Liberalities with language exemplify the deeper connections the two young men were making through the use of The Iliad/The Ill. Not only did the two young men understand the texts, they used the texts to understand themselves. This is evident in Derrick and Tony’s exchange, where Achilles and Paris become symbols for self-expression. This form of self-expression does more than just appropriate characters from a text: It interprets the text and its characters in rich, meaningful ways.” This is why I have a hard time drawing these lines. When are you taking away from a students identity and when is it appropriate to tell them to not use certain language? You must ask questions like the ones posed in the Books like Clothes readings, “how might they wear books like clothes?” In a math sense, I would ask how can they see themselves in the math they are doing. I think it goes further than simply putting their name in a math problem. They must relate to the math they are doing, no matter their identity. Engaging with texts and the learning happening in the classroom is of utmost importance. Kirkland put it best when he said that engaging in the classroom is rarely about just performing the necessary basics of the skills in the class (reading, writing, doing math); “It is about who they are, what they believe, and who they want others to see them as.” Students do not lose their identity when they walk into a classroom and neither do you; however, it does not mean there is no opportunity to find common ground, but you must meet your students half way. The last paragraph from Modeling as a Multidimensional Cultural Space sums up the ideas in the readings very well. “Engaging in acts of complex problem solving entail emotional and social commitments as well. Learning is optimized when students understand how to navigate such intellectual spaces and how exerting effort to make sense aligns with the kinds of life challenges described in the Introduction,  it is particularly important that teachers and curriculum designers consciously attend to these multiple, dynamically interrelated dimensions of learning.” This can only be done if students are seen as who they want to be seen as. Students must feel confident in their identities and who they are. This is not possible if their teachers do not create a safe environment for them to fully engage in, if they do not engage an environment that they can fully participate in and have a say in. In order to support our students we must see them for who they are, we must validate them as individuals.