Nonstandard, socially marked dialects do prevent people from succeeding in the middle-class world, but they do not prevent people from learning to read and write. (Purcell-Gates)
REACTION:
This reading was very moving, it felt as though I was watching this mother trying desperately to get someone to help her son learn to read and write. As a parent I understand the desire for your children to become more successful in life than they have been capable of doing. I know someone the recently graduated from one of the public schools here in West Virginia that can barely read or write. The situation was much like that of Donny in the reading. This person is a very smart and intelligent person; their experiences and expertise are not in literacy. However, the teachers that this person has had throughout school have failed them terribly. Teachers should try and teach all students to perform to the best of their abilities and that they are capable of great things with hard work and determination.
REFERENCE:
Purcell-Gates, V. “as soon as she opened her mouth!”: issues of language, literacy, and power. (pp. 122-139).
Related Source:
The related source I chose is a very simple cartoon that shows a public schools official looking for good teachers.
The experience you shared, about the person graduating with teachers just passing them on, is both sad and frustrating. It is sad in the fact this student was failed to receive an education just because the teachers did not want to work with them. I also see it as frustrating because it is this type of teacher that gives the teaching profession a bad name.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Heather. I can't believe that people are still being pushed through without knowing how to read and/or write. We live in an age where people should be given opportunities, not be held back. It breaks my heart because I also know of people who are being lead blindly through the system. They are younger, but I still fear that, if they do not come in contact with someone who cares, they will also end up with a diploma that really means nothing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. It is very sad to me. I am positive that it is a universal problem but I wonder if it's more prevalent in WV? When I lived in Baltimore I met very few high school drop outs. Dropping out wasn't really something that most people considered. Yet when I moved to West Virginia the summer before my senior year many of the people I met were high school drop outs and it didn't seem to be a big deal to people. I didn't understand that. Many of these people were HIGHLY intelligent. Some of them told me they dropped out because they were made to. Someone told me they had issues with truancy and although they had a GPA above a 3.0 was told to drop out and get her GED or be sent away to a youth home. I have heard this scenario from many people. If a student has a high GPA but doesn't go to school perhaps they're bored and not stupid. The school system should do more for them. And the alternative of drop out and get your GED or go to a youth home-that's absurd! Now, that's just the drop out's side of the story but it makes me wonder.
ReplyDeleteThe comment above is me! -Alyssa Farley
ReplyDeleteI liked how you drew on your personal experiences. I think that is a sad reality that teachers pass students on just to get them out the door. I think the attitude is that I couldn't do anything with them, may the next teacher will be more successful. But, like I said in a previous blog, you have to have a foundation to build upon. What happens when you build a foundation with cracks? I think that by passing students on who are not ready, you are setting them up to fail.
ReplyDeleteI really like the quote you chose. Just because someone speaks differently or is from a low income home doesn't mean they can't learn to read and write and be successful in their own right. Yes, they may struggle in a world where everyone speaks "proper" or standard English but that doesn't mean they shouldn't try.
ReplyDelete