Group+9+Module+2

1. What does research say about the topic?

MANDY: Research has shown that when parents and their children engage in reading, language, and litercy skills early in the child's school career has increased their success in reading achievement.

SUSANNAH: Also, that students who do have a crappy home life can succeed academically, but it is more difficult for the student. The literacy environment does not just mean the total number of books in a home, but also the family's attitude toward reading, and modeling of reading. This literacy (or lasck there of) can be affected by the family's culture and class. Research showed that, inspite of a low economic status, families could still provide strong literacy support for their children throughfamily traditions and routines. As a second year teacher next year, I will try to do more with the famlies of my students next year. It is interesting that the parents of the students we are tutoring now are reluctant to attedt the parent lessons. Because of testing, the only students in my classes that read at all are those with strong parental support for reading at home. Our kids continue to read after 3rd grade in spite of the school, not becuase of it.

PEGGY: Yes, research does show that when parents and their children engage in reading, language, and literacy skills early that it does positively effect their reading achievement. That is probably why I have observed with my guys the lack of reading success, rather I see the 14 to 19 year old boys who read only at a 3rd to 5th grade level. How sad to know their home life was so disfunctional that mom, grandma, aunt, no one read to them at a young age to show them the importance of reading, let alone that reading could be for fun.

RENEE: According to the text, research shows that there is strong evidence that parents from all cultural, linguistic and class groups perceive education to be of critical importance in their children's lives. Research also shows that the children from low income famlies used print most often in the context of entertainment, playing board games and reading T.V. Guide. I work in a Title I school and 100% of the studets receive free lunch. Many of the students do not have books at home to read. Some of their parents can not read. I have had parents that could not sign their name on an IEP and just put an X on the signature line. Many of the students do not have pencils, paper or scissors at home to complete homework. Last month I had a parent send me a note written on an opened envelope from her mail, asking me to call her. These parents love their children and want them to have more than they did and they want their children to be successful in school.

MANDY: Susannah. I liked that you mentioned the family's "attitude" toward reading. I have seen families that have the economic, typical two-family home, and the knowledge of subject matter, but choose to put other things first. What drives me crazy is when sports come before acedemics. I have seen parents, coaches, grandparents, and community members pushing the issue of athletics but not caring at all how the kids are doing in school.

PEGGY: How right you are about our society and their mixed up priorities.

SUSANNAH: Yes, amazing how universal that is and the higher the income level, the more emphasis it is given, I guess because parents are so financially committed to sports. It costs a lot. I bet if parents paid more fout of their own pocket for their children to learn to read, the sports would not be as big a priority. Too bad people need to be invested financially before they can prioritize.

2. Reconstruct ways that we can connect what we know to what we should apply?

MANDY: We know what works, storybook reading, but we need to look at multiliteracies. Multiliteracies are important when teaching studnts to read. We need to look at what parents and children do together to futher understand the literacy process. Parents and teachers can work together to better the literacy knowledge of the student's.

SUSANNAH: That is the problem - how to apply what we know that works and actually teach that way. I will do better next year. I have figured out things I can do that will clearly teach the standards and hopefully not cause too much anxiety to a principal who is under a lot of pressure about test scores. Finding out what interests the student and gearing curriculum in that direction is a help. As I progress through the practicums I have become much more confident in my own abilities to teach reading successfully.

MANDY: I know what you mean. I feel like I don't know what I am doing sometimes. But then when I am given a child to work with or a peer asks me for a strategy I can't believe that I actually know something! Be proud of yourself! You will do great next year. I have learned over the course of this process that it's so important to be able to find out student's interests in order to really reach them.

PEGGY: I agree with both of you. Finding ground for agreement of what and how to teach in our classrooms can be frustrating. Susannah I think administration needs to be in the classrooms more, they loose touch with the students. Hang in there, you're a good teacher, you will continue to find ways to improve upon your own skills.

RENEE: We know from reading the chapter that parent-child reading plays an important role in children's eventual school success. As educators we must reach out to the parents of our students to develop a partnership between school, home and community. I have heard many teachers complain about the lack of parent involvement. As educators we need to take the first step and reach out to parents.

SUSANNAH: Thank you, I am gaining a lot more confidence. I think administrators sense my ambivalence and it probably makes them want to tell me what to do. I need to gain a better backbone. Thanks for the encouragement.

PEGGY: Mandy I agree that multi-literacies is important. I also believe with our multicultural society that these literacies should involve all cultures.

3. Support partnerships with parents and other significant adults.

MANDY: Partnerships with parents enable we as teachers to work together with families. We can make connections with the families and integrate their knowledge and ours into our literacy classroom. Parent programs and partnerships through literacy not only helps the students in the classroom, but builds a solid foundation for literacy in the community.

SUSANNAH: I would like to have a program like Project FLAME at our school. Who knows, there may already be something like that that was popular one year but then got lost due to high teacher turn over, or lack of support from teachers. It is hard to give teachers something else to do. We have spent a lot of time and money on trying to contact families, but I think we need to keep trying. Whenever we advertize food and bingo at an event, many parents show up. I hope to invite the library people to our next grade level parent meeting. Students get free books, but I sometimes wonder if it would help if the parents got to choose some free books. It is particularly tough putting any demands on parents who are working so hard for so little in this poor economy.

MANDY: People are so funny. That has been my experience too.....whenever you feed them....they will come. It's expensive to have food at every event, but if it's getting people there that's the important thing. I have also found that if you offer childcare while you are talking to the parents or having a workshop, they are more open to coming. A lot of parents (including myself) do not want to have to take young children with them out of fear they will act up. Or they've been at work all day and don't want to chase a 2 year old all over the place (me). They want to come, relax, and enjoy!

RENEE: When teachers and parents come together to better the success of children, everyone wins. As teachers lets explore new ways to to bring together home and school literacies so all students can gain access to the abundance of riches in our communities.

PEGGY: I haven't had the previlege of inviting parents into the classroom or to a school function for the past 8 yrs., however, I believe it would be good to have a literacy night for parents to attend. Susannah, you are right about the food thing, it is always a draw for people at social functions, and if it works use it to be the bait so to speak. Inviting the students parent, aunt, grandma, whomever they look to as their care giver builds a sense of pride in the child. To involve them in a sharing read activity, man, imagine the pride that child would feel, "That's my mom,(grandma, aunt)!"

___ SUSANNAH'S QUESTION for Module 2: What can we do to help principal's relinquish control enough so that they can let us teach research-based strategies? I know that being sure of research base is a start, but what are some of the things you SAY to the dminstration or DO so that you can teach?

PEGGY: I don't have the problem you apparently do with your administration. My, present, administration is open to new ideas and strategies. In fact, he often asks me for new ideas or ways to present new strategies in my class.

PEGGY'S QUESTION FOR MODULE 2: What is PROJECT FLAME? Susannah: I googled it and found a brief powerpoint on it that I will upload to the discussion board under Module 2. It requires that the parents atend TWO meetings a eek and attend a training! If I got that much participation from my parents it would be a miracle! Maybe parents are more willing to find time for something called Project Flame than just finding time to read to their kids. It is a two year program that is supposed to be self supporting and continue even after it is over.