Literacy With an Attitude
When I examine and reflect on the authour’s work, one word continues to swirl around in my mind and this POWER. The notion of who has it and how it has been transferred from one group to another. How it remains elusive for so many and that the struggle to achieve it can be disheartening. It then unfolds to the notion of empowerment, empowering and the many forms power can take, almost this amorphous blob that can be shaped for the good of a group or be used to oppress a group.
I did not realize the power that literacy possessed and the power that lies in how we communicate what literacy means….that it is a step beyond the conventional notion of reading and writing. It is how one interacts with their environment and defines who they are. After reading his work, it would suggest that I am one of the fortunate members of society who was given the opportunity to achieve information literacy. It seems it is almost subconscious, this subversive element that enters the lives of teachers and as we begin to segregate kids into these various vessels, and decide what they can handle and what we pour into them. There was a level of uneasiness created on a number of fronts that began to eat at me.
The first being that I was somehow given an upper hand based solely on my social status growing up. That somewhere in Toronto another group of kids is being exposed to literacy in a different way. A method that did not provide them with the powerful aspect of literacy and did not deliver literacy’s full potential. Let’s make them functionally literate, so that they can subsist in this world but not enough to rock the boat of injustice that they faced.
Where I was being asked to question, examine, alter meanings and interact with my world, there was this other group being fed a different form of literacy that would keep things as the status quo. Again, I was unaware of the power of literacy because for me the scope had always been so narrow…reading and writing. But who knew that it was so much more than words on a page. The ability to confront one’s place on some defined pecking order.
However, I was also bothered by the elements that we as teachers are the catalysts of some of this “disempowerment” if you will. Reading these elements had me racing through my mental roll-a-dex searching for any clue, am I the teacher represented by the working class or gentry? Do I predetermine how my students will learn and force them into a life less then their potential? Is it me or is it them? Do I view this (teaching what we do) as some eternal struggle (where I most hoist battle gear) where I am battling an army of malcontents full of malaise?
Did it matter where I taught, does the site of apartment buildings or row housing automatically alter my perceptions of the minds entering our institutions. If the streets are tree-lined and birds are singing, do I expect these students to be the one’s who change our world for the better and thus I must make sure to stimulate their minds and provide them with the literacy tools to empowerment. When they have a step up on the power scale. No boost needed here, merely completing the ordained task.
The authour would have us believe that this does exist and cites examples and history to convey his message. I guess I cannot argue because there is factual evidence laid out. My next straw to grasp was that this an American phenomenon with their flawed funding formulas and disparity in neighbourhoods. Surely, not in the land of equality that is Canada.
But unfortunately and with a rise in my discomfort level, yes it exists here too. Maybe not as overtly and not with the same cruel intentions as keeping the status quo in the power rankings but out of a sense of frustration (which makes it no better) or the blatant no one expects much out of these kids, so I can do less for the same pay (blasphemy). I was fortunate to work with some absolutely outstanding teachers in an inner-city neighbourhood, who expected outcomes similar to schools of gentry and privilege. The teachers worked tirelessly for the students moved beyond the traditional literacy presented, engaged them, worked their world into the classroom. Had an answer for the questions...”Why do we have to do this?” The answer was not always appreciated but respected and understood sometimes later on with a student response, “Ohhh, I get why?”
So, my discomfort level eased slightly, there are teachers working extremely hard and trying to reveal to students what power comes from being a literate member of society.
Another alarming and frustrating notion raised in the book, was represented by the “lads” and other groups. This us versus them mentality that begins to seep into one’s mind, when not feeling part of the group or being left out. Or as the authour describes one child’s aspirations to maybe go onto higher education and the mother’s worried reaction that he will no longer be able to connect and relate to his family. So, not only is the child being squeezed from the outside but now within. This truly bothered me.
This should not be a relationship with us versus them but a mutually respected discourse between two groups trying to achieve something from the greater good. And yes maybe the power structures set up by the power brokers, has not created the best atmosphere out there but when students are beginning to grasp the potential and power of literacy, nor should they be torn from this as turning their back on where they come from. It should be seen as just going somewhere new and where you can always return home with a powerful new perspective or even change the status quo.
Literacy the power it possesses and the powers that oppress it are at times enough to question why and leave things as they are.
The authour does leave me with a sense of hope. One that truly already existed, having seen the power of effective teaching practises in literacy. Nothing new on the front in terms of what makes powerful teaching. We have heard all this before. Things learned in a contextual manner for students will resonate the most. Creating an environment and providing the tools for success – compassion, respect, order, discipline (shared not merely one way) will foster learning. Empowering students to make a difference and expecting them to achieve their greatest potential without limits will lead to information literacy and ultimately – power.
Making sure there is no clashing between the primary discourse and secondary discourse of our students. Helping students to identify that they possess literacy and it is valid in their primary discourse will lead to acceptance of literacy in the secondary discourse and break down some of the impediments to seeing the successes out there. Students have the ability to function extremely well within both sets of discourse. Being literate in one discourse is of no greater value than the other. In fact we as teachers need to communicate to students that having literacy in both sets of discourse is extremely - powerful.
What I am left with is this. Literacy has the power to elevate or oppress. It is up to all stakeholders to realize this from the teachers looking at how we deliver our curriculum and expectations, to the community realizing the importance of literacy no matter what strata of society you operate in. The only way we can ensure the power is shared equally is to share the responsibility equally. But we as teachers hold the match that can strike the flame and need to realize if no one else is willing to change, we need to make sure we do the best to light the fuse.
When I examine and reflect on the authour’s work, one word continues to swirl around in my mind and this POWER. The notion of who has it and how it has been transferred from one group to another. How it remains elusive for so many and that the struggle to achieve it can be disheartening. It then unfolds to the notion of empowerment, empowering and the many forms power can take, almost this amorphous blob that can be shaped for the good of a group or be used to oppress a group.
I did not realize the power that literacy possessed and the power that lies in how we communicate what literacy means….that it is a step beyond the conventional notion of reading and writing. It is how one interacts with their environment and defines who they are. After reading his work, it would suggest that I am one of the fortunate members of society who was given the opportunity to achieve information literacy. It seems it is almost subconscious, this subversive element that enters the lives of teachers and as we begin to segregate kids into these various vessels, and decide what they can handle and what we pour into them. There was a level of uneasiness created on a number of fronts that began to eat at me.
The first being that I was somehow given an upper hand based solely on my social status growing up. That somewhere in Toronto another group of kids is being exposed to literacy in a different way. A method that did not provide them with the powerful aspect of literacy and did not deliver literacy’s full potential. Let’s make them functionally literate, so that they can subsist in this world but not enough to rock the boat of injustice that they faced.
Where I was being asked to question, examine, alter meanings and interact with my world, there was this other group being fed a different form of literacy that would keep things as the status quo. Again, I was unaware of the power of literacy because for me the scope had always been so narrow…reading and writing. But who knew that it was so much more than words on a page. The ability to confront one’s place on some defined pecking order.
However, I was also bothered by the elements that we as teachers are the catalysts of some of this “disempowerment” if you will. Reading these elements had me racing through my mental roll-a-dex searching for any clue, am I the teacher represented by the working class or gentry? Do I predetermine how my students will learn and force them into a life less then their potential? Is it me or is it them? Do I view this (teaching what we do) as some eternal struggle (where I most hoist battle gear) where I am battling an army of malcontents full of malaise?
Did it matter where I taught, does the site of apartment buildings or row housing automatically alter my perceptions of the minds entering our institutions. If the streets are tree-lined and birds are singing, do I expect these students to be the one’s who change our world for the better and thus I must make sure to stimulate their minds and provide them with the literacy tools to empowerment. When they have a step up on the power scale. No boost needed here, merely completing the ordained task.
The authour would have us believe that this does exist and cites examples and history to convey his message. I guess I cannot argue because there is factual evidence laid out. My next straw to grasp was that this an American phenomenon with their flawed funding formulas and disparity in neighbourhoods. Surely, not in the land of equality that is Canada.
But unfortunately and with a rise in my discomfort level, yes it exists here too. Maybe not as overtly and not with the same cruel intentions as keeping the status quo in the power rankings but out of a sense of frustration (which makes it no better) or the blatant no one expects much out of these kids, so I can do less for the same pay (blasphemy). I was fortunate to work with some absolutely outstanding teachers in an inner-city neighbourhood, who expected outcomes similar to schools of gentry and privilege. The teachers worked tirelessly for the students moved beyond the traditional literacy presented, engaged them, worked their world into the classroom. Had an answer for the questions...”Why do we have to do this?” The answer was not always appreciated but respected and understood sometimes later on with a student response, “Ohhh, I get why?”
So, my discomfort level eased slightly, there are teachers working extremely hard and trying to reveal to students what power comes from being a literate member of society.
Another alarming and frustrating notion raised in the book, was represented by the “lads” and other groups. This us versus them mentality that begins to seep into one’s mind, when not feeling part of the group or being left out. Or as the authour describes one child’s aspirations to maybe go onto higher education and the mother’s worried reaction that he will no longer be able to connect and relate to his family. So, not only is the child being squeezed from the outside but now within. This truly bothered me.
This should not be a relationship with us versus them but a mutually respected discourse between two groups trying to achieve something from the greater good. And yes maybe the power structures set up by the power brokers, has not created the best atmosphere out there but when students are beginning to grasp the potential and power of literacy, nor should they be torn from this as turning their back on where they come from. It should be seen as just going somewhere new and where you can always return home with a powerful new perspective or even change the status quo.
Literacy the power it possesses and the powers that oppress it are at times enough to question why and leave things as they are.
The authour does leave me with a sense of hope. One that truly already existed, having seen the power of effective teaching practises in literacy. Nothing new on the front in terms of what makes powerful teaching. We have heard all this before. Things learned in a contextual manner for students will resonate the most. Creating an environment and providing the tools for success – compassion, respect, order, discipline (shared not merely one way) will foster learning. Empowering students to make a difference and expecting them to achieve their greatest potential without limits will lead to information literacy and ultimately – power.
Making sure there is no clashing between the primary discourse and secondary discourse of our students. Helping students to identify that they possess literacy and it is valid in their primary discourse will lead to acceptance of literacy in the secondary discourse and break down some of the impediments to seeing the successes out there. Students have the ability to function extremely well within both sets of discourse. Being literate in one discourse is of no greater value than the other. In fact we as teachers need to communicate to students that having literacy in both sets of discourse is extremely - powerful.
What I am left with is this. Literacy has the power to elevate or oppress. It is up to all stakeholders to realize this from the teachers looking at how we deliver our curriculum and expectations, to the community realizing the importance of literacy no matter what strata of society you operate in. The only way we can ensure the power is shared equally is to share the responsibility equally. But we as teachers hold the match that can strike the flame and need to realize if no one else is willing to change, we need to make sure we do the best to light the fuse.
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