Can Three Months Erase Previous Experiences?

This week I read Sterzuk’s article on Indigenous English and Standard English Ideology which looked at a group of pre service teachers in Saskatchewan who are very similar to our Gamma group. She highlighted that the ease in which people take on such persisting views of the “right” language is a common aspect of White settler childhoods. While we, pre service teachers, learn about Indigenous English as varieties in English that are spoken by First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people, we come to know that it is our main stream views of English that need to change in order to create equitable classrooms. Sterzuk asked important questions when analysing her student’s essays. She questioned if their personal changes that they spoke of regarding their views of the power of language were really “real” changes and if three months of their lessons could really erase their previous experiences?

I feel that we all know that our previous experiences will always be with us and they truly do make us who we are today. We will never be able to truly erase our previous experiences, nor will we be able to not recognize that our surroundings, socialisation, and history make us who we are today. With that being said everyday my education creates more life experiences that also shape me immensely. I have learned to recognize my privilege as well as question why I think the way I do.  I see this change in myself at many dinner table gatherings when my family and friends gather and I end up cringing at some of the things that are said and believed. If I remained solely a part of this group, as I did when I was young, I would most likely have similar views as my peers. I truly do not believe that I would be cringing if it was not for my education that has changed me into a different version of myself. Unfortunately there are also times that I feel this same cringe like feeling over people’s behaviours at the University and schools as well. However, I’m sure I have made similar ignorant acts myself.

I believe that classes such as these, including Sterzuk’s, may not create new wonderful individuals, but they do provide the education that one needs to grow and become a better self if one is prepared to use it. Sterzuk needs to realize that those three months of lessons are not all for nothing when it comes to rural Saskatchewan students and that even creating critical thinkers and having them question themselves is a huge step towards creating better more equitable teachers.

-Week 4, Sarah

A good reader = A good person?

First off I would like to briefly summarize the article I read this week. Ladson Billings’ discusses the need for teachers to talk about race and explore how literacy and race are connected in diverse classrooms. She points out that teachers often avoid talking about race. She argues that the technical reasons for reading failure mask more powerful social structures and symbolic ones in U.S culture. As I read on I found that I was most struck when Billings explained that children equate being a good reader with being a good person.

At first I felt shocked and sad that children think this, but I also understand that this is probably true. There is a sense of pride that goes hand in hand with one’s ability to read and speak well according to Standard English codes. It is even more important to understand that those who are struggling with their reading might feel like they are bad people and that this needs to change. Teachers need to battle the trend where they grant certain children “permission to fail”, usually those who are from visible minorities, and approach these students with high expectations. The other articles we read also stressed the importance of allowing creoles and dialects to be used in the classroom because this use allows students to be more confident when they learn as they can express themselves in an open comfortable way.

Although I am a white privileged student I think that I can somewhat understand how children and youth reflect their literacy skills to their own self worth. In class this week someone mentioned that it is frustrating when proper grammar is not used correctly because it is simple to learn. Then a comment was even made that perhaps now we are just too lazy to learn it. This struck me because I feel that have, and still do, struggle with grammar, spelling, and phonics. However I do not connect this struggle to my lack of trying to master it. I remember my parents buying and having me play multiple word and spelling games for years. I am constantly looking up words and often feel frustrated when I continuously fail. I recently purchased a book with grammar codes and tips. I find myself thinking I can never be a successful English teacher if I can’t even spell soldier. In fact I even spelt grammar as grammer in my notes today! Some days my struggles really affect me and make me feel extremely discouraged and down. In university I feel like I have less to offer because my peers excel in what I struggle with. So I feel like is it most  important to make sure these struggling students realize that they have so much to offer in many other areas. Like myself, students might feel down due to their literacy struggles, yet they have so much more to offer and need to be recognized for those attributes to. This is when I have to remind myself that it’s not just about spelling and grammar, but about my passion and love for knowledge. However, my story is different because I am privileged and this article was discussing how race is a factor in literacy success and that we need to think about how Whiteness is often conferred on students and that this really needs to change.

-Sarah, Week 3

Standard English

         This week in class the focus was on the concept of Standard English. Before this week my understanding of Standard English was at a beginner’s level. I now, however, am unsure if I am even more confused about Standard English or more knowledgeable.  With that being said, if the answer to that question is that I am more confused, I think that it is because I am thinking about this at a deeper level now. When I look up Standard English online I find conflicting definitions. Based on our reading “Standard English: What it Isn’t” by Trudgill I think it will help me if I write these ideas here about what Standard English might be.

Standard English

What it isn’t	What it is
-a language (because it is only one variety of English among many) -an accent -a style (formal vs. informal) -a register (matter of lexis) -geographically restricted	-the processes of language determination, codification and stabilisation -it follows a code -a dialect (that is the most important in the English speaking world from a social, intellectual and cultural point of view) -one variety of English among many - purely social dialect (which is distinguished from other dialects of the language by its grammatical forms)

So what does this all mean? Today while students were typing letters regarding their own self assessment I had one student ask me, “how come we sound so much more smarter when we are typing?” This got me considering Standard English. When we put our thoughts into writing we consider the language codes and piece our words together knowing that the finished product will be held up to a specific standard. However, when we speak sometimes these codes do not always have the same amount of influence on us and how we decide to speak. This example also shows that power is gained by using Standard English. Here typing her thoughts showed her and others that she was truly intelligent. Those who can show their intelligence by using Standard English gain power from this social action becasue it is often socially connected to ones intelligence.

-Sarah A, Week 2.

The construction of Knowledge - As seen in film

While watching Mona Lisa Smile and thinking about how knowledge is constructed, there were a few scenes that made me think about the nature of knowledge and how one accepts certain knowledge as the Truth. One particular scene that stood out to me was where the Art teacher Katherine Ann Watson is sitting in a meeting with the Collages head officials and they make note of her thesis paper. I hope I can get this right but it was something like, that Picasso will be a great artist to watch as he will be influential in movements, similar to Michelangelo.  Here the man addresses her thesis as if it was a bit comical and useless and even questions the teacher if she has ever even been to Europe before, as if to say you can’t possibly be comparing Picasso to Michelangelo. Watching this today we know this is either funny or thought provoking because Picasso has truly made his mark in the world today. It is most likely because this teacher is not a Doctor yet, a woman, and challenges mainstream views, that her knowledge is cast aside by others as unworthy and insignificant. It has use ask, does one have to go to the Sistine Chapel to understand art?

When the absolute Truth as we know it is questioned does its followers usually resist new knowledge by devaluing it and understanding it as not quite good enough to be true knowledge? It seems that sometimes many people have to accept the knowledge before it is deemed absolute, however there are also times where an influential “right” particular person can declare ideas as the Truth. It is important to realize that knowledge is constructed and the value of different knowledge is controlled by powerful structures. This film and this particular scene opened my mind to understanding how we all are capable of creating knowledge, but powerful structures often influence people in what they think is valuable knowledge.

-Week 1