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