I stepped out of the classroom to coach this year, but when I reflect on this, this issue of passion, I find myself a victim of passionless living as well. I have worked with an at-risk population for the last twelve years and have always been very successful bringing children to literacy through their passions. I struggled these last few years with a few students, boys in particular, that were extremely hard to reach. I would say that I failed to reach more than a couple because I could not find that way into their lives that would engage them with literacy. I taught in a multi-age configuration for nearly all of the years that I taught, and in two years I could nearly alwyas find that passion at teach through it. When you combine the complications of literacy learning in a greater community which is not a strong, literate community with a lack of passion, it makes it very hard to reach these children, to bring them into the literacy club. I do not need to work hard to imagine how their struggles will snowball as they progress through the educational system.
Lori On Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:55 , William Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> sent: >Chris wrote >> Do you think that they have already buried that wonder of childhood deep >> down inside of them, thinking maybe that it is not cool? >> >I don't know. In previous years, I had students who were passionate about >their interests, but this group isn't passionate about anything. They might >say they love soccer, but they show no interest when I present a soccer >related book or magazine. > >I don't think it's a question of being "cool" even. I've had students who >were "cool" but they still secretly had a passion for something. I truly >believe that state testing has killed the spark of curiousity and wonder >that kids usually have at this age....or at any age. I think having 2000 TV >channels has created an opposite effect of not offering a smorgasboard of >ideas and interests, but allowing kids to limit themselves to one or two >channels with limited ideas and range of thought. I also think we have a >nation of kids....Not the ones younger than 18 or 21, but the ones in their >30's and 40's who are still in the self-centered stages of childhood who >haven't grown up and would rather be their kids' best buds than to actually >show some responsiblity to raise them OR WORSE they are too busy doing their >own things to actually give a hoot about their kids. > >I have no problem teaching visual literacy. I think teaching "reading" >strategies does them a disservice because all the strategies can be used in >any activity...they are merely THINKING activities (You get a splinter in >your hand. You ask questions, "how did that get there?" "how am I gonna >get it out?" You make connections, "it reminds me of the time I got that >splinter in my butt..." You make predictions, "I wonder what will happen if >I leave it alone?" "Will it hurt?" "What if it gets infected?" You >visualize, "If it gets infected, it's going to swell up like a balloon and >fill with pus and throb..." ) So I have no problem with teaching reading >for TV shows, movies, pop culture, comic books, songs, etc. but you have to >have students who can do basic thinking... > >Bill > > >_______________________________________________ >Mosaic mailing list >[email protected] >To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > >Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
