Double Entry Journal #2

     "I knew she was ignorant just as soon as she opened her mouth!" (Purcell-Gates) I chose this quote because after reading the entire chapter I still felt it was the most important sentence within the article. I was so surprised that someone could be so judgmental over language. Where would the world be today if we judged every person based on their dialect or accent? The nation we live in today is constantly growing in population and diversity! Teachers along with others should never judge "a book by it's cover". Just because someone speaks or looks differently than yourself does not mean they are ignorant or uneducated. In this case the parents of Donny did have a different dialect than the teacher and the parents came from a lower level of education. If I would have been this teacher I would have worked even harder with Donny knowing this information instead of just blaming the parents. Donny was still capable of learning and who knows he may have felt joy in teaching his own parents if his school experience may have been more positive. Schools need to meet the needs of all students and parents not matter how different they are!

1. What is literacy knowledge? Give examples of both print and non print literacy knowledge. Literacy knowledge refers to the concepts that children acquire in their preschool years in reading, writing, and printed language. As a previous day care teacher I have experienced these following examples. One day a male student at age four decided to write his mother a letter; he created numerous letters with some scribbles; when I asked him what the letter said, he spoke a complete full sentence even though the letters did not match; the boy was experiencing literacy knowledge. Another example I have was with a young female student at an early five years old; the girl asked if she could read a story to me, of course I responded yes and she began to "read" the story; even though the words she spoke were not the correct words she looked at the words and created sentences that related to the pictures present. 
2. How do stereotypes interfere with literacy instruction? Stereotypes interfere with literacy instruction because the more lower class someone seems than people immediately think they have a lower education level. Although studies show this to be true in most cases it is not always apparent and people should never just assume.
3. How do schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy instruction in school? Schools and teachers withhold a misconception that individuals of cultural difference have deficits in education. Stereotypes that the schools and teachers have about children's communities and cultures contribute to poor literacy instruction.
4. What is the relationship between language, social class, and the denial of educational opportunity? In my opinion these three subjects all link together which causes a relationship. The language one speaks is a vital marker of class-membership and social class withholds a disclaimer over individuals' will to learn. Power intertwines all of these. 
5. What are some misconceptions about the relationship between language and literacy? Individuals believe that if children/adults do not master language first than there is no hope for them when it comes to literacy. This article shows that children learn/experience language and literacy at the same time. Although your language is not fully built yet does not hold you back from experiencing literacy knowledge.
6. What can schools and teachers do to improve literacy instruction? Teachers and schools must accept, believe, and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, are ready to learn at any time, and will learn! Teachers/Schools need to evaluate their instructional strategies and accommodate instruction to meet the needs of all learners. What do they need to learn? Many factors can effect these procedures, but teachers need to improve literacy instruction by teaching in a way that it makes sense to each individual student.
7. How do you feel about use of the term "Proper English"? In my opinion this term's importance is dying out due to the diversity within our country now. Who determined what is proper and what is not? Just because someone speaks differently does not mean it is not proper. I believe their should still be guidance towards the appropriate way to speak towards different situations; for example a conversation between friends vs a conversation at an interview or etc. This term seems to always be evolving; "Proper English" was very different from when my grandpa was a kid and from when I was a kid. In my opinion, proper English was created to emphasize the difference in social class and cultures.

    

     "They wanted raw materials for their factories, and the mountains had them. Our mountains were covered with the largest and oldest hardwood forest that people had ever seen. The coal deposits were the richest in the world. Industrialization came here like a cyclone roaring through the mountains" (O'brien, 2003). This quote had meaning to me because this is happening drastically in the area of my hometown. Companies are coming in, taking our land, and the profit they make with it. I live in Silver Lake, Preston County which is located just a few miles outside of Tucker County. Within the last decade our trees are disappearing due to industrialization. I lived in a beautiful holler with mountains in every direction, not one house to be seen, just gorgeous trees and fields. When I was in high school a company came in from a different state and tore out all the trees on the top of the mountain in my back yard and replaced them with massive turbine windmills. They built them on National Forest and the community does not even receive any profit from them. A few years ago miles and miles were clear cutted from my county due to the placement of an enormous power-line. And now oil drilling companies are coming into my community offering people cash to drill on their land. When will it stop!? And on top of all this you have families moving out into the country cutting trees to build homes. My home's surrounding area has changed so much in the past decade and it makes me sad. I loved it there because of the nature and landscape; out of staters are ruining our land and taking the profits to benefit others. I just hope that us West Virginians, us "hillbillies" they would say, will stick together and fight for our land! I'm a friend of coal and employment for our state... Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.

     

     I chose to use the book, Tucker County, because the volume tells the story of Tucker County's history through the visual records of its communities, families, and industries. It shows and tells us stories from every aspect; it also contains great pictures! To look inside visit Amazon. If you want to learn more about West Virginia and it's people I suggest you read this book. The family's stories are my favorite.

Citations:

•  O'brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of Appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html
•  Purcell-Gates, V. P. G. (n.d.). As soon as she opened her mouth!: Issues of language,literacy, and power. In The skin we speak. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vMGQxMjI1OTEtMjAyZS00NzJmLTg1OTUtODlmMGQ0ZDIxOTVk/edit?hl=en_US
•  Tucker county. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2283640.Tucker_County 
•  Tucker county. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Tucker-County-WV-Images-America/dp/073851800X