Why Can't She Remember That?

1. "Despite such culturally influenced differences,however the findings of this body of research clearly underscore the fact that children from every linguistic community learn to use language in highly complex and that provide a strong linguistic foundation for teachers to build on in literacy instruction."

When, I first read this statement from this article I strongly disagreed with it. I disagreed with it because yes, they may of a good foundation for literacy, but it's in their own language so when this children try to learn English it just puts them back more. I say this because English is such a complex language that it's difficult to learn and if these kids already have mastered another language then it makes it almost impossible for a positive success rate. However, as I kept reading I saw what Meier meant by this statement. Children at home that learn from their parents or surroundings are extremely intelligent even at such a young age that instead of thinking they are so far behind, we should have a mind set that these kids are smart. People like me that come in with that wrong mindset make wrong assumptions about these children and maybe thats where the problem is or at least thats where it starts. It's truly unfortunate.

2. "From these book reading experiences, many children acquire an extensive book-based vocabulary and absorb important cultural lessons about things like gender roles, family relationships, and the nature of friendship."

You know it's amazing how true this excerpt from this article is. I remember as a little kid learning so many words or applying what happens in a book like "Where the Wild Things Are" to my everyday life. As a youngster the books that you read are your biggest influence aside from your parents. The books are your role models and by reading this article it looks as though that same mind set still takes place even today. I love how something so little such as a storybook has such a large impact on someone's life. I mean in a way that puts a lot of pressure on those children book authors because what they write can literally change a child's life. Yet at the same time it's awesome because these books can be a positive foundation for children. The books are their lives.

3. "The teacher's likely assumption in this case was that Gabriela did not know the answer to the question, possibly leading to the conclusion that she needed more simplified instruction, or perhaps more English-language vocabulary, rather than more interesting questions."

After reading about Gabriela and all of the other children that were used as examples, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. These children most of the time are probably more intelligent than we expect and they are so intelligent to point that in their mind we look like the non-intelligent ones. In a way it sounds a little bizarre, but it makes complete sense. The examples that Meier provides after this piece is a great teaching strategy. If we make the books come to life or we as educators ask to our students more interesting rather than repetitive simple ones the truth will show. This quote is definitely one of the more eye-opening statements I've read. It leads back to the discussion by the various authors like Delpit that discuss discrimination in the classroom. It's not cool man..

Overall, this whole article was probably the best one that I'v read all semester. It didn't pick sides on race or try to display racism, it simply gave facts and backed up those facts. Meier did have a lot of great strategies in the classroom and I admire his willingness to take different outlooks on situation in the classroom. I was extremely interested with this reading because it's amazing how something as little as a storybook can have such a huge impact. One question that arose to me was how often do wrong assumptions take place in a classroom? We should seriously re-look how we teach certain things as educators. This reading reminded a lot of all the readings that we have read because each presents a piece on discrimination in the classroom and this article exploits that exact issue. Truly the best article so far.