Friday, March 5, 2010
A World Without Print
When reading "A World Without Print" I found the situation Donny and his mother were in to be very interesting. I think we don't really understand the importance of reading. I think the school system should have done a better job preparing Donny to move into the next grade level. It did Donny no good by passing him if he was never going to understand the material especially since it was only going to get harder. I could really connect with the quote "its hard not knowing how to read. Some people think its easy... just sit down and do it. But it ain't" (Victoria Purcell-Gates, 403). Reading and writing are very difficult things to learn and most people don't take that into consideration. A lot of time and practice is needed to learn anything but especially a language. What our parents teach us at a young age really does make a difference in our ability to learn in the future.
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Yes..I think Purcell-Gates was trying to point out that Donny couldn't learn to read no matter what the school did (or didn't do) for him because he had grown up in a world where the printed word had no functionality for him.
ReplyDeleteIt's frustrating to me that many people seem to grow up in this predicament. Many people including myself forget how long it took us to learn how to read, write and even speak correctly. For some people it takes longer than others but it still takes at least 5-7 years to even learn the alphabet, the most basic component of reading and writing. And even so, most people have adults and older children that are there to help the learning process along. I can't imagine where I would be in my reading and writing skills if I hadn't had somebody there to help me a long. It's heartbreaking to think that a lot of kids don't.
ReplyDeleteI thought the story of Donny and his mother in "A world without print" was unfortunately a realistic snapshot of the world in which we live. It is interesting reading this essay and studying the statistics we did last Wednesday because this is an issue that is somehow swept underneath the rug of denial in America. Of course as we read and uncover this subject of illiteracy, it seems obvious to begin to wonder who is to blame? What can we do? In this instance, it seems reasonable to blame the school for not recognizing Donny's disengagement in the classroom when asked to read, or observing how he completed his assignments (through measuring the space in the blanks, using words that visually fit). However, is it possible for teachers to assess and recognize each students academic struggles in our overcrowded classrooms? Even so, how can a teacher begin to construct an all inclusive curriculum that engages each student according to their own unique learning styles? What are the conditions outside of the classroom? Despite the fact that we live in a very literal society, how then can some families maneuver through life without ever seeking help?
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Donny and his mother, illiteracy almost seemed to be naturally accepted. Most of their family members were illiterate and yet they managed to survive...Perhaps the most difficult task was trying to figure out a way for Donny to view reading as valuable, especially since he managed to move through life with ease. Donny's mother is often a rare case, most illiterate people, especially adults are more difficult to teach because there is no longer a desire...My question is how can we as teachers engage the mind that has lost all hope? How can we cultivate inspiration?
I don't think anyone is to blame, necessarily. And I don't think the situation is hopeless. But we can't push to problem under the rug.
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