While discussing our presentation the other day in class, my group for the solving literacy problems project (Kristie, Ted, and I) talked about something really interesting: taking the citizenship test in another country. First, let me give you some background on how our conversation ended up there…

We are all writing about the issues English language learners (ELLs) face when learning the English language and what can be done to help them. We discussed younger ELLs still in the school systems and why it is so difficult to learn both social and academic English. Not enough support. Not only do a lot of school districts not allow ELLs to remain in specialized programs past a year (it is proven they usually need those programs for four to seven years to fully catch up to their peers), their parents may not speak English either. Who is helping them at home? And for that matter, who is helping their parents? We wanted our presentation to reflect this discussion. I won’t divulge the information now, but we want everyone else to consider this issue the way we are.

Back to my first thought, what would happen if we had to take the citizenship test in another country? We would need to learn the specifics of the government and history of that country, and we would need to know enough language to complete the test in the native language of that country. How long would each of us need to prepare for such a test? I suppose that depends on the difficulty of the language and how well each of us pick up on languages in general, but none of us would be ready immediately. It’s a difficult task! Some of the people in our class couldn’t even pass the United States’ citizenship test!

It’s also important to consider that a lot of the adult ELLs trying to obtain citizenship have to work so much to earn money for their families that they don’t have time to learn enough English to take the citizenship test. Without citizenship and the rights they get from citizenship they cannot earn more money (whether they are legal aliens or not)…so they have to work more…so they take longer to learn English…see where I’m going with this? I’m not saying I have a solution, I’m just saying it’s an unfortunate situation. A lot of the young ELL students take longer to learn too because their parents don’t speak English. The only support they get is during the school day. They aren’t getting help from anyone at home because their parents truly can’t help them. It’s just an interesting cycle to consider. We haven’t figured out the best way to solve this literacy issue yet, but maybe the rest of you guys have some thoughts on the subject.

After reading about Google and how it is causing everyone to lose the ability to read longer passages and concentrate I took a step back: do I do this? I wasn’t sure then, and I’m not sure now. I’d like to think I can read for extended periods of time and really focus in on something. In fact, I feel that when I do homework this way I have better results.

It was interesting to me that Nietzsche’s writing changed to be more like a telegraph when he started using a typewriter instead of pen and paper. I feel that at this point in my life, I may actually be more capable of prose on a computer than I am on paper. I do most of my writing on a computer right now because I have to for my classes. The only time I hand write is in class when I take notes. Does that mean I’m the opposite of what Carr is suggesting? Am I only this way because I am expected to type my assignments in MLA format? I guess it’s hard to tell at this point. We also grew up using computers at an earlier age than Nicholas Carr did (I’m assuming) and it is possible  that we know how to keep our prose the same regardless of if we are writing or typing. As for reading long texts, I do not think I feel the need to jump around and skim an article if it is longer than three paragraphs. If it is interesting to me; I want to read it. Maybe switching to more technology later in life has these effects but we were born at the right time not to feel them? Am I wrong here? Does anyone else feel they are not incapable of reading for long periods of time and can type and write in the same style? If you do feel a difference, is it in concentration or the style of writing?

One particular aspect of “Living and Learning with New Media” I found interesting was the idea that kids who do not have internet access at home and have to use library or school computers are missing out on the social aspect that the internet offers. Schools and libraries block websites that kids would use to communicate with others their age and engage in popular culture. I never considered that not having social media could affect the way  kids interact with their environment. Just because one kid does not have Twitter, Instagram, etc., does not mean he/she won’t know what these websites are or can’t use a friend’s, but it does mean they can’t interact in this way unless it is through someone else. Even if a kid uses a friend’s account when they are together, he/she cannot share personal thoughts because someone else’s will always be included. There is something to be said about not having the option to participate in a major cultural aspect of growing up. If a kid only has access to a computer and the internet when doing homework or research at the library or in school, what will his/her relationship be with technology? It will be associated with work rather than interacting with peers and putting filters on pictures for everyone to see.

Technology is a massive part of growing up for kids today. I have worked with kids every summer since I was allowed to work, and I have seen the way that technology affects the way they interact with each other and the world. I had six year old campers arriving in tank tops that said “#CRAYCRAY” in sparkly letters (that is not a joke). My campers and gymnasts try to add me on Facebook, Instagram, and follow me on Twitter and get upset when I tell them I won’t/can’t accept them. It is their way of trying to further our relationship and gain a closer bond, and they take it personally when I do not accept. This is the way they are growing up. If you like someone as person and have a bond with them of any kind you want to solidify it with social media and be a part of his/her life in another way. People my age were taught not to request people like camp counselors, coaches, teachers, etc., because it isn’t appropriate. What does this say about how technology is changing our relationship?

Reading Min-Zhan Lu’s story about the education in school versus her education at home I felt conflicted the way she was. I could not believe her ability to switch back and forth between the language of the school and New China, and the language her parents were teaching her at home. I cannot imagine the confusion she experienced when she realized the same word (such as “red”) meant something totally different depending on if she was at home or at school.

We have discussed a lot about dialects and first languages versus second in class so far. However, we never discussed a different mindset depending on someone’s location. Her parents wanted her to be “cultured” but her teachers wanted her to learn the “language of the Working class”. There was such a difference between the two languages that Min-Zhan Lu wasn’t sure how to separate the languages depending on where she was. How can someone go from the color red representing revolution in school, and the “Commies” at home? She was never able to share examples with the class of outside reading she was doing because no one else would have understood the references. No one else would have read Jane Austen or Nathaniel Hawthorne because the themes and viewpoints would not match with those of New China. I am amazed she was able to keep the conflicting viewpoints so separate. However, it saddens me that in order to keep her thought processes and languages straight she refrained from participating in school and sharing her original book report on The Revolutionary Family with her parents. She was forced to sort out the different languages every time she wrote a book report for school.

I admire Min-Zhan Lu’s perseverance when it came to using both languages. However, I wish she did not blame herself for being unable to separate such opposing forces easily the way her teachers and parents wanted her to. When she received a Chinese-English dictionary in high school and found the definition of “class” to be completely different from the context in which she understood it, she saw even more the opposition between the two educations she was receiving. She also saw how different the  same language (English) could be, depending on her location. Her parents did not want the “Red Doctrines” to corrupt her, but in school she was taught the language of revolution and looked down on for having an “Imperialist Lackey” for a father.

Do we have anything similar to that in present-day America? Maybe not to that effect. If a family has strict views about certain social issues but sends the children to a public school, the children will potentially be exposed to all different types of viewpoints. Maybe this could be similar. What are everyone’s thoughts? Do we have situations in America today where there is a potential for a different “language” between home and school? I do not mean speaking Spanish or Russian at home and English in school. I mean learning a different type of the same language based on beliefs. Do you guys think we have anything this severe today?

My roommate’s parents came to visit this past weekend and conveniently her mother grew up in Austria. I was able to interview her in person rather than over the phone and it was really interesting. She explained different options that were available in school for her (she is 54). She explained that in school you made a choice at the age of eleven or twelve to go on the “university” route or the “trade school” route. After that all students moved in slightly different directions based on those choices.

After giving that background I can explain the main point of my post. Do we have the ability to choose our path of literacy at the age of eleven or twelve? How can we know how far we want to take our literacy at such a young age? She is unsure of how the school system is now, but when she was in school if a student chose to learn a trade he/she was only in an academic classroom until about sixteen and then moved on to learn the chosen trade. Those who chose the route that ended in going to a university were expected to choose even further the path of their education. There was a humanities route and more mathematical route, maybe a few others too. Because students choose this route at such a young age and continue that route through the rest of school there were not any general education requirements at European universities. They were covered throughout most of middle and high school education. She was unsure if it was exactly like this today, but even so, are we capable of deciding our lives like this when we are of middle school age? Is going through a typical education until just sixteen and then stopping to learn a trade long enough? Do we learn anything life-changing in those last few years of high school from sixteen to eighteen? Is sixteen only long enough if we plan to learn a trade; is it long enough if we plan to go to a university; is it long enough for anyone?

I’m sure at that age I thought I knew who I wanted to be and what I was interested in. I’m sure I was wrong. Do you guys think we are capable of deciding what sort of literacy is our strongest (humanities, math, science, a trade) in middle school? On the contrary, should someone be choosing what we study through middle and high school, as is the case in most American school districts?

I found it interesting to consider what it means to be academically literate and culturally literate, and how damaging it can be to a student if a teacher refuses to recognize a community dialect as ever being correct. Students associate their community dialect with friends, family, and their own personal identities as well. If a teacher is constantly correcting how a student speaks as well as whether what he/she is saying is correct the student may develop an anxiety with the way he/she speaks as well as dislike the teacher for always correcting typical conversation.

It seems that there is  a fine line between how important a community dialect and academic English  both are and which is more appropriate in certain situations. Although it is true that academic English is needed for economic success in the future, knowing one’s identity in a community and among peers is also important. Students will sometimes choose to speak in a dialect rather than Standard English because they would rather identify with peers than a teacher constantly correcting their speech.

I never considered the fact that teachers can confuse the teaching of reading to be the teaching of a new dialect. If students read a sentence and pronounce certain words with their community’s dialect, that does not actually take away from the fact that they are reading and comprehending. These students do not have a reading problem; they are using a dialect other than Standard English. However, to be able to do this a student must be able to read in Standard English before switching the pronunciation, which is actually pretty impressive.

I’m sure there are plenty of instances before second grade where I read and wrote stories. However, the most vivid and earliest memory I have is from second grade, so I’ll use that. I had to write my own version of a story from our large anthology about a magic pot that multiplied everything that went inside. I remember being so excited to create my own story based off what we read. It was done entirely in class and we had special paper with a fancy space for a title and we were allowed to write our stories however we wanted. I remember thinking my story was fantastic and I’m sure I received a fine grade. It was put in our second grade portfolio of work and I happened upon it maybe five years later. Reading over it again I realized how many details from the actual story I had “borrowed” and used as my own. I wondered if I truly thought those details were of my own invention or if I knew I was taking them almost directly from the story. As a first attempt at using a template to create my own story I’m sure I just wanted it to be as good as I believed the original to be, and what better way than to use ideas directly from the story? Obviously now this would never be fine (people fail classes for doing this) but as an eight year old with a newly developing literary imagination I’m sure it was just fine. We work with what literacy we have at the time and grow from each experience.