In Fishman’s essay she mentioned that Amish children’s’ literacy education primarily revolves around developing the ability to read religious texts. Being able to read and interpret texts has been a force pushing people to learn how to read for decades, so that was not particularly surprising. What I found to be surprising was that while Fishman states that Amish families do not go out of their way to expose their children to literacy and that schoolwork and home are two very separate things. It seemed sort of out of place to me that these parents that she was focusing on, the Fishers, would take such care to find appropriate books for their children and make sure they can read and understand the Bible, but then not concern themselves with their children’s school work.

I realize that I worded that in a biased way, “not concern themselves with” but I just can’t understand how the two processes can not be related. To me, a parent that supports literacy and amends family Bible reading and hymn singing activities so that the youngest child can follow along would also be helping them with school work or helping them study or something. But I guess, the more I think about it, parents today who are not Amish do similar things. For instance, all parents want their children to read—I hope. But all parents do not have the interest, time, or energy to help their children with their homework or to ask them about their day or to help them study or even have the faintest idea what is going on in their schooling. Today a lot of parents are working when their kids are at home doing their homework and so they don’t even get the opportunity to talk to them about what they are doing in school of to offer to help them.

In Brandt’s essay last week she found connections between parents sponsoring children’s introduction to reading. While I was reading that I found myself questioning if she had encountered any families who were unable to introduce their children to reading due to the inability to read, or lack of time, or some other factor. In the essay it did not seem so. While the Fishers are not an example of this type of family they too pushed me to question how children in these families are introduced to reading and writing. In class when Professor Vee asked us what/who our sponsors were, if I’m remembering correctly, we all said our parents, grandparents, or school. Are parents, teachers, and religion the only possible sponsors? What then happens if all three of these fail?