Last week I made an important discovery: these kids have parents who cannot read. And when I say they cannot read, I don't mean they trip over the complicated words or mix up certain letters. I mean they can just barely write and sign their own names.
How did this realization come about? Last week I was placed on registration duty, meaning that I had to help parents of new students fill out all the necessary paperwork to start school. Seemed like an easy enough task: simply pass out the forms, explain a few minor details and hand over the pen, right? Wrong. Barely 5 minutes after I had settled down with the pile of forms, the first parent-student duo walked in, a girl and her foster mother.
I handed them the forms and was immediately informed by the foster mom, "I'm not too good at reading and writing."
"Ok," I answered. "Maybe your daughter can read the forms for you?"
That lasted for a few minutes, as the girl and her mother filled out basic info, such as name, address, grade level, etc. But when the girl reached the first major text paragraph, she froze.
"This is too hard for her," the mom stated immediately, handing the form over to me. I ended up reading the stack of paper out loud for them, including confidential questions about the child's mental health.
What was I supposed to do? It wasn't anyone's fault that they couldn't read, was it? Blame could be placed anywhere. On the girl's real parents who were not there for her, on her previous teachers for not doing their job, on the school system for allowing a child to reach 9th grade without being able to read, on our society for not placing enough emphasis on learning. But does placing blame get us anywhere closer to solving the problem?
As a science teacher, I didn't expect to be dealing much with literacy, but it turns out that every teacher is a literacy teacher. Whether we teach English or not, we expect our students to read textbooks and exam questions, and that requires a basic ability to read. Therefore, we must take responsibility for teaching kids reading and writing even when they come to us far below grade level. And yes, maybe it will take time away from learning content, but there are ways to incorporate it effectively.
Below are some links I found that might be helpful in literacy planning. For myself, I am in the process of compiling a science library for my classroom and a reading corner that is inviting. Students will be expected to read silently if they finish an activity early. This will prevent disruptions and build their reading confidence. I also expect my students to be doing a fair amount of writing, not only essays, but creative stories as well. I'll keep you posted on how it all works out.
Literacy in the Classroom Links
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