Andrea Fishman's piece opened my eyes to the various types of literacy there are in today's society. As an outsider to the Amish community and Old Order practices, I can't help but compare and contrast their views to my own, as Fishman does in her concluding chapters. One of the most interesting differences she touches on was the difference between ones composure at home versus at school. Our society too has this difference but what struck me was her idea that "children [in the Amish community] may feel little need to speak up (or act up) in school, therefore, because they have an outlet for such behavior at home (155)." One of the most terrifying issues to think about as a future teacher is student behavior, especially in today's society with drugs, alcohol, and abuse. A teacher can never fully understand the home life a student has and the toll it takes on them. Fishman brings up a smart idea that when children are able to express themselves at home, they can then be the attentive and calm students teacher's dream of. However, when home is a mess and they feel like they have to hide emotions or behaviors, it weighs on them and must be released somewhere else-usually that ends up being school. Do you think that there is a correlation between a broken home and disruptive students? Furthermore, do you think that broken homes are becoming more and more common due to teen behaviors influenced by media, like teen mom and skins? (a problem worth noting that the Amish don't face, and possibly the reason for such tight homes and expressive environments)
2 comments:
I've had a few friends that have been from "broken homes". I don't necessarily feel that they become disruptive or act disruptive in the class. If anything, the people that I have known are better learners because of the problems they've been through. After learning about their problems, I've seen them work harder at school because that was all they had. School was an escape for them and a way for themselves to get their mind off any problems.
I can see though where this wouldn't necessarily be the case if a person never knew their mother or father. But in the case that their parents went through a divorce when they were growing up, I've only seen the positive school affects from it. I've also seen them use athletic activities and video games to help as well. School, as speaking in this aspect, was the main priority though.
Contrasting what you noted Justin, I’ve seen the opposite effects of broken homes on children. My best friend grew up with her grandparents her whole life and her mom occasionally. She was a real pain to be around in class because she constantly sought attention from adults, something she didn’t get a lot at home. Another of my friends grew up with a dad in jail and a mother who smoked weed regularly. Because she knew her parents would not really care if she worked hard in school or not, she didn’t do much in school and was very introverted, acting indifferent to anything school related. To release her pent up emotions, she actually developed an eating disorder in high school. Finally, another of my friends came from a family of divorced parents. I think he “stood on the line” more at recess than any other kid in my class. He was a smart kid, but used school as his release from his problems at home.
It is sad for me to note these friends of mine and their behavior, but what is most sad is that it was mostly their parents fault. Like you mentioned Andrea, if this problem is getting worse, the behavior of the students in our classes to come looks bleak. What can we do about this? Probably not much, but just be there to support these students and really try to understand why they do they things they do.
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