This week’s reading, “A Family Affair: Competing Sponsors of Literacy in Appalachian Students’ Lives” by Sara Webb-Sunderhaus, expounds on the idea of sponsors and inhibitors of literacy. Sponsors of literacy are those people in the lives of students that encourage their literacies and their academic undertakings. Inhibitors of literacy are people and forces that stand in the way of students pursuits of schooling or at the very least, make it a challenge for students to pursue education. In her article, Webb-Sunderhaus provides several profiles of students on academic paths that illustrate the impact of sponsors and inhibitors in their lives.
In the course of the summer of 2004, Webb-Sunderhaus conducted an ethnographic study of students enrolled in two composition classes. To explain the importance of literacy sponsors, the writer introduces readers to a couple of cases. First there is Katie Mae, a 19-year old whose literacy sponsors have included her church and her older brother. Katie Mae’s youth pastor encouraged her to take notes during services. Her brother continually left her notes and encouraged her literacy in other ways. Even Katie Mae’s aunt proved to be a literacy sponsor in her life by speaking to her about school, providing her useful strategies on how to navigate the world of school.
Literacy sponsors do not always encourage literacy in obvious ways such as encouraging reading and writing. Their role, at times, is to make it possible for students to pursue education. Michelle, another 19-year old student received a lot of help from her grandparents who provided a place for her to go between classes (their home) and food for her while she was there. In that way, she was able to study while not worrying about food.
Parents are often the most influential literacy sponsors in the lives of students. They are the ones to first enroll students in school. They provide books, paper, pencil and other resources. They provide encouragement; they seek out the best programs, all in an effort to provide their children with the best education possible. Parents also serve as literacy sponsors when they model behaviors such as reading and pursuing education for themselves.
Inhibitors of literacy come in many forms. Health issues sometimes get in the way. For Mike the seven year journey to a college degree has not been easy. Having developed a kidney problem, Mike underwent surgery twice, and had to take time off from school for recovery.
Societal constructs of gender roles often impede women who are attempting to go to school. For Pamela, the decision to go back to school was with the insecurities of her husband. Along with other issues, the couple’s marriage ended in divorce. Having to now survive as a single parent, Pamela has had to drop classes, delay programs, generally slow down school. Julie was on her way to achieving her academic roles when she got pregnant and felt forced by her parents to drop out of school, marry her child’s father and be a mom. Her marriage ended in divorce and her life got more complicated when she came out as a lesbian. Her new partner, motivated by her own sense of insecurities, echoed the wishes of her family, that Julie stay home. Unable to handle the constant pressure, Julie indeed dropped out of school. In fact, she only met with Webb-Sunderhaus once.
Though we may want do whatever it takes to help our students. As teachers, our resources may be limited. We cannot provide marital rescue nor can we provide cures for diseases. But we can encourage our students in other ways. For some, acclimating to a new culture brings unique challenges. To help those students, we can ensure them that their voices matter. In his article, “Putting Literacy in Its Place: Nomadic Consciousness and the Practice of Transcultural Repositioning,” Juan C. Guerra introduces readers to Isabel, a Mexican immigrant who sought to acquire an education despite the demands of her life. She had a husband, four children and her English skills were limited. Even so, she was able to share her narrative, showing that there is much more to her than what people see. Reading her story reminds me of the literacy book assigned in Barbara’s class. This type of publication, written by students in ESL or Basic English courses can serve as a literacy sponsor as it encourages students to read and write and know that what they have to say is important.
As teachers, it is very easy to misunderstand and misjudge the attitudes of our students. A lack of money is a major inhibitor that students face I have known many students who are supporting themselves and must work full time in order to get by. Having to deal with those responsibilities often mean that students are not always present in class and are unable to make it to tutoring. I have even had students who were homeless. Realizing that out students often face a plethora of challenges will help us to better face them in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteVivian Stoll
Hi Rhode-Elise,
The challenges faced by students of different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds can be staggeringly different and complex. As a writing tutor at BMCC for 4 years, I think the biggest lesson I learned was exactly what you stated: “Realizing that our students often face a plethora of challenges will help us to better face them in our classrooms.” This practice definitely helped to foster a positive sponsorship relationship toward learning between tutors and tutees.
BMCC tutoring sessions usually began with a brief conversation about the student’s life. In the context of a one-to-one tutor/student relationship with a Freireian emphasis on the relationship between tutor and student as collaborators in the process of learning, students from incredibly diverse economic and cultural backgrounds, often felt comfortable to freely open up about their “real life” situations. Many college students had needs far more basic than the “writing” assignments they came in with: such skills and knowledge as how to use a dictionary or a computer, how to understand a map, how historical facts are sequenced. Of course, economic, home, and life environments played a huge role in informing how and what students had learned or not learned. Getting students to trust and be forthcoming about their learning needs seemed the most relevant challenge.
Sarah Glessner
Vivian-
Thanks for responding with this anecdote about how you have seen Webb-Sunderhaus's concepts in effect. I was especially struck by your point that your students "had needs far more basic than the 'writing' assignments they came in with" as they needed to learn "such skills and knowledge as how to use a dictionary or computer, how to understand a map, [and] how historical facts are sequenced." Once again, we see the incredibly wide range of literacies out there and the necessity of acquiring many of them if we are to succeed in college and beyond. I'm starting to more fully understand how crucial our roles as educators are in nurturing multiple literacies in our students and ourselves.
Sarah Glessner
And Rhode-Elise, happy birthday to your father!
Rhode-Elise St. Jacques
Thanks to everyone who wished my dad a happy birthday.
Vivian, I also am a tutor and I identify with you. It is amazing the knowledge they lack.
Thomas Peele INSTRUCTOR MANAGER
I really appreciate the way you always bring in pictures of your family, and that this platform allows that.
Iris Bodre
Happy birthday to your Dad!! :)
I like that you talk about what we should do, as teachers, in the face of some of the issues presented in the articles by Webb-Saunderhaus and by Guerra. I was especially missing that view in the Webb article. She introduces the topic by talking about the study, all the interviews that she did and the people she spoke to. I know she mentioned professors; I wanted to hear them in her essay. I wanted to know their reactions and responses to how some of the students were being perceived, helped or discouraged by their families and get the instructor perspective in how that was coming across in their work. Perhaps the author's point was to make us aware, as you noted, of the external influences that may affect our students' literacies but I still felt like I wanted to get that other side from her point of view as well.