Week 8 Discussion - Elementary Curricula

Elementary Curricula

They both agree that middle-class students seem to benefit more from summer reading programs than their lower-SES peers. Did that surprise you?

I was not surprised by the findings that middle-class students benefit more from summer reading since these students usually receive more educational support from home to begin with and often have the standard that they will attend secondary education after graduating high school.

What might be the reason for this conclusion?

I have always believed that children will become what you expect them to be, and summer reading programs are a reflection of this belief.  If parents and older siblings love reading, have a home filled with books, and are regularly taken to libraries, they will most likely grow up and love to read. Reading is a skill that requires repetitive practice and therefore reading, or being read to for 20-30 minutes a day is a necessity for students to master the skill.

How would you challenge teachers to "break out of that mold" to show better results for those students who are classified as low SES?

If children are not taught the love of reading at home, the challenge rests with the educator to instill this passion of reading.  “Breaking out of that mold” is extremely challenging, but it is possible. Equipping teachers with resources and continuing to point of the importance of reading in professional development settings would be one of my main focuses as a principal.

Do we always have to be satisfied with the idea that children in the low SES column will automatically not be able to perform?

I completely disagree with being satisfied with the idea that these children will not be able to perform, and I hope many teachers share that belief.  Making a difference is what educators should do, and I have learned more teaching at Title 1 schools than anywhere else as I have seen children starved for attention and learning is a challenge.  

Why do you think that idea has become almost common practice?

Statistics have shown the trend exists, and therefore it has become a common practice to almost expect failure, but I believe it is the teachers that fail if we do not do everything in our ability to help students succeed.  Reading is the foundation for learning and must be the primary focus in all classes for children to become successful!