I have only one student in my class who qualifies as ELL (ESL? ESOL? SOL? In any case, learning English). His mother is from Brooklyn (of Puerto Rican decent), he was born in the US, and he does not speak a word of Spanish, but somehow in Concord this qualifies him for ELL services, and I don't dispute them. You take help where you can get it. His ELL tutor has worked with him for three years. She seems attached to him and proud of their accomplishments together, as she should be. It's an intense relationship, spending 30 minutes of one-on-one time together every day for three years. She assures me his handwriting is beautiful and he has memorized all of his multiplication facts (neither of which would be hindered by his language limitations... but anyway). Last week I asked her to administer our district reading assesment with him in a quiet setting, which she attempted to do. Apparently he shut down and refused to try the test. She brought him back to the room and called me in to the hallway for a chat. She explained that he can be really stubborn, really bull headed, just really difficult sometimes. "You know, he's got that Poverty Syndrome... Did you go to the workshop?" I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing or screaming.
The workshop she referred to was with Ruby Payne. Our district has poured money into Ruby Payne's institute, sending people to week long trainings, buying scores of books which are then piled up in supply closets, photocopying worksheets and leaving them in our mailboxes. I have refused to open any of them, incredulous that a white upper middle class woman could have anything to teach me about poverty that my nieghbors could not. Especially when she is obviously getting rich off of her "Program." At our first meeting our Principal tossed a thin volume to each of us without any commentary. "Working with Parents: Building Relationships for Student Success." The book reads like a travel guide. It contained priceless advice such as: "Serve coffee. Parents of poverty view coffee as a sign of welcome." The brief 67 pages of the booklet are filled with scores of offensive stereotypes. Again, the laughing/screaming quandry.
How does class figure in my class? I will have to explore this question when I can keep my eyes open.
1 comment:
I'd be screaming, too.
You'd be interested in my mom's new literacy project in Apalachicola. She's working with the fishing community, and training people within the community at a grassroots level. They are using Bring Me a Book foundation - introducing the love of reading to children, many of whose parents are illiterate. A big project, but exciting.
She knows well that bringing in a bunch of well educated white women to be the trainers would create distance. She's going straight to the source.
They should have a web site up shortly.
Post a Comment