Hayes, Baruth And Kessler's Literacy Con Cariño: An Analysis

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In the closing chapter of Hayes, Baruth, and Kessler’s Literacy con Cariño, the authors reflect on the factors that cause immigrant students, such as the ones Robert taught, to fall behind in school. They also focus on what Robert did to combat those issues so he could instill a love of literacy into his class. Through ongoing textual dialogue, published work, and Robert’s confidence in them, the students transformed from the timid children they once were to avid readers and writers. The implementation of reading in their every day life was key as well. Most students came from environments where the written word was sparse, causing them to not practice enough. Through the dialogue journals and his class library, Robert brought text into every aspect of their lives. The discussion of the parents’ role regarding their children’s literacy development stood out to me. Since I come from a literate family, it was interesting to read about parents who were illiterate, but desired differently for their children. I also enjoyed reading Cummins’ model of learning and the interactions that can either help or hinder a minority student. One in particular that I reflected upon was the “classroom interactions between teachers and minority students” (Baruth et al, 1998, p. 124). I feel as if that is often times overlooked, but the relationship between Robert and his students perfectly displays what ESL teachers should strive to attain. As a typical white middle class student, my parents were extremely involved in my education. …show more content…
They worked average hours which allowed them to attend school functions and they each took a special interest in knowing the school, my teachers, and peers. They were also always available to help me with homework and provided an educational home environment before I even began school. Unfortunately, I know this is not the case for all students. I am aware of the diverse backgrounds students come from and that even if parents want to be involved, it is not always possible. I witnessed this throughout mu educational career, but never understood these situations with the clarity and depth that Literacy con Cariño provides. As a whole, the text neither reinforces nor challenges any preexisting notions I had about parents’ involvement in their children’s education. I had never thought of it from the point of view of the parents until reading Literacy con Cariño, though. They do not necessarily feel a call to be involved or not, sometimes they are simply not able to. For example, many of the parents of Robert’s students desperately wanted their children to succeed and did all they could but were not literate, making it difficult for them to actively help. Having a better understanding of the role these parents played in the lives and education of …show more content…
As I previously stated, I come from an average middle class family so I never was in the shoes of a culturally and linguistically diverse student. From the stories of my peers and what I have learned in ESL courses, this relationship is arguably the most important in an ESL student’s educational career. The attitude of a teacher can either greatly aid in building the student’s confidence and seal their path to success, as was the case with Robert in Literacy con Cariño, or can greatly deter a child from ever wanting to risk the possible failure that comes with learning a new

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