Words at Work and Play

In Words at Work and Play Shirely Brice Heath follows three generations of families, and delves into their literacy practices. This book helps the reader understand literacy practices through its real life examples of the changing scope of literacy in our society. The first chapter opens up describing life before the 1980’s in the rural South and how families taught their children the things they believed to be most important. They would encourage the girls to learn the names of kitchen utensils when they were toddlers in order to ensure their roles in the family. I thought it was interesting that when the community started to grow and subdivisions popped up; the government began to mandate certain education guidelines in schools. The families who had always taught their own children didn’t believe that the school would give them the proper education that they needed in order to work for the family. They would rather homeschool them instead.

The book describes the family’s roles in society and how their literacy propels them or hinders them. Another interesting point we discussed in groups was the fact that the inner city kids only spoke in present tense. During their linguistic research hours with Heath, she asked them what they thought about the fact that they only talked about the immediate future; at first the kids didn’t really understand but then they realized that due to their socioeconomic status they weren’t sure about their future; they were stuck living in the NOW. It is interesting to look at the language we use a precursor to our futures, how we talk and communicate with each other (even though we may not blatantly say it) relays a message of how we see our selves and our lives.

Heath explains through extremely different lenses how we are all connected to literacy and how we all have had sponsors and will continue to gain them in our lives. The book not only went into detail about children learning literacy but adults as well; there is always room to become more literate, you just have to push yourself and be your own sponsor.