WORDS

Words at Work and Play is definitely worth a read!  I have to say, it was not at all what I was expecting.  This book follows generations of people and studies their literary practices.  It is monumental to see different families from different backgrounds and with different opportunities.  If I had to pick one overall theme of the book, it would have to be sponsorship.

Each person in this book had their literary development tracked through the recording tapes taken at different points in their lives.  Writing samples entered into that as well, but the tapes were the main focus of the book.  The people that excelled and outgrew the literacy level of their parents or guardians were the ones with some significant level of sponsorship.

The biggest example of self-sponsorship is Jerome.  This kid was a foster kid, jumping from home to home with no idea of the whereabouts of his mother for most of his life.  After finding a permanent foster mom, he enrolled in a theater group that helped him get some focus in school and life.  This kid was also affected by Shirley Brice Heath’s study, as he took her literacy challenges seriously and used them to give his life direction.  Jerome eventually became a teacher after graduating from college, a path not easily taken.

Jerome’s story of self sponsorship is incredible.  One of the stories I enjoyed the most in Words at Work and Play was part of his role in their “script team.”  Kids came in and worked with Heath concerning their actual literary practices.  The part that got me thinking was their word use.  heath describes the kids as generally only using words in the present, rarely in the past tense, and hardly ever in the future.  The kids didn’t see a problem with that because they saw only the need for the present.  What need did they have for the past or the future? Things like planning ahead for college was not common, thought about, or encouraged.  It does mention a bit about college being hard; all the kids were exposed to was failure.  Successful college graduates never came back: one either makes it out, or they are stuck there.  So these kids were not exposed to any sort of “success” and never even really knew what it was.

I liked the literary work that had the kids thinking about their tense use.  Having a chart showing what terms they use was a good visual for the kids; after discussions about it, they started thinking about the future and how little it plays into their lives.  I think that was a major turn-around for Jerome as well as a few others.

I am honestly excited to read the rest of the book.  Our ignite talk will focus on the first half, as there are ample themes to discuss.  But this book should be a required read for all teachers!