Double Entry Journal #2

Quote: "....teachers and schools must accept, believe, and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, are ready to learn at any time, and will learn." (Purcell-Gates, V.)

Reaction: I really liked this quote. I completely agree with it and feel more teachers, administrators, and schools in general need to be informed of this. Too many children are ignored and lost in the shuffle because the people most responsible for their education feel they just can't do it. The more I read of this article, the more upset I got. The teachers and principle should have taken the fact that the mom wanted what was best for her son and listened to what she had to say. If the teachers would have listened and kept Donny in first or second grade and continued to help him he would have had a better chance of succeeding. I truly believe that children can, do, and will learn no matter what their social or economic status is. They just need their teachers to believe in them and help them find the strength and courage to succeed.

Reference: Purcell-Gates, V. (n.d.). "...As Soon As She Opened Her Mouth!": Issues of Language, Literacy, and Power. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewera=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6DFAmexYq7vMGQxMjI1OTEtMjAyZS00NzJmLTg1OTUtODlmMGQ0ZDIxOTVk&hl=en_US&pli=1

Related Resource: This site is an article from the education information resource center. It talks about how it has been difficult to teach in Appalachia becuase of low SES and poverty. This article is Making a Case for a Cross-Cultural Approach to Literacy in Appalachia.
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED377997&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED377997

Double Entry Journal #1

Quote: "As the mountains were denuded, the industrialists portrayed the families they were robbing as "backward people" and themselves as the prophets of progress." (O'Brien, May 10, 2003)

Reaction: This quote completely shocked and amazed me. I guess I just do not understand how the industrialists could come onto the people's land, destroy it without caring about the people or the land, and then blame those people. Who gave them the right to call the Appalachian people "backward" while awarding themselves the power to "fix" others (even though the Appalachian people really did not need fixed)? If the land, or timber, was that important, then the right thing would have been for the timber companies to speak with the Appalachian people and explain what would happen. Just because someone is different, does not mean their way is wrong. I love where I live and appreciate the land and the people who are here. I would not go somewhere else and tell them they are backward and wrong.

Reference: O'Brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall Tales of Appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html

Resource: This website gives background information on where Appalachia originated from and some history on the people, culture, values, etc about Appalachia.
http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0310443/Appalachian%20Culture.htm