In our conversations we've all expressed some frustration about how the kids in Julia's class from a lower SES background didn't really show growth in terms of their ability to discuss books. We can't see if they grow in other ways in Julia's class, but in terms of what they add to the discussions (in teacher and group-led) they say little compared with other students.
This really brings to life the Shirley Brice Heath piece we read earlier this year-- the Maintown kids can do critical literacy the same way Julia can, and James and Jason act much like the Roadville kids.
(If I were a student in Michelle's class I'd be linking my hands together right now). ;)
I think this is a really good point...especially since in the book it's often framed as a way in which the lower SES kids like Jason and James were not meeting expectations (as opposed to describing it as a way in which their experiences or expectations differed from Julia's and the rest of the class's).
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