I like the points that both K and K raised here.
I'm also wondering what else Julia could have done for James and Jason. I'm not sure if she has more difficulty with boys in general, or if she doesn't do enough to help students who are not academically gifted the way that her other students are (Nikki, David, MacKenzie). David may be adversarial with Julia, but he seems present in the discussions and is engaged with the text. How can she help the readers like James and Jason who are not reading with the same level of engagement?
Just a thought--maybe the level of engagement is low because the level of interest is low. Maybe more high interest books for the boys and positive encouragement from their teacher. Those are some easy fixes, but might not solve the root of the issue.
ReplyDeleteI also think you might be on to something with the whole "is it a gender thing or an ability thing"? I think clearly both dynamics play out in the classroom but there is a real difference between the power and ownership David experiences and the power/ownership that James and Jason really mostly DON'T experience.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much tension David has between being a successful boy and being a successful student -- there was some of that in the independent reading clubs chapters, where he participated in the "boys clubs" even though his reading life was not at all like the reading interests of the other boys. But he did not choose to join girl groups that might be more intellectually interesting to him. That makes me wonder what other ways students are forced to make those kind of difficult choices among identities and roles in classrooms.
I am also thinking of a boy in my class, Majid, who is a quick learner, thinks very deeply about books and writing, and from the beginning of the year was dominant in written responses about books (he didn't ever participate much in discussion but he definitely listened). As the year has gone on, he's become friends with many of the other boys and I've seen him purposefully disengage from things I ask the kids to do and be silly during literacy times. When he's writing just for me and it's private or he has a socially valid reason (like for a grade) he still does really strong thinking work. But when it's more casual he will make a joke or be silly instead. I wonder if a dynamic has developed where for him to be a popular boy, he has to be silly in class participation. The girls seen as smart are always raising their hands, always wanting to talk and debate stuff about books. The boys seen as smart tend to be more invested in stuff that requires speed, accuracy, etc. (like times tables in math or something) OR stuff that is very independent (four or five boys have these huge graphic novels they are working on completely separate from anything for class - they are VERY invested in those but keep that very separate from school). Majid entered the year acting more like the way the "smart" girls act but has transitioned as he saw himself gaining more and more social capital and popularity. I wonder if he really changed or is experiencing this kind of tension within himself?