Quote:
"they learned these concepts not by being formally taught, but by being there and part of the action when important people in their lives were reading and writing for their own purposes"
Reaction:
I chose the quote above, because I strongly believe the statement is true. I am a mother of two wonderful children and everyday I am amazed at what they learn just by watching my behavior. I feel that children are highly influenced by what they observe of the people they are with the most often, which is usually their parents. I remember when my children hit the age of two, and they would say a new word everyday and sometimes more than just a word, but maybe a sentence. I would think "how did they know to say that". I know that I did not teach them how to respond in that manner, but they had learned by observing me. Children look to their parents as the main source of education before they begin school and are still influenced while they grow into adults. If the parents do not have an education, the child will have a harder time learning than a child that has parents that do have an education because of the exposure they receive at home. If a child sees a parent reading the news paper or a novel, they will be more curious to learn to read because they look at their parents as role models. If a child has parents that can not read, that does not mean that they too will be illiterate. But the child may not want to pick up a book when they get home because they do not see anyone else in their family doing it. I also feel that a child that has a parent that cares about education will have an easier time learning at school than a child that has a parent that does not. I am a parent that believes education is very very important. Of course, that is why I am also becoming a teacher. But I also teach my son that having an education is a wonderful blessing and not just work. We take time everyday for education when he gets home from school, and we have fun while doing it. I also am very involved with his school and work as a parent volunteer in his classroom. My son is very intelligent and does wonderful in school, because I work with him. But sadly, my son has classmates and friends that have parents that feel that education is not their responsibility. They feel that their child learns at school, and it stops when they get home. I see children bring in homework that was obvious that the parent did not help them with. They children were in kindergarten and need that guidance with their homework. If a parent doesn't care about the child getting an education then the child will eventually feel that same way.
Additional Resource:
I found an article at Education Week Online titled Parent Involvement that discussed the benefits of having parent involved in a child's education. The article supports my beliefs that children that have parents that care about education are more likely to succeed and care more about their own education.
References:
Education week. (2004). Parent Involvement, Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/parent-involvement/
Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.), In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power. (Print: Anthology)
I completely agree with what you are talking about when you say that your children learned words, sentences, and behaviors by watching you. I am a nanny to a three year old little boy and there are so many things he says that we wonder where they came from. The other day he was working on learning to pedal his bike and said, "My papi is going to be so proud of me." Where did he learn the word proud? Likewise, his parents and I read to him all the time. He is always wanting to "read" to us and be read to. I think those early ages tend to shape a child's future.
ReplyDelete