I think it only makes sense to start with the quote that is used as the title of the reading. It is also one of the most important quotes in the reading. Before I started the reading I assumed that the quote was an adult saying "Why can't she remember that?", but once I got further into the reading I found out that it was said by a bilingual Puerto Rican girl named Gabriela. This is an important quote because it was the little girl asking why her teacher couldn't remember the answer from the book they were reading. When the teacher asked "How many mittens are there?" Gabriela didn't understand that her teacher knew the answer and was just trying to engage the children in the classroom! Children from multicultural classrooms are not accustomed to the teacher asking questions with obvious answers. Before this reading I had not considered that some children may not understand that you know the answer and are asking them to keep them engaged!
The second quote that I chose from the reading was also very important and I believe as a future teacher it has a lot of relevance to me. Meier states "There is no more essential task for teachers in preschool and kindergarten classrooms than to help make books meaningful in children's lives." As teachers we must realize that not all children have the same privileges. Some children may come to preschool never having been read to before. As teachers we must be prepared to teach children about books and teach them to appreciate them as well. If you get little children interested in something chances are it is going to stick with them, which is the ultimate goal! If we read children books that have connections to their own lives they are more likely to take an interest in them. As educators this is an extremely important role and I was very glad Meier brought up this point.
The last quote I chose was towards the end of the reading when children were referred to as "information givers". It was brought up that we use a reward system in school and praise the children that give the right answers to questions. The reading goes on to talk about how children are just talk to spit back an answer. With all the standardized testing it only gets worse as kids move up to the higher grades. Children need to not always be robotic and spit out answers that they have been told are correct. Children should be using their creative minds to especially at younger ages. They should be engaged in their learning and interested, not just sitting there taking in the information.
Comments: I really enjoyed the end of the reading when Meier gave the three keys to get kids to enjoy books and literacy. The earlier children develop a deep connection with the books, there is a higher likelihood that they will do well in school. The three ways to get children into literacy were
1. Choose books that relate to children's lives
2. Teach book reading behaviors explicitly
3. Make books come alive
Hyperlink: Early Literacy- http://www.kindercare.com/for-parents/early-literacy/
This meme shows how important literacy can be in life and that is why it's so important to make sure children take an interest in literacy at a young age!
I really like your responses to all the quotes! Especially to the first one. I could relate to your response as well. How did I not realize that children wonder like Gabriella, why does she keep asking that? When reading I asked my mom (because my brother and I are first generation) did we ask questions like this? And she responded with a yes. At the beginning we didn't understand why we were getting asked such a thing if we already went over it, as time went on she says that we got accustomed and just raised our hands for answer the questions. Awesome job!
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