Talking Point #2

Why Can't She Remember That? By Terry Meier

1. "Many children in multicultural, multilingual classrooms are not used to an adult asking them questions for which it is obvious that the adult already knows the answer." p. 245
I think that this quote is important to the text because it shows how the children are confused when adults ask them questions that are obvious. The children have different cultures from one another and some of them may find it a waste of time, or find it silly to answer a question that is so obvious.

2. "Unfamiliar with the book readig routines many teachers assume as common knowledge, children who have not been read to at home may find these routines aversive, puzzling, or simply boring." p. 245
I think this quote is also important to the text because it shows that the children aren't used to some of the rules that apply to this society in regards to ready anyway. Some children have never been read to, they can either be very excited about it or they can find it boring and tiresome. If they do find it boring then it is sort of like setting them up for failure, the children don't find reading fun now and in the years to come they will feel the same way.

3. "Many youngsters develop the impression that books are not about them, their families, or communities, but rather always about "the other." p. 247
I think this may be one of the most important quotes in the text, just because it shows that children are easily amused as long as the subject relates to them. Children love books that they are familiar with, if they feel they can connect to the main character, or of different scenarios in the books, they will enjoy the book that much more, often asking the teacher to re read the book. But some children (like the Asians and Hispanics in this text) feel that the stories that are read by the teacher are about the "other children" (meaning whites and blacks) this may cause the children to feel like they aren't good enough to have a book written about them, or they may feel left out. Leading to them disliking reading time.

I really enjoyed reading this text, I think I learned from it even if I may not be teaching in an elementary school setting, I feel I can still use the lessons that are in this text in my own classroom. I feel that everyone, not just children, like to read books or read anything that they can connect with, so its not only a matter of finding the right book, but it is also about making the books come "alive" for the students. So while it is important to read aloud and have a "reading time" it is also important for the teachers to do activities that involve the book as well. But beware that the activities aren't taking over the reading time, the activities and the reading time must be separate. The subject of asking "obvious questions" is something that we can do without, some children may be amused by it, but there are also children who aren't. These children are the ones who don't understand why the question is being asked because there is no point to it, the teacher assumes that these children don't know the answer to the question and come to the conclusion that the child needs more help when in fact the child is not being challenged enough. To make sure the child is getting the most from reading time, we can do without the obvious questions and pick more books that the children can connect with, and also make the books "come alive".