Warmup Ch. 5-6

What did you notice about the language schools used to refer to the students Rose featured in this chapter? How did this language mark students as “insiders” or “outsiders” to school? How do you think these labels might have influenced students’ literacy development later on?

It seemed that these students who were referred to Rose came from typically lower economic status and were somewhat English impaired. It discussed how when one can only barely speak the language, it makes one not be able to see the braking down of the language to form writing as well. In this the students become “outsiders” at school, as they cannot perform the same writing tasks as the other students and are then labeled as remedial or other such titles. Rose described that giving these labels at an early age can have serious effects on the students throughout their lives. In describing the broad, non-specific testing used to make a general assumptions as to ones abilities and needs, Rose states, “…the very means we use to determine those needs- the various remedial procedures that derive from them-can wreak profound harm on our children, usually, but by no means only, those who are already behind the economic and political eight ball” (pg. 127). He is describing how such labels can stick with kids, particularly those who are labeled as such simply because of the lack of advantages they have in lower economic situations, and set the path for them throughout their entire schooling career. A child may see they are labeled as remedial, and feel that is all they can amount to, and not be challenged otherwise from the outside and simply accept it within themselves, eventually being stuck in such a label.