I believe Voigt offers powerful insight for our class, especially for those of us who plan to be educators, about the difficulties many children face in reconciling their family life and personal struggles with the rigid anonymity of the classroom. Chapter two finds Dicey in a classroom"just like every other classroom she had ever been in" (38). Necessarily, the classroom must provide students with a level of familiarity that facilitates processing and memorizing new information - if the classroom does not register as familiar, the space may feel less safe and cause anxiety that impedes learning. To a certain extent teachers depend on the classroom to transmit cultural messages about power relationships and appropriate behavior to students, and on students to decode these messages and respond accordingly. However, as Voigt demonstrates, a child may exhibit appropriate classroom behavior while dealing with family and personal situations that distract from the goals of classroom instruction.
The Tillerman children struggle to integrate their personal feelings, family dynamics, peer interactions, and school obligations into coherent and meaningful understandings of themselves as individuals, and school is the site of many of their anxieties. While most children do not have to face the kinds of personal struggles that Dicey and her siblings face, all school-aged children do have to learn how to understand themselves as members of increasingly expanding communities. School-aged children must learn how to function as members of a family (often fraught with complications), members of various peer groups, members of the classroom, the school, the town, the country, etc. and also how to integrate those roles into a single personality. And since children spend over half of their waking hours in the school, most of this work is done in competition (or compliment) to curricular instruction.
Mr. Chapelle misses so many opportunities to help Dicey break through her impatient boredom and become a real member of the classroom. In their discussion about conflict Mina and Dicey each offer valuable insights, but Mr. Chapelle fails to offer Dicey the support she needs to fully think through the idea of conflicts "'between someone and himself'" (44). His biggest mistake is his failure to earn her trust. He publicly accuses her, without proof, of plagiarism or collusion; he embarrasses her, disrespects her, and loses her respect. Even after he apologizes and promises to change her grade "Dicey didn't say anything. She didn't care what he said [...] It didn't make any difference to Dicey what he said" (209-210). Mr. Chapelle's actions drive Dicey further away from school at the institutional level, yet she does find a link to school society through Mina's willingness to defend her. Voigt suggests that the people in the margins are still viable, and often more interesting, entrees to community and shared experience.
Voigt reinforces this perseptive through Mr. Lingerle, who, because his weight puts him in the margins of their society is able to look beyond the assumptions the school makes about Maybeth's potential, and advocate for her success in a way that is meaningful to her. James struggles to climb out of the margins and be accepted by his peer group, but must sacrifice his true talents to achieve acceptance. Sammy struggles to balance his desire to win familial stability through positive peer interactions, and then turns violently on his peers when they insult his family. The specific struggles of the Tillerman children are only representative of the innumerable complications school-aged children face as they attempt to integrate into the larger society. Every child will feel marginalized for some reason at some time, and some children do actually face family situations well beyond their maturity level. The teacher can never know for sure what a child's family life or interior struggles look like, but educators still have a responsibility to advocate for kids' interests, even within a system that doesn't have time or resources to recognize each child individually.
Dicey's Song informs adults' interactions with children, but it is written for children, and has amazing potential for child-readers. It allows some children to look beyond their more sheltered lives, and allows other children to see themselves pulled from the margins and represented as worthwhile characters with stories that matter. It gives voice to kids who don't quite fit in to other story lines.
Purpose for Imaginative Literature
15 years ago
I agree with how Dicey's Song could help educators have a greater understanding of their students and better serve their students needs. It is important to understand what a child is going through in order to help them learn. If problems persist at home the chances that they will be able to focus at school is low. There are ways that teachers can use literature to have children realize that they are not alone in their struggles. Even just reading books such as Dicey's Song will help educators to have empathy for students struggling with issues at home.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post, and I think you make a good point about the potential this book has in a classroom. There is so much here that could create accessible discussion for children and adults, and this book does provide a unique opportunity to discuss struggles with the classroom within the classroom. Teachers could use this book and the examples you pointed out to inspire their students to think about their own classroom experiences and to actually analyze what works and what doesn't for them, instead of just complaining or feeling bored.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job of connecting Dicey's Song into some of the issues educators must deal with. It is especially appropriate as we are all thinking about our portfolios and brainstorming questions. I thought your insight on familial and communal roles was interesting, because we see Dicey, at least at home, trying to fulfill one too many roles. We see her trying to be somewhat of a parent to her siblings and take care of everyone's needs. However, this pressure in turn causes her to be a "worrier" and difficulties in school only worsen the effect.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I didn't think about Voigt purposely putting educators in the book for all the specific purposely you listed, so this was a great post for me to read - and I agree with you too. I really like how you said Mr. Chapelle misses opportunities to break through with Dicey - I think a lot of teachers miss opportunities with children that age and need to be more aware!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Aimee! I agree with you about Voigt's placement of the educator in Dicey's personal development. I think that, while Mr. Chapelle acts as a cautionary figure for teachers wishing to avoid boring and creating distrust among their students, his example can also act as a reassurance for students. Mr. Chapelle is not a good authority figure, and though Dicey is dependent upon him within the classroom setting, the accussations and problems Mr. Chapelle gives her do not hold her back ultimately. Dicey knows her personal integrity has been maintained even if Mr. Chapelle does not. She works to represent herself truthfully. I think the confrontation with Mr. Chapelle was a growing experience for Dicey. Once again she is reminded that her teacher, like her lost parents, unable to provide what she wants and needs; her strength comes from within.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post. It made some great points about being educators. I think that it is really important for a teacher to know their students in and out of the classroom. This way the teacher knows when something is not right in a student’s home. Students can really have a hard time in school when they are facing difficult times at home. I think this is when a teacher has to take time and help the student so that they don't feel alone. I agree that this book is a great book for student or anyone who is having a hard time at home and feels along because it shows them that they are not alone. That there are people just like them facing difficult times as well.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! I like how you tied the book back to education. You made a few points about using books like this in the classroom that also related to my topic for the annotated bibiliography. I think it is important for children to draw from a number of different sources as they grow as people and readers. And while I think this book would be appreciated by an experienced audience, I think children can draw a lot from it as well - probably more than they know...That's what makes this book so special - it can cater to two different audiences. Nice job!
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