Task 2: Considering the Community

My group has chosen to visit the following places/areas:

-Post office

-fire department

-library

-downtown area 

My group and I think that seeing places that serve the community would be interesting and going to the downtown area would allow us to not only see the more populated places and local businesses, but some of the local people.

We actually  ended up going to different places than we had originally planned to go to. We went to the Mt. Clemens public library,  the Anton Art Center,  and the downtown Mt. Clemens area. After going to the library we found that we were able to check out passes for local community exhibits and events so this influenced our decision to go to the Art Center. From there we were in the downtown area and thought it would be nice to walk around.

While visiting these places I expect to see people in the downtown areas who are living their daily life, not realizing that they are being observed. I think many of them will be working and struggling to make money for their families weather they show it or not. However, similar to some of the families that came into open house, I know that most of these people are really trying their hardest and are genuinely being the best parents/citizens that they can currently be.

I think an outsider might see ” people of “low socioeconomic status in an urban area.” Even though I don’t know very much about the community or the people at this point, the small amount of time I have spent with the youth of the area and the night at open house helped me to understand about these people and their predicaments; they can only do and be what their current situation will allow them to. An outsider might not realize this and just see the surface of some of the people that appear to be struggling with life.

We did end up seeing many people struggling and homeless. However, we were so surprised at how genuinely kind they seemed to be. At one point when we were downtown we were taking pictures and one man saw that we were tourists and came up to us telling us about the historical district, where it was, and telling us that it might be something worth seeing. He was so kind and friendly.

I think we will see, hear,and observe a great deal of interconnectedness of various forms of communications at the local sites we visit in Mt Clemens. For example, in a place such as the post office I would see various signs about the services offered at the post office, this is obviously language that would need to be read. I would see forms that would need to be filled out for certain services--writing. Finally, I would hear the workers talking to those in line about shipping, mailing, and others services such as attaining a passport-oral language. Also, in the downtown area of Mt. Clemens, although we are not exactly sure where we will end up, I can imagine all of the various types of communications we might see. For example, we will hear people walking on the streets talking to others. People in local stores with converse with their customers and co-workers, and finally  we will observe various signs and advertisements for these businesses.

Wow, I was so surprised at how many connections to literacy we found within the community. At the library we saw so many amazing resources for students (as expected) but we also saw a “Poet Tree” where children could write poems on a piece of leaf-shaped paper and put it on the “Poet Tree.” We also saw so many street signs with words on them, menus in local restaurants, and newspaper stands throughout the downtown area. Then at the Anton Art Center we saw that much of the artwork in the student art exhibit had poems with them, I found this so wonderful!

I think since many of our students come from such rough home lives we may sometimes be quick to assume that they are not exposed to literacy at home. When in fact they are engulfed within literacy and our stereotypes are not always correct. The Compton article really pushes us to understand this, “My work with families has changed in three significant ways. First, I make it a rule to assume that there are more literacy practices and educational experiences occurring than I realize” (456).  I think there are many connections that we can make to these “local literacies” that can be very meaningful to our students. For example, in math my math professor stressed that making a math problem concrete and applicable to the child by connecting it to local real world examples was one of the most powerful tools for helping them understand the mathematical concepts. I think the same holds true here for our students. Showing them the types of literacies all around them that they come into contact with everyday is a powerful tool for showing them why literacy is important but also to show them that it is something that they are familiar with.

I was very surprised by how much the Mt. Clemens area had to offer. I felt that it had so much to offer culture, arts, cuisine, and overall character. As hard as it is to admit I did have a stereotypical idea of what the downtown area might look like based on the struggles that a lot of our students deal with. 

As a teacher there are so many wonderful connections that I feel I can make. Although I knew prior to visiting the community that real world examples are everywhere this game me even more wonderful ideas about how immersed within literacy students are on a daily basis without realizing it. I think by having them look around when they are in the community, or discussing their community, or bringing in pictures to help them make connections, or if possible taking them out and pointing these connections our we can make connections to the world in which they are familiar that are curricular related. By doing so we make learning more engaging, concrete, and understandable for our students.