I Don't Buy It!

            Lynn Gatto is an award winning teacher that refuses to bow to the standardized demands of the district she works for.  Many schools have adapted systems they require all teachers to use that claim to get students to do better on state exams.  These types of programs take away from the individual teaching styles of the educators.  In "Success Guaranteed Literacy Programs: I Don't Buy It!", Gatto gives examples of literacy strategies and techniques that she has used in her classroom that have been effective on her students.

        Gatto states “I make sure the children in my class have multiple opportunities for literacy events and practices within social context” (2007, p. 75).  I think this definitely contributes to her students’ success in literacy.  It reminded me of the reading by Gee, “Opportunity to learn:  A language-based perspective on assessment”.  Gee basically said in that reading that in order for students to be on the same playing field in terms of learning, students need to have equal experiences and opportunities. 

           We cannot rely on one system or program to teach all students.  Something that Lynn Gatto does in her classroom that I find beneficial for students is using a variety of texts that vary in difficulty level.  Many times the textbooks that we have for our students are above the reading level that our students are at.  Students cannot be expected to read and understand a textbook that is already confusing enough if it is not even on the same level as them.  Relying solely on one textbook is not going to be good for all our students.  I think we can give students choices with readings and this is one way to do it.  Also, having students discuss the different texts that they read makes the students become teachers of each other.  Even though the books are on the same material, no two texts are going t be exactly alike so students can get a little something from each of them.

           I am inspired by Lynn Gatto in how she chose to stand up for her teaching and students and refused to conform to the type of teaching programs that the district wanted everyone to use.  I feel that in order for our education system to get away from the standardized testing and teaching, more teachers have to do what Lynn did.  Unfortunately, being a new teacher I don’t think I could get away with this the way she did but I definitely will never give up my teaching methods or philosophies to satisfy an administrator.