BLadson-Billings Article

The readings for today both discuss the different variances in literacy that is apparent today and in modern-day schools. I particularly liked the first article by Ladson-Billings, especially the parts about teachers needing to demand success from all of their students. More often than not, at least what I think goes on in the classroom, is the teacher does not want to use up even more of his/her precious time to work with a student that may be written off as a “slacker” or “failing.” These students need extra care and attention from their teachers, but as they are passed from class to class merely because no one wants to deal with them anymore, the problem takes on a life of its own. Educators of course have a hard enough job as it is just running their classrooms and what have you, but they still have a duty to fulfill to their students. Their duty is to demand the very best out of their students, and not to settle for anything less. That may mean going the extra mile to mold a lesson to fit their style of learning, or taking them aside and having an actual discussion about why that student may not seem to be putting forth a lot of effort into the class. When students know that they are cared about, they will want to try harder in their classes, and prove to their teachers and themselves that they are capable of success.