Different Educational Experiences 2.

876 Words4 Pages
Different Educational Experiences Authors Richard Rodriquez in “Scholarship Boy” and Gerald Graff in “Disliking Books” had very different experiences finding their way through the education system. Rodriquez loved the classroom environment and learning, in his home life his family was loving and supportive, but having Spanish speaking, blue collar parents created some difficulties bringing the two worlds together. Graff did not like reading as he found no connection in the books he read and his life. Graff’s family was educated, supportive and pushed him for success in his education. Although their experiences were very different, they both found the love of reading and success in both worlds. Rodriquez spoke only Spanish until the age of six. He entered the education world speaking little English and unconfident of himself and his place in this new world. His brother and sisters were good students, his parents were supportive and encouraging, but with their lack of education and lack of command of the English language they found it difficult to help him with his homework assignments. “When I reached the third grade, I out grew such behavior. I became more tactful, careful to keep separate the two very different worlds of my day”. Because his family did not understand his love for learning and its intensity, his family would tease him; his siblings calling “Hey four eyes” when he carried so many books he could not handle them; his mother asking “what do you see in your books?”. By the third grade he was learning to keep the two very different worlds separate, he did not ask his family for help, he hid under his bed to read and stopped trying to teach his parents proper English. Despite all the teasing, he still felt safe, secure and happy at home. Richard Haggart in “The Uses Of Literacy” describes that students like Rodriquez needed to “move between

More about Different Educational Experiences 2.

Open Document