Literacy after the bell

Through the course of many course readings, I’ve come to see that “code switching” is not something I’ve experienced on my own, but rather it is an actually phenomenon that has been studied and researched. These multiple literacies exist all around us, in the classroom, the school yard, at your mom’s house and at church, each of which require a different level of literacy.

Depending on the background and environment on the person these different literacies will form a person in certain ways. It is important to not label these out of school literacies as stereotypical, since there’s are infinite types of literacies. In his book Jabari Mahiri mentions several including rap music, low rider cars, and comic books. While looking into rap music, he found that rap has a greater meaning as a tool of expression. These out of school literacies are usually the most important ones. They are the ones that influence a person into acting, behaving, and even identifying a certain way.

Perhaps they are overlooked because generally they don't fit in with the traditional values of literacy in institutions such as schools. However, to truly understand the students which we intend to teach, it is only fair and incredibly important that we take the time to research, explore, understand, and ultimately appreciate the values that accompany literacy outside the classroom.

There are many reasons as to why these types of literacies are over looked because they’re not understood or considered acceptable. However I think it’s just as important to be able to understand and accept our students for their individuality as well as it is for them to be able to present themselves accordingly. It may even be helpful for teachers to reach out to these out of school literacies and try to relate lessons to better inspire students. I expect my students to come from many different backgrounds, and after reading about out of school literacies I also expect them to have a diverse extent of literacy.