Assignment Task:
Until fifth grade, I had the hardest time with reading, writing, and speaking. My two younger siblings would usually have something to say about it, whether it was to criticize or correct me. I only saw them on a few holidays and for two months in the summer, but my sisters' words stuck with me. I did not work harder in school to be better because I did not know how. I ended up learning the correct ways to say things from the repetitiveness of their corrections. I do not hate them for it, I am very grateful. I am not sure if I would have learned it any other way.
I learned that how I spoke affected how they listened to me. When I would tell a story my sisters constantly interrupted me. I soon learned that they were not listening to the story, but to the language, I was using. If I wanted to be heard, I would have to hear them first and learn. Soon after I changed how I spoke I noticed not only a change with my sisters but with my parents and other family members as well. At family gatherings, I was no longer treated with disregard but with respect when I talked.
Q1. How are your experiences the same or different?
Q2. What do you think is the source of any similarities or differences between and your classmate's experiences with language and power?
Q3. What insight have you gained from reading about your classmate's experience?
Q4. What insight might you offer your classmate regarding their experience?