When Students See Themselves in the Work

One of the most important shifts we can make in literacy instruction is also one of the simplest: we can begin with students’ lives.

Too often, students experience reading and writing as something that belongs somewhere else, perhaps to authors in books, to assignments created by adults, or to experiences that seem far removed from their own communities. When we invite students to write about their names, families, neighborhoods, friendships, heroes, and dreams, however, literacy begins to feel more personal because students recognize that their own experiences can become the subject of serious thought and meaningful writing.

This does not mean lowering academic expectations. In my experience, the opposite often happens. When students care about what they are writing, they have a reason to search for the right word, develop a scene more fully, revise a sentence that does not quite say what they mean, and think carefully about how another person will experience their story. The skills we want students to develop become connected to something that matters to them.

Identity-centered literacy begins with the belief that students’ lives are worthy of attention and that the experiences they bring into our classrooms are valuable sources of knowledge. When students begin to understand this, it can change not only the way they approach writing but also the way they see themselves as learners and as people with something worth saying.

At Literate Voices, this belief has guided our work for more than two decades. The settings have changed, the students have changed, and the forms of storytelling continue to evolve, but the starting point remains the same. Before we can ask students to find their voices on the page, we have to be willing to listen to them.