Critical Literacy: From Theory to Practice

As an educator, I have always had a passion for teaching students diverse in their language, culture, and socio-economic status. Beginning with my pre-service teacher education, and continuing now with my graduate studies, my goal was to learn all that I could about teaching literacy so that I could reach each of my students. My belief was that by teaching them to read and write, they could become and do anything they wished, regardless of their economic or cultural background. Through a variety of experiences with students in urban schools and a deeper understanding of the systemic and historical inequities that exist for students who are linguistically or culturally diverse, I began to question if teaching my students to read and write was going to be enough to allow them to achieve in a system that continues to hold them back (Shannon, 1995). Research continues to show that because schools receive different levels of funding and resources, this creates different opportunities for students who attend schools in low socio-economic neighborhoods. Even when educational opportunities are adequate, the realities of the current global economy and systemic racism affect life opportunities of poor and minority students (Gee, 2008; Nieto, 2001).