Our Charge: Take Joy in Err

When I look at or hear a masterpiece, I often marvel at the highly produced and oft rehearsed end result. “What a magnificent piece,” I think after hearing a new orchestral achievement. “What a brilliant idea,” I might think after reading a new favorite story. Rarely, though, do I consider that this did not appear as one solitary spontaneous act. Never do I say or think, “What an incredible culmination of years of practice, errors and experimentation!”

Reading this week from Lyon and Moore’s “Sound Systems,” and Cusumano’s “Every Mark on the Page,” I have been drawn to consider the beginnings of what most consider to be the rudiments of education and, some might say, society, namely, possessing the ability to read and to write. Together, these writings are directions and encouragements for teachers to begin thinking about how they would teach a non-reader and non-writer to become fully effective in both skills. Taken as compliments to each other, this book and article give insights from the practical, procedural perspective and gently admonishes educators to be patient in allowing students to progress properly.

The point that most caught my attention in these writings was Cusumano’s description of the beauty in an apparent skill regression. In the analysis of a child’s writing, the child appears to have misapplied a writing rule she once knew. Cusumano acknowledges that many would assess this as a failed attempt on the child’s part. She is quick to explain, however, that this strange application of a writing convention is actually a moment youthful discovery – that she is in fact, “exploring her limits.”

Cusumano mentioned early in her article that learning to write is much like learning to speak – it is an inventive process on the part of the child, constructing their own understanding from their observations of the world around them. Considering language, reading and writing in this way should offer us as educators a reason, if no a means, for liberating children to explore the rules and limits or writing (and, perhaps to a lesser extent, reading) rather than to have those rules “imposed form without” (Cusumano, 2008).

This idea of allowing children to explore and discover writing rules and to slowly grow into readers (as described in Lyon & Moore, 2003) is wonderful. As an aspiring educator, I have to wonder: what can I do with this?

Cusumano’s consistent emphasis on “enthusiastically accepting” a child’s accomplishments as they move forward in their own learning trajectory is, I believe, at least the very first application of this idea. As educators, we will need to be diligent in remembering that the focus of our work, at least in early reading and writing, is not on our literary pronouncements and rule-instruction but is instead on child-learning. It should be our daily task to remind ourselves that our students are master craftsmen and craftswomen in training and that we are their guides along the way. Finding that balance between self-lead learning and enabling instruction will undoubtedly be a challenge, but that is our charge.

The backside of this lofty idea and wonderful charge, of course, appears to be a good amount of careful planning and consistent assessment. It is easy for me, as a pre-service educator, to continue on about beautiful ideas and ideals, so I hope to remember this next point to keep good ideas in perspective. This means work. The recommendations from both readings are not possible without intentional designs of the teacher. In learning to scaffold phonics learning, Lyon and Moore explain how important it is to understand different the stages of learning and to keep scrupulous records to inform a teacher’s guidance. Cusumano’s approach requires developing a patient heart and a positive eye, all the while being proactive in educating families and the local community about what it means and looks like to read and write. Having spoken to teachers here and there, this necessary work is also work done in our “extra” time, which will sometimes feel like more burden than it is worth. Hopefully we will find perseverance in those moments.

All in all, it is exciting to consider the creativity that goes into learning to read and write at the early stages. We will have the opportunity to guide our students towards the skills and knowledge they will need to go and create the great works which towards which the next generation can aspire. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Works Cited

Cusumano, K. F. (2008). Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing. Language Arts , 86 (1), 9-17.

Lyon, A., & Moore, P. (2003). Sound Systems: Explicit, Systematic Phonics in Early Literacy Contexts. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.